Ferrante d'Este (19 September 1477-February 1540) was a Ferrarese nobleman and condottiero.
Biography[]
Ferrante d'Este was the son of Ercole I d'Este and Eleanor of Naples, and he was the brother of Alfonso d'Este, Ippolito d'Este, and Sigismondo d'Este. He was born in Naples, where his mother had gone into seclusion, and he was raised at the Aragonese court there. In 1493, he joined the court of Charles VIII of France, but he chose to remain in Rome during Charles' invasion of Italy, refusing to see his beloved home city be conquered. However, his father forced him to join Charles' army, and he fought at the Battle of Fornovo. In 1498, he became a condottiere for the Republic of Venice in the war against Pisa, and he returned to Ferrara in 1499. In 1502, he took possession of Cento and Pieve after Pope Alexander VI bequeathed the cities to Ferrara. A petty dispute between the brothers caused by their desires to employ the same musician led to Ferrante being exiled to Modena, and, in 1506, Ferrante and Giulio d'Este conspired to assassinate Alfonso and make Ferrante the new Duke. However, Ippolito's spies discovered the plan, and Ferrante spent the rest of his life in prison.