Francis IV, Duke of Modena

Francis IV, Duke of Modena

Francis IV of Modena with the Austrian Golden Fleece
Born (1779-10-06)6 October 1779
Milan
Died 21 January 1846(1846-01-21) (aged 66)
Modena
Spouse Maria Beatrice of Savoy
House Austria-Este
Father Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este
Mother Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este

Francis IV Joseph Charles Ambrose Stanislaus (Italian: Francesco IV Giuseppe Carlo Ambrogio Stanislao d'Absburgo-Este; 6 October 1779 – 21 January 1846) was Duke of Modena, Reggio, and Mirandola (from 1815), Duke of Massa and Prince of Carrara (from 1829), Archduke of Austria-Este, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He was a grandson of Maria Theresa of Austria, head of the House of Habsburg, and was heir to the Modena branch of the House of Este through his mother. He thus became the first member of the House of Habsburg-Este to rule the Este inheritance in Northern Italy.

Francis was born in Milan. His father was Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este, Duke of Breisgau, his mother Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este, Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara, Lady of Lunigiana.

Francis is distinguished for his stern and tyrannic rule by which he repressed all the democratic movements appearing during his reign, particularly following a major revolt in 1830. The harshness of the Ducal policies are illustrated by the hanging of Ciro Menotti for an attempted insurrection against the Duke (1831).

Family

In 1812 Francis married his niece the Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy, who was the daughter of his sister Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este and King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia. The couple had four children:

Styles, Honours and awards

Styles

Austria-Hungary

Foreign

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Francis IV, Duke of Modena.



Francis IV, Duke of Modena
Cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Born: 6 October 1779 Died: 21 January 1846
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Ferdinand
Archduke of Austria-Este
1806–1846
Succeeded by
Francis V
Vacant
Title last held by
Ercole III
Duke of Modena
1814–1846
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.