Ippolito II d'Este

Ippolito (II) d'Este (1509 - December 2, 1572) was an Italian cardinal. He was a member of the House of Este, and nephew of the other Ippolito d'Este, also a cardinal.

Biography

He was born in Ferrara, Italy, the son of Duke Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia.

In 1519 he inherited the archbishopric of Milan from his uncle.

Pope Paulus III created him cardinal in the consistory of 20 December, 1538. Later he was appointed as "protector" of France at the court of King Francis I.

In 1550 he was governor of Tivoli.

Disgusted by the intrigues rising against him, and tired by the political duties, he died in Rome after a short illness. He was buried in Tivoli's church of Santa Maria Maggiore, next to his villa.

Patronage of the arts

A lover of luxuries and magnificence, he had the Villa d'Este built in Tivoli by Mannerist architect Pirro Ligorio, to match the other palaces he was building in Rome. Ippolito d'Este also helped to sponsor the career of the composer Palestrina. [cite book | last = Hollingsworth | title = The Cardinal's Hat
pages = p. 1 ]

Archival collection

Some of Ippolito's letters and account books from his household, have survived. This collection, including more than 2,000 letters and over 200 account books, is housed in the archives in Modena, a hereditary seat of the Este family. These materials form the basis for Mary Hollingsworth's book, "The Cardinal's Hat: Money, Ambition, and Everyday Life in the Court of a Borgia Prince", a social history of Ippolito d'Este and his times. [cite book | last = Hollingsworth | title = The Cardinal's Hat | pages = p. 1 ]

References

Notes

General references

* cite book
last = Hollingsworth
first = Mary
title = The Cardinal's Hat
year = 2005
publisher = Overlook Press
location = Woodstock & NY
isbn = 1-58567-680-2