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Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena

Modena, 2 Jul 1698 – Varese, 22 Feb 1780

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 2 Jul 1698

    Born in Modena

  2. 1723–1741

    10 children are born

  3. 22 Feb 1780

    Dies in Varese, aged 81

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 10

During his lifetime

He lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Modena.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1690s · Francesco III is born in Modena

In the news1690–1699

Famine during 1690s war occupation

Due to war-related requisitions and bad harvests starting in 1690, families in the mountainous Tarentaise and Maurienne provinces were reduced to eating ground shells and nuts mixed with small amounts of oats or barley.

Getting around

Horse relay postal systems

Organized postal routes allowed authorized travelers or couriers to use relay stations to swap tired horses for fresh ones, significantly increasing their travel speed.

In the news1695

Hospice for the Poor established in 1695

In 1695, Duke Rinaldo I established the Hospice for the Poor to manage the large influx of beggars and unemployed people in the city of Modena.

Daily life

Education and social life

While public education systems were introduced by 1661, daily social interaction for the rural population primarily took place in stables during the evening, which served as a shared space for work and exchange.

What people wore

Feast day attire

For feast days and Sundays, people increasingly wore finer, brightly colored fabrics that were imported rather than produced in the village.

Music

Hurdy-gurdy as a popular folk instrument

The hurdy-gurdy was a common instrument used by ordinary people for centuries to accompany singing, dancing, and popular entertainment. It was also famously associated with Savoyard street performers and children who traveled across Europe with their music and puppets.

At the table

Simple Daily Meals and Rare Meat

For many ordinary people, the daily meal was simple and focused on survival, often consisting of dark bread, wine, and soups made with vegetables like cabbage, turnips, or onions. Meat was a rare luxury, eaten mostly during festivals or when money allowed.