during their medieval heyday, the d'este family presided over one of europe's leading courts, combining the roles of blood-crazed despots with enlightened renaissance patrons.
nicoḷ iii, for example, had his wife and her lover brutally murdered.
alfonsoi (1503-34) married lucrezia borgia, descendant of one of italt's mostnotorious families, while ercole i (1407-1505) attempted to poison a nephew who tried to usurp him (and eventually had him executed).
at the same time the d'este court attracted writers like petrarch, tasso and ariosto, and painters such as mantegna titian and bernini.
ercole i also reebuilt ferrara, creating one of europe's finest renaissance cities.