Francis IV, Duke of Modena

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

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 bloody and tyrannic rule by which he repressed all the democratic movements appearing during his reign, particularly following a major revolt in 1830. The atrocities of the Ducal policies are illustrated in the book Ciro Menotti e i suoi compagni written by the Garibaldine officer Taddeo Gaddi in 1880, in particular the hanging of Menotti for an attempted insurrection against the Duke (1831).

Family

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

• Maria Theresa (1817–1886), married Henri, comte de Chambord.
• Francis V, Duke of Modena (1819–1875), married Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria.
• Ferdinand Karl (1821–1849), married Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria. Father of Maria Theresia, Archduchess of Austria-Este.
• Maria Beatrix (1824–1906), married Juan, Count of Montizón.

Honours and awards

Austria-Hungary

• Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
• The Knight of the Order of the Iron Crown, 1st Class

Foreign

• Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle (Prussia)
• Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert (Bavaria)
• Supreme Knight of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (Italy)
• Knight of the Order of St. Andrew
• Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (Russia)
• Knight of the Order of St. Anna, 1st Class (Russia)
• Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Joseph (Tuscany)

See also

• List of Dukes of Modena
• House of Este
• Modena

Francis IV, Duke of Modena House of Austria-Este 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
Preceded by Ercole III, then Cispadane Republic	Duke of Modena 1814–1846
Titles in pretence
Preceded by Maria Theresa of Austria-Este as Queen consort	— TITULAR — Prince consort of England Prince consort of Ireland 10 January 1824–15 September 1840 Reason for succession failure: Glorius revolution	Vacant Title next held by Adelgunde of Bavaria as Queen consort
	— TITULAR — Prince consort of Scots 10 January 1824–15 September 1840 Reason for succession failure: Glorious revolution