Abstract

The marriage of the crown prince of the Duchy of Ferrara, Ercole II, to the French princess Renée de France, brought the Este family into possession of French territories (the Viscounties of Caen, Bayeux, Fallaise and Vire, as well as the Duchy of Chartres, the Viscounty of Gisors and the Lordship of Montargis). The control and management of these territories immediately became a priority for the Dukes of Ferrara. An original collection of correspondence and papers from Annibale Milano, the general intendant of Duke Alfonso II d'Este, sheds light on the means put in place by the Duke of Ferrara to govern these estates from afar. This political issue, which oscillates between foreign and domestic affairs within the Stati estensi, provides an opportunity to revisit the trans-regional sovereignty of these «small States».