Duchy of Massa and Carrara
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The Duchy of Massa and Principality of Carrara was a small state that controlled the towns of Massa and Carrara from 1473 until 1836.
Malaspina Castle, the main seat of the House of Malaspina, rulers of the Massa and Carrara state before 1563
The Ducal Palace in Massa, the principal residence thereafter
Maria Beatrice d'Este was the last descendant of the House of Este, of the House of Cybo-Malaspina and, through her maternal grandmother Ricciarda Gonzaga, also of the Novellara branch of the House of
Duchy of Massa and Carrara
…the last scion of the family, married Ercole Rinaldo d'Este, the only male heir of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio. Their only surviving child, Maria Beatrice d'Este, was thus the last descendant of both families, but, as a woman, she was not entitled to succeed under Salic law and was only permitted to take over…
Portrait by Anton von Maron, circa 1772
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and Maria Beatrice d'Este holding Archduchess Maria Leopoldine, standing is Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este in pink dress
Maria Theresa of Austria Este
Erzherzogin Maria Leopoldine von Modena Este, Kurfürstin Witwe von Bayern