The Duchy of Modena (in full, the Duchies of Modena and Reggio) was a small Italian state that existed (with a break between 1796 and 1814) from 1452 to 1859. The Duchy was originally created for the Este family, who also ruled Ferrara until 1597. In 1796, the Duchy was occupied by the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte, who created the Cispadane Republic out of its territory. The last Este Duke became ruler of former Austrian territories in southwestern Germany (the Breisgau), and died in 1803. Following his death, Modena was inherited by his son-in-law, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este , an uncle of Emperor Francis II. With the fall of the Napoleonic system in Italy in 1814, Ferdinand's son, Francis IV, became Duke of Modena. Soon after, he inherited the territories of Massa and Carrara from his mother.

The Habsburg dukes were briefly ousted in 1831 and 1848, but soon returned. Following the Franco-Piedmontese war against Austria in 1859, the duke was again forced to flee, this time permanently. In December of 1859, Modena joined with Tuscany and Parma to form the United Provinces of Central Italy , which were annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia in March of 1860.

Provinces of the Duchy before the dissolution

• Modena(Duchy of Modena)
• Reggio (Duchy of Reggio)
• Guastalla
• Frignano
• Garfagnana
• Lunigiana
• Massa and Carrara

See also

• List of Dukes of Modena
• Historical states of Italy