MODENA, an independent sovereign state in the north of Italy, the chief of which bears the title of his Royal Highness the Duke of Modena, Reggio, Mirandola, Massa, and Carrara, and is descended from a branch of the Austrian family. This sovereign is descended from the house of Este, one of the most ancient families in Europe. A member of that house, then settled in Lombardy, became Marquis of Modena, in 960; and his successor, in 1097, obtained the sole power over Milan and Genoa, under the name of Azzo II. He was the founder of that family, one branch of which having settled in Bavaria, and afterwards becoming possessed of Brunswick, in Germany, gave origin to that race of monarchs of which five in succession have filled the throne of Great Britain. During the civil wars which ragedin Italy in the course of the thirteenth century, when so many small republics were formed, the territories of Ferrara, Modena, and Reggio, chose the then Marquis of Este, Obizzo III. who had attained great respect as a warrior, for their supreme lord. One of his successors, Borso d’Este, was, in 1452, raised to the dignity of Duke of Modena and Reggio by the Emperor Frederick 111., Alfonzo II. having no legitimate male issue, obtained from the Emperor Rudolph II. permission to nominate as successor a son of his uncle by a doubtful or left-handed marriage, who had gained the sovereignty under the name of Caesar d Este, and from whom are descended the present reigning race. These have since gained from the popes some additional territory, and also a portion from the emperors originally granted as feudal tenures, but successively affirmed as permanent sovereignty. The last acquisition was’ Carrara, gained by the marriage of the duke with the heiress of the duchies of Massa and Carrara in 1741. The issue of this marriage was only a daughter, who married the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, the brother of Joseph II. and of Leopold II. whose son succeeded to the dominions.

In 1796, the French expelled the duke, and his territory was formed into a province of the ephemeral Cisalpine republic; and, by the peace of Campo Formio, the duke was to receive an indemnification in Suabia. It then became a part of Bonaparte’s kingdom of Italy; but after his fall, it was, by the congress of Vienna in 1814, restored to the ancient family which had before possessed it.

This state extends in north latitude from 43. 56. 10. to 44. 57. 30. and in east longitude from 10. 20. 25. to 11. 17. 2. It is bounded on the north by the Austrian kingdom of Lombardy and by Guastalla, on the east by the papal dominions, on the south-east by Tuscany, on the south by Lucca, on the south-west by Tuscany, and on the west by Parma. It extends over 2140 square miles, and contains at present 395,000 inhabitants, being one of the most densely-peopled districts in Europe. The Apennine Mountains form a part of the southern division of the territory, and the rest is generally a level plain, very gradually declining towards the north, and watered by several small streams which finally unite in the river Secchia, and empty themselves into the Po. There are numerous canals, formed chiefly for the purpose of irrigation. The soil is generally fertile. The system of cultivation so nearly resembles that already fully described in this work under the head of Lombardy, that the reader is referred to that article. We have only to remark here, that the olive trees are much more numerous than in Lombardy, and that the oil expressed from their fruit is much esteemed, and forms an article of the export trade.

The chief product is silk, some of which is organized before being exported, but most of it is sent to foreign markets in the raw state: a small portion only of it is manufactured into finished goods within the territory. The other fabrics are of hemp and flax, and only for domestic consumption. The country is divided into six ecclesiastical dioceses, each with a bishop, and in the capital an archbishop; and the whole of the inhabitants adhere to the Roman Catholic church, with the exception of about 1200 Jews, who reside chiefly in and around the capital. It contains ten cities, sixty-three market-towns, forty-nine communes, and 463 villages. The larger cities and their population are, Modena with 27,000 inhabitants, Reggio with 18,000, Massa with 7000, and Carrara with 4000; the others, though they were once walled, are now inconsiderable. The annual revenue of the whole state amounts to about L.150,000, the chief part being derived from patrimonial estates; and besides that, the duke enjoys the valuable property of the ancient house of Obizzi, near to Treviso in Austrian Lombardy, which is said to produce him annually L.20,000. The expenditure of the state is nearly equal to the annual income; and the whole debt does not quite amount to the revenue of half a year. The duke maintains an armed force, which, including 100 cavalry and his guards, amounts to about 1800 men.

The capital city, of the same name, is in north latitude 44. 34. and in east longitude 11. 7. 25. It is situated on the banks of a canal, by which it is connected with the rivers Secchia and Panaro, and is surrounded with walls [7:15:314] and defended by bastions; but it is not deemed capable of much defence, more especially as the citadel is very weak. It is a well-built city, with a broad street, the Corso, running from one gate to the opposite one. The houses are handsome, and mostly furnished with piazzas on the ground floor. The most distinguished building is the ducal palace. It is surrounded with a garden, which is used as a place of recreation for the inhabitants. It is built of marble, contains a library of 80,000 volumes, and many antiquities; but the collection of paintings, which was formerly the chief attraction, has been transferred by sale to Dresden. The cathedral, the theatre, the opera-house, and the barracks, are the other most remarkable edifices in the city. There are within the city no less than fifty churches, of which twenty-six formerly belonged to religious houses. Of late the duke has restored the Jesuits, and the order is more flourishing here than in any of the other cities of Italy. There is a university with seven professors, a gymnasium, a scientific society, an academy for nobles, and a veterinary college. But there is little trade of any kind, and the inhabitants chiefly depend on the expenditure of the court for their subsistence.