rms, instead of the white eagle they had hitherto
borne, the black eagle of the empire, to which were added the lilies of
France, the use of which had been granted them by Charles VII. April 14,
1471, Paul VII in Rome created Borso Duke of Ferrara. Soon after
this--May 27th--this celebrated prince died unmarried and childless.

He was succeeded by Ercole, the legitimate son of Niccolo II, the direct
line of the Este thereby reacquiring the government of Ferrara, the
importance of the State having been greatly increased by the efforts of
the two illegitimate sons. In June, 1473, amid magnificent festivities,
Ercole married Eleonora of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand of Naples.
Twenty-nine years--years of conflict--had passed when the second Duke of
Ferrara married his son to Lucretia with similar pomp. By putting an end
to the war with Venice and Pope Sixtus IV, in the year 1482, Ercole had
succeeded in saving his State from the great danger which threatened it,
although he had been forced to relinquish certain territory to the
Venetians. This danger, however, might arise again, for Venice and the
Pope continued to be Ferrara's bitterest enemies. Political
considerations, therefore, compelled her to form an alliance with
France, whose king already owned Milan and might permanently secure
possession of Naples. For the same reason he had married his son to
Lucretia on the best terms he was able to make. She, therefore, must
have been conscious of her great importance to the State of Ferrara, and
this it was which gave her a sense of security with regard to the noble
house to which she now belonged.

The Duke presented the young couple Castle Vecchio for their residence,
and there Lucretia established her court. This stronghold, which is
still in existence, is one of the most imposing monuments of the Middle
Ages. It overlooks all Ferrara, and may be seen for miles around. Its
dark red color; its gloominess, which is partly due to its architectural
severity; its four mighty towers--all combine to cause a feeling of
fear, especially on moonlight nights, when the shadows of the towers
fall on the water in the moat, which still surrounds the castle as in
days of old. The figures of the great ones who once lived in the
stronghold--Ugo and Parisina Malatesta, Borso, Lucretia Borgia and
Alfonso, Renee of France, and Calvin, Ariosto, Alfonso II, the
unfortunate Tasso and Eleonora--seem to rise before the beholder.

[Illustration: