List of Dukes of Modena

After 1597 the Este Dukes of Ferrara lost control of Ferrara itself to the Papal States. They continued to rule a small state in north-central Italy, however, the Duchy of Modena. The Duchy continued in existence until 1796, when it became part of Napoleon Bonaparte's Cispadane Republic. In 1814 it was restored under the Habsburg grandson of the last Este Duke, continuing until it was annexed by Piedmont-Sardinia in 1859

Este Dukes of Modena, 1597-1796

• Cesare 1597-1628
• Alfonso III 1628-1644
• Francesco I 1644-1658
• Alfonso IV 1658-1662
• Francesco II 1662-1694
• Rainaldo III 1694-1737
• Francesco III 1737-1780
• Ercole III 1780-1796 (d.1803)

Habsburg Dukes of Modena, 1814-1860

• Francesco IV 1814-1846
• Francesco V 1846-1859 (d.1875)