Pier Luigi Farnese (19 November 1503 – 10 September 1547) was the first Duke of Castro from 1537 to 1545 and the first Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1545 to 1547. He was the illegitimate son of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (who later became Pope Paul III). He became a soldier and participated in the Sack of Rome in 1527.
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Pier Luigi Alessandro Farnese, born in 1503, was the son of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and Silvia Ruffini. His father would be elected Pope Paul III on 13 October 1534.
In July 1505, Pope Julius II legitimated Pier Luigi so that he could inherit the Farnese family estates. On 23 June, 1513, Pope Leo X published a second legitimation of Pier Luigi. In spite of the legitimations, his illegitimacy tormented Pier Luigi all his life, and doubtless contributed to the formation of his character. The nobility of Piacenza was frequently known to insult him as "the bastard son of the Pope." He was given a famous humanist tutor, Baldassarre Malosso di Casalmaggiore, nicknamed "Tranquillus," and quickly developed a love of war and fortifications.