Ugo d'Este

Ugo d'Este, also known as Hugh Aldobrandino (1405 – May 21, 1425 in Ferrara), was the son of Niccolò III d'Este and his lover Stella de' Tolomei. Early life Although he was illegitimate, he was destined to succeed his father as Nicholò's eldest son. His father never married his mother; but in 1418 married Parisina Malatesta, nearly twenty years his junior. Ugo was at first treated coldly by his young stepmother, who was almost his own age. Fatal relationship In 1424, during a trip with his stepmother, they developed a sexual relationship that went on even when the two returned to Ferrara. Other sources report a different beginning to the affair: to escape the plague of 1423, they took refuge in the castello di Fossadalbero and there in the small castle their relationship was born.