Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese (Italian: Alessandro Farnese, Spanish: Alejandro Farnesio; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and condottiero, and a general of the Spanish army, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592, as well as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592. Thanks to a steady influx of troops from Spain, during 1581–1587 Farnese captured more than thirty towns in the south (now Belgium) and returned them to the control of Habsburg Spain. During the French Wars of Religion he relieved Paris for the Catholic League. His talents as a commander on the battlefield, strategist and organizer earned him the regard of his contemporaries and military historians as the first captain of his age.
| Alessandro Farnese | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Farnese by Otto van Veen | |
| Duke of Parma and Piacenza | |
| Reign | 15 September 1586 – 3 December 1592 |
| Predecessor | Ottavio |
| Successor | Ranuccio I |
| Governor of the Spanish Netherlands | |
| Reign | 1 October 1578 – 3 December 1592 |
| Predecessor | John of Austria |
| Successor | Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort |
| Born | 27 August 1545 Rome, Papal States |
| Died | 3 December 1592 (aged 47) Arras, Kingdom of France |
| Burial | Santa Maria della Steccata |
| Spouse | Infanta Maria of Portugal |
| Issue | Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma Margherita, Hereditary Princess of Mantua Cardinal Oddoardo |
| House | Farnese |
| Father | Ottavio Farnese |
| Mother | Margaret of Parma |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature | |
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