The coat of arms of the House of Este

The House of Este ( /ˈɛsti/) is a European princely dynasty. It is split into two branches; the elder is known as the House of Welf-Este or House of Welf historically rendered in English, Guelf or Guelph. The younger, as the House of Fulc-Este or later simply as the House of Este.

The elder branch of the House of Este included the dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg (1208–1918) and produced England's Hanoverian monarchs.

The younger branch of the House of Este included rulers of Ferrara (1240–1597), and Modena and Reggio (1288–1796).

Origins[link]

The origins of the family, probably^{[citation needed]} of Frankish nobility, date back to the time of Charlemagne in the early 9th century when they settled in Lombardy. The first known member of the house was Margrave Adalbert of Mainz, known only as father of Oberto I, Count palatine of Italy, who died around 975. Oberto's grandson Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan, (996–1097) built a castle at Este, near Padua, and named himself after it. He had 3 sons from two marriages, two of whom became the ancestors of the two branches of the family:

• Welf IV, the eldest (d. 1101), was the son of Kunigunde (d. 1056), the last of the Elder Welfs. He inherited the property of his maternal uncle, Welf, Duke of Carinthia, became duke of Bavaria in 1070, and is the ancestor of the elder branch, the House of Welf.
• Hugh, issue of Azzo's second marriage to Garsend of Maine, inherited the County of Maine, his mother's dowry, but sold it one year later and died without heirs.
• Fulco I (d. about 1128/35), the third son, is the ancestor of the younger Italian line of Este.

The two surviving branches, with Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony and Bavaria on the German side, concluded an agreement in 1154 which allocated the family's Italian possessions to the younger line, the Fulc-Este, who in the course of time acquired Ferrara, Modena and Reggio. Este itself was taken over in 1275 by Padua and in 1405 (together with Padua) by Venice.

Elder branch, Guelph, Electors of Hanover[link]

George, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Prince-Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick. ca. 1714, the year of his succession, by Sir Godfrey Kneller.

The elder branch of the House of Este, the House of Welf, historically rendered "Guelf" or "Guelph" in English, produced dukes of Bavaria (1070–1139, 1156–1180), dukes of Saxony (1138–1139, 1142–1180), a German King (1198–1218), and the dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg (1208–1918), later styled the "Electors of Hanover" when two branches of the family recombined in 1705.

After the peace ending the Napoleonic wars reshaped Europe ushering in the Modern era, the Electorate of Hanover (duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg held in personal union by the king of Great Britain, George III) was dissolved by treaty, its lands were enlarged, and the state promoted to a kingdom. The new kingdom existed from 1815 to 1866, but upon accession of Queen Victoria (who could not inherit Hanover under the Salic law) in 1837, it passed to her uncle and thus ceased to be in personal union with the British Crown.

The House of Este hence gave Great Britain and the United Kingdom the "Hanoverian monarchs" (1714–1901).

Younger branch, the Margraves of Este[link]