This is a list of rulers of the estates owned by the Este family, which main line of Marquesses (Marchesi d'Este) rose in 1039 with Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan.

The title passed to his descendants, and the marquisate was delegated to a cadet branch of the Este family.

[1] In 1471, Pope Paul II formally elevated him in as Duke of Ferrara, over which the family had in fact long presided.

This latter territory was lost to the Papal States in 1597, while the House of Este continued to rule the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in the Emilia region until 1796, when it became part of Napoleon Bonaparte's Cispadane Republic.

In 1317, the Este family organized a pro-Este revolt in Ferrara, and restored their rule in that city, where they officialized a co-rulership.