In addition, his virtuous qualities, high level of education, and popularity among the common people as well as his formal papal recognition ultimately made him the most suitable heir.
[3] Under the guidance of Guarino Veronese, his humanist teacher, and with the approval of the commune, Leonello began the reformation, particularly, the University of Ferrara.
He received a military education under the condottiero Braccio da Montone, and was tutored by Guarino Veronese, later appointed professor at the University of Ferrara, who also instructed him on the traits of a desirable ruler and how to govern.
Coming from a strong academic background, Leonello brought significant unprecedented economic, political, and cultural changes to Ferrara right after he took over from Niccolò III.
After the death of Margherita Gonzaga, Leonello saw the opportunity of forming alliances with neighboring regions through kinship to strengthen its power.
[8] The victory of Alfonso V in Naples, the father of Mary of Aragon, acted as a catalyst for such a diplomatic marriage for Leonello and an opportunity for Ferrara.
Leon Battista Alberti wrote his De Re Aedificatoria at Leonello's commission, and at the Ferrarese court there worked artists such as Pisanello, Iacopo Bellini, Giovanni da Oriolo, Andrea Mantegna, Piero della Francesca and the Netherlandish Rogier van der Weyden.
Leonello was often praised for exhibiting strong leadership skills and virtuous characteristics, which would make him a worthy heir and future ruler of Ferrara.
Due to wartime expenses, teaching ceased in 1404; in 1418 Niccolò III – the father of Leonello, who ruled from 1393 to 1441 – tried but was unsuccessful to reopen the university.
[21] Decembrio's connection to Leonello comes from his work he wrote before 1447, the De Politia Litteraria Variisque Poetae Virgilli Laudbibus, which was a dialogue divided into three volumes;[22] four more books were added around 1462.
The library, with its sumptuous furnishings and judicious choice of volumes (with a distinct preference for classical literature) is the perfect image of what constitutes a vital sector of the prince’s investment in culture in the second half of the fifteenth century.
[21] The d’Este library, passionately and painstakingly supplemented by Leonello…[as it is a place] of authentic cultural reference, but above all…[enhances] the prestige of the prince as patron of the arts".
[27] Leonello commissioned Cristoforo and Lorenzo Conozi da Lendinara, as they were specialists in the art of inlaid wood, intarsia.
[27] Leonello went to Pisanello to get medallions made so that he would be remembered long after his death, and to demonstrate his fame and power for the present and the future people of Ferrara.
[32] Leon Battista Alberti was a famous mathematician and architect who had a connection with Leonollo d’Este through the development of the text the De Re Aedificatoria.
[33] The book detailed the concerns regarding materials, construction, overall principles and foundation of the overall design, and the ideas behind public and private buildings.
[citation needed] The House of Este, a princely family of Lombardy ruling in Ferrara between the 13th and 16th centuries, contributed a great deal to Italy during this period.
By 1240, Azzo VII had control of Ferrara (in alliance with Pope Gregory IX), which marked the starting of the Este rule.
The Estense government was faced with papal opposition from the onset, however by the start of the 14th century had recovered its political influence and strength under Nicolo II.
His successor, Nicolo III is remembered for having further strengthened power in Ferrara and introducing the Estense political influence to Italy.
[37] Nicolò III "raised the Estense state to a high position in Italian politics in spite of its territorial and financial limits".
As his father's chosen successor, Leonello (reigning from 1441 to 1450), provided Ferrara a leader with substantial merit in the fields of art and culture.
[40] After the passing of his first wife, Margherita Gonzana, Leonello married Maria d’Aragona, an illegitimate daughter of the King of Naples.
[41] Leonello leadership did result in some minor improvements to the local economy in Ferrara, however his major influence remained in the cultural sphere.
[41] Leonello reopened the university in Ferrara, establishing a new Faculty of Arts in commemoration of his humanist teacher Guarino Veronese.
[42] Leonello's governing also brought improvements to the court library, commissioning copyists to produce manuscripts in both French and Italian.
[45] Isabella was an advocate for female education, as she believed that it would construct masculine characteristics of practicality and strength, which are fundamental aspects of asserting political authority.
[47] Aside from cultural developments, however, Borso utilized the foundation laid down by his brother, Leonello, to assist him in reforming the structure and organization of the state.
With the push of Leonello and the contribution of the Este family, the intellectual and cultural movements defined the history of Ferrara in the 15th century.
[citation needed] The building activities of Leonello essentially made Ferrara into a humanistic center as the reformation of the University of Ferrara not only attracted students, scholars, and philosophers from all over Europe, but the burgeoning of artistic advancements in art and architecture also allowed artists to fully develop themselves within the city.