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Article: Parma, Alexander Farnese, Duke of (1545–1592)
- Article from:
- Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World
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PARMA, ALEXANDER FARNESE, DUKE OF (1545
–
1592)
PARMA, ALEXANDER FARNESE, DUKE OF
(1545
–
1592), soldier and governor general of the Netherlands. Born in Rome to Ottavio Farnese, duke of Parma, and Margaret of Austria, the natural daughter of Charles V, Alexander accompanied his mother to Brussels in 1559 when Philip II of Spain appointed her regent of the Netherlands. Philip took his nephew to Spain for his education in statecraft and service to the Habsburg dynasty, alongside Philip's son Don Carlos and half-brother Don Juan of Austria. Alexander returned in March 1565 to Brussels to marry Maria of Portugal, eldest daughter of Infante Dom Duarte. They returned to Parma in ...