Born to the General
Borso d'Este and his wife
Ippolita d'Este, Caterina was the product of a marriage between niece and uncle, her father being a son of
Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena, and her mother a daughter of Prince Luigi d'Este, younger son of Cesare. As a member of the
House of Este, she was a
princess of Modena by birth, her father being the "founder" of a collateral line of the House of Este, the short lived House of Este-Scandiano. She was named after her paternal aunt, Princess Eleonora, who became a nun under the name of Sor Angela Caterina. The youngest of seven children, she never knew her parents as her mother died shortly after her birth, while her father died a year later. After the death of their parents, Maria Angela and her siblings were put under the care of their grandfather/uncle, Prince Luigi. Her first cousins included
Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena,
Margherita d'Este, Duchess of Guastalla and the
Duke of Mirandola. She was also a cousin of
Isabella and
Maria d'Este, two successive
Duchesses of Parma. The unmarried princess was noted for her good looks and for having such a fine figure for one of her age at the time of her marriage. With the permission of
Victor Amadeus, Duke of Savoy, Emmanuel Philibert's cousin and ruler of Savoy, Emmanuel Philibert expressed his wishes to marry Caterina. Emmanuel Philibert was the son of the late
Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano and his French born wife, the domineering
Marie de Bourbon. His sister was the
Dowager Hereditary Princess of Baden-Baden, mother of the famous General
Türkenlouis. The match was greatly opposed by France, then under the rule of
Louis XIV, as Louis XIV had wanted Emmanuel Philibert to marry a French princess as Emmanuel Philibert was the
heir presumptive to the
Duchy of Savoy. A
proxy ceremony took place in Modena, A private ceremony took place on 10 November 1684 at the
Castle of Racconigi, the summer residence of the
Princes of Carignano; the bride being 28 and the groom 56. This wedding was important to the
House of Savoy, but very poorly viewed by the kingdom of France for its lack of political connection. Louis subsequently banished Emmanuel Philibert and his new spouse from the French court. Maria Angela's
grandfather had accepted the offer of marriage as he and Emmanuel Philibert had had good relations. Her husband died in 1709 making Caterina the dowager princess of Carignano. Her only surviving son
Victor Amadeus succeeded as Prince of Carignano. She died at the age of 66. ==Issue==