The subtitle of the poem, “Ferrara,” has led to it being widely accepted that Browning based his speaker, the duke, on an actual historical character: Alfonso II d’Este (1533-1598), the fifth Duke of Ferrara.

Alfonso belonged to the House of Este, an Italian dynasty with ties to numerous other royal families. He married his first wife, Lucrezia di Cosimo de’ Medici (1545-1561), when she was just 13 years old, and he was 24. Lucrezia belonged to the House of Medici, a wealthy Italian banking family. Lucrezia came with a significant dowry; however, as compared to the prestigious and aristocratic Este family, the Medicis ranked far below them in social status. This is referenced in the poem when the Duke is appalled by his late wife’s seeming disregard for the gift of his “nine-hundred-years-old name” (Line 33). It also comes into play toward the end of the poem when the Duke mentions his expectation of a large dowry while simultaneously discounting this as a reason for marrying the count’s daughter.

Lucrezia’s marriage to Alfonso was reportedly a short and unhappy one, and she died a few years later. Conflicting reports suggest the cause of death as poisoning, possibly on orders of her husband due to suspicion of infidelity, as well as tuberculosis.