Ducato 'Hungarian' - Alfonso II

Alfonso II inherited Ferrara at a moment when Este dynastic survival depended heavily on Spanish favor, and his close ties to Philip II of Spain explain the persistent "Hungarian" ducat type — a coin deliberately modeled on the Hungarian gold ducat that had become the dominant trade currency across Central Europe and the Levant. Ferrara was not alone in this imitation; dozens of Italian and German states produced near-copies to satisfy merchants who trusted the type's fineness above all else.

The duchy's gold coinage effectively ended with Alfonso II. He died in 1597 without a legitimate heir, and Pope Clement VIII immediately claimed Ferrara for the Papal States, ending over three centuries of Este rule.