In 1373, the city was given to the Este family at the request of the citizens themselves, in exchange for the right to extract water from the river Secchia. The town was then ruled by the Este family until 1499, when it became the capital of the homonymous signoria - which also included the town of Soliera - ruled by the house of Pio. In 1599 the signoria was directly annexed to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio of which it remained a possession until the Italian Unification.