 In 1570 Francesco Maria married Lucrezia d'Este, a daughter of Ercole II d'Este.His father died only a few years later, in 1574, and Francesco Maria succeeded his father as Duke of Urbino.By 1580 the family estate was in crisis and Francesco Maria was forced to sell his family's titles – the Duchy of Sora and Arce – for 100,000 scudi to Giacomo Boncompagni.