What happens to Cosimo's father in chapter sixteen?

This is also the chapter containing the recounting of the Baron's decline and eventual death. Sadness over the loss of his half brother, the absence of his daughter as she becomes the wife of a man with a terribly unpleasant family, the fact that Biagio's youth keeps him from being a satisfactory companion, and loss of his dream of a noble lifestyle for his family all mean that he declines quickly, making Cosimo the Baron of Rondo.