Charles I, Duke of Mantua
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Charles I of Gonzaga-Nevers (Italian: Carlo I Gonzaga; May 6, 1580 - September 22, 1637) was Duke of Mantua and Marquess of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. He was also Duke of Rethel and Nevers, as well as Prince of Arches.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Paris, he was the son of Louis I of Gonzaga-Nevers and Henriette of Cléves. At the death of the last legitimate male heir of the Gonzaga line in the Duchy of Mantua, Vincenzo II (1626), Charles inherited the title through an agreement. His son was married with Maria Gonzaga, daughter of former Duke Francesco IV.
However, his succession spurred the enmity of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy, who aimed at the Gonzaga lands of Montferrat, and, above all, of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, which did not like a philo-French ruler in Mantua. This led to the War of Mantuan Succession. In 1629 emperor Ferdinand II sent a Landsknecht army to besiege Mantua, Charles left without the promised support from Louis XIII of France. The siege lasted until July, 1630, when the city, already struck by a plague, was brutally sacked. Mantua never recovered from this disaster.
The subsequent diplomatic maneuvers granted Charles, who had fled to the Papal States, to return to the duchy in 1631, not without concessions to the House of Savoy and to the Gonzaga of Guastalla. The situation of the Mantuan lands was dramatic, but he was able to trigger some economic recovery in the following years.
Charles died in 1637. His successor was his grandson Charles III, initially under the regency of Maria Gonzaga, Charles I's daughter-in-law.
[edit] Children
He married Catherine of Mayenne, daughter of Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne and Henriette of Savoy, Marquise de Villars. They had six children:
- Francis I, Duke of Rethel (1606 - 1622).
- Charles II, titular Duke of Mantua (1609 - 14 August 1631). His heir and nominal co-ruler. Better known as Duke of Nevers and Rethel. Married heiress Maria Gonzaga. They were parents to Eleanor of Mantua consort of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, and Charles III, Duke of Mantua.
- Ferdinand, Duke of Mayenne (1610 - 25 May 1632).
- Ludwika Maria Gonzaga (18 August 1611 - 10 May 1667). Married first Władysław IV Vasa and secondly John II Casimir of Poland.
- Benedetta Gonzaga (1614 - 30 September 1637).
- Anna Maria Gonzaga (1616 - 6 July 1684). Married first Henry II, Duke of Guise and secondly Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern.
[edit] References
- Coniglio, Giuseppe (1967). I Gonzaga. Varese: Dall'Oglio.
| Preceded by Vincenzo II |
Duke of Mantua 1627–1636 |
Succeeded by Charles III |
| Marquess of Montferrat 1626–1627 |
