Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga (1395 – 23 September 1444) was

Marquess of Mantua The Marquisate or Margraviate of Mantua was a margraviate in Lombardy, Northern Italy. Constituted by the Capitani del popol, an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages. The Marquisate of Mantua began with Gianfrancesco I G ...

from 1407 to 1444. He was also a

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...

Biography

Gianfrancesco was the son of Francesco I Gonzaga and

Margherita Malatesta {{Infobox noble , name = Margherita Malatesta , title = Consort of the ruler of Mantua , image = Маргарита Малатеста.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = ...

. He inherited the rule of

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

in 1407, when he was 12. In his first years, he was under the patronage of his uncle

Carlo Malatesta Carlo I Malatesta (June 1368 – 13 September 1429) (also Carlo of Rimini) was an Italian condottiero during the Wars in Lombardy and lord of Rimini, Fano, Cesena and Pesaro. He was a member of the powerful House of Malatesta. Carlo's wife was ...

and, indirectly, of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. In 1409 he married

Paola Malatesta {{Infobox noble , name = Paola Agnese Malatesta , title = Marquesa of Mantua , image = File:Paola Malatesta.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = 100px , more ...

, daughter of

Malatesta IV Malatesta Malatesta IV (or III) Malatesta (also known as Malatesta dei Sonetti; 1370 - 19 December 1429) was an Italian condottiero, poet and lord of Pesaro, Fossombrone, Gradara, Jesi, Narni and other fiefs in Italy. Biography Born in Pesaro, he was the o ...

Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...

, by whom he had two sons, Ludovico, who succeeded him as Marquess of Mantua, and Carlo. He was the first Gonzaga to bear the title of marquess, which he obtained from

Emperor Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...

on 22 September 1433.Brinton, Selwyn. ''The Gonzaga - Lords of Mantua.'' London: Methuen & Co. LTD., 1927. pg. 65 He fought for the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

and the Malatestas in 1412 and 1417, respectively, and was ''capitano generale'' (commander-in-chief) of the Venetian Armies from 1434.Brinton, pg. 65 Later he left the alliance with Venice and entered at the service of the

Visconti of Milan The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the ...

, starting an unsuccessful war against Venice which caused the loss of several Mantuan territories. During his reign the famous humanist

Vittorino da Feltre Vittorino da Feltre (1378February 2, 1446) was an Italian humanist and teacher. He was born in Feltre, Belluno, Republic of Venice and died in Mantua. His real name was Vittorino Rambaldoni. It was in Vittorino that the Renaissance idea of the com ...

was invited to Mantua, as well as numerous artists like

Pisanello Pisanello (c. 1380/1395c. 1450/1455), born Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, also erroneously called Vittore Pisano by Giorgio Vasari, was one of the most distinguished painters of the early Italian Renaissance and Quattroc ...

and others, starting the traditional role of the city as a capital of Italian Renaissance. He founded the first workshop in Italy for the manufacture of tapestries.

Cecilia Gonzaga Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born ...

, his daughter, was a humanist and scholar who received instruction from Vittorino. He pushed for his daughter to marry Oddantonio da Montefeltro, the first duke of Urbino, but renounced the arrangement later when the Duke turned out to be a cruel ruler.

Biography

References

See also