Lucrezia Gonzaga di Gazzuolo (1522 – 11 February 1576) was an Italian noblewoman known for her literary talents, and her association with

Matteo Bandello Matteo Bandello ( 1480 – 1562) was an Italian writer, soldier, monk, and, later, a Bishop mostly known for his novellas. His collection of 214 novellas made him the most popular short-story writer of his day. Biography Matteo Bandello wa ...

. Bandello taught her mathematics, astronomy, rhetoric and logic, and wrote poetry in her honour, during his stay in

Castel Goffredo Castel Goffredo ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy, northern Italy, from Mantua and a few more from Brescia. It lies in a region of springs at the foot of the slopes that drain into Lake Garda, towards the ...

at the court of Luigi Gonzaga. A volume of her letters was published in Venice in 1552, but some people believe Ortensio Lando was the author and not just the editor. She was born in

Bozzolo Bozzolo ( Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southwest of Mantua. Bozzolo borders the following municipalities: Acquanegra sul Chiese ...

Pirro Gonzaga Pirro Gonzaga (1490 - 22 January 1529) was an Italian nobleman and condottiero during the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. He was accused of treason against the Holy Roman Empire, sided with France, and was eventually defeated and imprisoned in Lomb ...

, lord of

Gazzuolo Gazzuolo ( Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southwest of Mantua. The town had been a possession of Gonzaga family, the lord of Mantua, ...

, member of a secondary branch of the

Gonzaga family ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates = Ducal Palace (Mantua) Ducal Palace (Nevers) , titles = * Prince of Arches * Duke of Montferrat * Duke of Mantua * Duke of Guastalla * Duke of Nevers * Duke ...

, and Camilla Bentivoglio. At the age of 14 she married Paolo Manfrone, and is sometimes known as Lucrezia Gonzaga Manfrona. She died in 1576 in

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 ...

Works

*''Lettere della molto illustre sig. la s.ra donna Lucretia Gonzaga da Gazuolo con gran diligentia raccolte, & a gloria del sesso feminile nuouamente in luce poste''. Venice, 1552 (Collected by Ortensio Lando?) *Lucrezia Gonzaga, ''Lettere. Vita quotidiana e sensibilità religiosa nel Polesine di metà ‘500'', a cura di Renzo Bragantini e Primo Griguolo, Minelliana, Rovigo, 2009.

Sources

*Ginevra Canonici Fachini, ''Prospetto biografico delle donne italiane rinomate in letteratura'', 1824 *Mary Hays, ''Female Biography; or Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women of all Ages and Countries'' (volume 4), 1803 *Giuseppe Maffei, ''Storia della letteratura italiana'', 1834 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzaga, Lucrezia 1522 births 1576 deaths Lucrezia Nobility of Mantua Gonzaga, Lucrezia 16th-century Italian women writers