Pirro Gonzaga (1490 - 22 January 1529) was an Italian nobleman and

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 ...

during the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

of 1494–1559. He was accused of treason against the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, sided with France, and was eventually defeated and imprisoned in Lombardy.

History

Pirro Gonzaga was the second child of

Gianfrancesco Gonzaga Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga (1395 – 23 September 1444) was Marquess of Mantua from 1407 to 1444. He was also a condottiero. Biography Gianfrancesco was the son of Francesco I Gonzaga and Margherita Malatesta. He inherited the rule of Mantua ...

and Antonia Del Balzo. In 1499, after his father's death, he shared the inheritance of

Sabbioneta Sabbioneta ( egl, label= Casalasco-Viadanese, Subiunèda) is a town and in the province of Mantua, Lombardy region, Northern Italy. It is situated about north of Parma, not far from the northern bank of the Po River. It was inscribed in the World ...

Dosolo Dosolo ( Casalasco-Viadanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southwest of Mantua. , it had a population of 3,265 and an area of .All demographi ...

Pomponesco Pomponesco ( Casalasco-Viadanese: ) is a ''comune'' in the Italian Province of Mantua. As of 2007, the estimated population of Pomponesco was 1,770. The experimental musical artist Maurizio Bianchi Maurizio Bianchi (born 4 December 1955 in Pompo ...

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, ...

and

Rodigo Rodigo ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Mantua. Rodigo borders the following municipalities: Castellucchio, Ceresara ...

with his brother

Ludovico Ludovico () is an Italian masculine given name. It is sometimes spelled Lodovico. The feminine equivalent is Ludovica. Persons with the name Ludovico Given name * Ludovico D'Aragona (1876–1961), Italian socialist politician * Ludovico Ariosto ...

. In 1521 he sold the area of Sabbioneta to Ludovico. In 1522 he participated in the conquest of

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

. Taken as prisoner and accused of treason, in 1523 he lost his fiefs, which were assigned by the emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

to his nephew Luigi Gonzaga. In 1524 he was defeated at the siege of

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

. He later abandoned the imperial allegiance and sided with the French, until he was defeated by Fernando Francesco d'Avalos at the battle of

Sant'Angelo Lodigiano Sant'Angelo Lodigiano (locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lodi in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southwest of Lodi. People *Saint Francesca Cabrini (1850–1917), Catholic teache ...

. He surrendered and was imprisoned in the tower of

Pizzighettone Pizzighettone ( Pizzighettonese: ) is a ''comune'' of the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy. The main population centre is located on the river Adda and is divided into two parts: Pizzighettone on the east bank and Gera on the ...

. Ransomed by his mother Antonia, he subsequently retired to Gazzuolo, where he died in 1529. His daughter Lucrezia was a member of the ''literati''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzaga, Pirro 1490 births 1529 deaths Pirro 16th-century condottieri