Vincenzo II Gonzaga (7 January 1594 – 25 December 1627) was
Duke of Mantua
During its history as independent entity, Mantua had different rulers who governed on the city and the lands of Mantua from the Middle Ages to the early modern period.
From 970 to 1115, the Counts of Mantua were members of the House of Canoss ...
and
Duke of Montferrat
The Marquises and Dukes of Montferrat were the rulers of a territory in Piedmont south of the Po and east of Turin called Montferrat. The March of Montferrat was created by Berengar II of Italy in 950 during a redistribution of power in the n ...
from 1626 until his death.
Vincenzo was the son of Duke Vincent I and
Eleonora de' Medici
Eleanor de' Medici (28 February 1567 – 9 September 1611) was a Duchess of Mantua by marriage to Vincenzo I Gonzaga. She served as regent of Mantua 1595, 1597 and 1601, when Vincenzo served in the Austrian campaign in Hungary, and in 1602, whe ...
and inherited the duchy upon the death of his elder brother
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
, receiving the imperial investiture on 8 February 1627. He had also received a
cardinalate
The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appoi ...
upon Ferdinando's succession, but had dismissed it in 1616 in order to marry his relative Isabella Gonzaga, daughter of
Alfonso Gonzaga
Alfonso Gonzaga (died 1649) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Titular Archbishop of ''Rhodus'' (1621–1649). ''(in Latin)''Count of Novellara.
Conscious of his poor health, the childless Vincenzo set up an inheritance for his lands through the marriage of his niece
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
*170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
*Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
Charles of Gonzaga-Nevers
Charles II Gonzaga (22 October 1609 – 30 August 1631) was the son of Charles I, Duke of Mantua, and Catherine de Lorraine-Guise-Mayen, Catherine de Lorraine-Guise (also known as Catherine de Mayenne). He was the Duke of Nevers and Rethel, togethe ...
. The elder Charles was a cousin of his father. Vincenzo died on the marriage day of Mary and Charles.
Family
Vincenzo II Gonzaga had no legitimate offspring from the wife, but he recognized four natural sons.Albero genealogico dei Gonzaga /ref>
By Paola Scarpelli:
* Federico Gonzaga (1619–1630), Abbot of Lucledio.
*Tiberio Silvio Gonzaga (1620 – 3 July 1630), Knight of the
Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
and Balì of Armenia.
By Luigia "the Spanish":
*Luigi Gonzaga (+1627), Infante.
*Giovanni Gonzaga (+Malta 1645), Abbot of Lucledio, and Knight of the
Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...