Charles I Gonzaga (; 6 May 1580 – 22 September 1637) was
Duke of Mantua
During its Timeline of Mantua, 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 ...
and
Duke of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. He was also Charles III as
Duke of Nevers and
Rethel, as well as
Prince of Arche and Charleville.
Biography

Born in Paris on 6 May 1580, Charles was the son of
Louis de Gonzague, Duke of Nevers, and Princess
Henriette de Clèves, Duchess of Nevers. In 1600, as
duke of Rethel, he founded, in
Nevers
Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...
, the
Order of the Yellow Ribbon
The Order of the Yellow Ribbon was founded in 1600 in Nevers by French-Italian nobleman Charles III, Duke of Nevers, nephew of the French king Henry III, and knights would be imposed very peculiar tasks.
Details and insignia
They would have ...
, soon forbidden by the King, due to its peculiar character. In 1606, Charles decided the foundation of
Charleville and the Principality of Arches (
fr ). He became 1st
Prince of Arche and Charleville.
In 1612, Charles, a descendant of the Byzantine Emperor
Andronicus II Palaeologus
Andronikos II Palaiologos (; 25 March 1259 – 13 February 1332), Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. His reign marked the beginning of the recently restored empire's final decline. ...
through his grandmother
Margaret Paleologa, who was of the line of
Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat
Theodore I Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: Θεόδωρος Παλαιολόγος, full name: ''Theodoros Komnenos Doukas Angelos Palaiologos'') ( – 24 April 1338) was Marquis of Montferrat from 1306 until his death.
Life
Theodore was a son ...
, Andronicus's son, claimed the throne of Constantinople, at the time the capital of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. He began plotting with Greek rebels, including the
Maniots
The Maniots () or Maniates () are an ethnic Greeks, Greek subgroup that traditionally inhabit the Mani Peninsula; located in western Laconia and eastern Messenia, in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. They were also formerly known as Mainotes, an ...
of Greece, who addressed him as "King Constantine Palaeologus". When the Ottoman authorities heard about this, they sent an army of 20,000 men and 70 ships to invade Mani. They succeeded in ravaging the
Mani Peninsula
The Mani Peninsula (), also long known by its medieval name Maina or Maïna (), is a geographical and cultural region in the Peloponnese of Southern Greece and home to the Maniots (), who claim descent from the ancient Spartans. The capital ci ...
and imposing taxes on the Maniots. This caused Charles to move more actively for his crusade. He sent envoys to the courts of Europe looking for support. In 1619, he recruited six ships and some five thousand men, but a fire started by a possible incendiary prevented their journey.
Following the death of the last legitimate male heir of the Gonzaga line in the Duchy of Mantua,
Vincenzo II (1627), Charles inherited the title through an agreement. His succession, however, spurred the enmity of
Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy, who aimed at the Gonzaga lands of
Montferrat
Montferrat ( , ; ; , ; ) is a historical region of Piedmont, in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Province of Alessandria, Alessandria and Province of Asti, Asti. Montferrat ...
, and, above all, of Spain and the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, which did not like a pro-French ruler in Mantua. This led to the
War of the Mantuan Succession
The War of the Mantuan Succession, from 1628 to 1631, was caused by the death in December 1627 of Vincenzo II, last male heir from the House of Gonzaga, long-time rulers of Mantua and Montferrat. Their strategic importance led to a proxy war b ...
. In 1629 emperor
Ferdinand II sent a
Landsknecht
The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was ...
army to besiege
Mantua
Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...
, Charles left without the promised support from
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
. The siege lasted until 18 July 1630, when the city, already struck by a plague, was brutally sacked for three days. Mantua never recovered from this disaster.
The subsequent diplomatic maneuvers allowed Charles, who had fled to the Papal States, to return to the duchy in 1631, although not without concessions to the
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...
and to the Gonzaga of
Guastalla
Guastalla ( Guastallese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Geography
Guastalla is situated in the Po Valley, and lies on the banks of the Po River. Guastalla is located at around from the citi ...
. The fiscal situation of the Mantuan territory was poor, but he was able to facilitate some economic recovery in the following years.
Charles died in 1637. His successor was his grandson
Charles II, initially under the regency of
Maria Gonzaga, Charles I's daughter-in-law.
Children
Charles married
Catherine of Lorraine-Mayenne, daughter of
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne and Princess
Henriette of Savoy. They had:
*
Francis Gonzaga, Duke of Rethel (1606–1622)
*
Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers, nominal co-ruler Duke of Mantua (1609 – 14 August 1631) and his heir. 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 II, Duke of Mantua and Monferrat.
*
Ferdinand Gonzaga, Duke of Mayenne (1610 – 25 May 1632)
*
Marie Louise Gonzaga (18 August 1611 – 10 May 1667). Married first
Władysław IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and claimant of the thrones of Monarchy of Sweden, Sweden and List of Russian monarchs, Russia. Born into the House of Vasa as a prince ...
and secondly
John II Casimir of Poland
*Benedetta Gonzaga (1614 – 30 September 1637)
*
Anne Marie Gonzaga (1616 – 6 July 1684). Married first
Henry II, Duke of Guise, and secondly
Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern.
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzaga, Charles
Dukes of Mantua
Dukes of Montferrat
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
Nobility from Paris
1580 births
1637 deaths
16th-century Italian nobility
17th-century Italian nobility
Burials at the Palatine Basilica of Santa Barbara (Mantua)
16th-century peers of France
17th-century peers of France
Dukes of Nevers
Dukes of Rethel
People of the War of the Mantuan Succession
Sons of duchesses regnant
Byzantine pretenders after 1453