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 The marquises and dukes of Montferrat were the rulers of a territory in Piedmont south of the Po and east of Turin. The March of Montferrat was created by Berengar II of Italy in 950 during a redistribution of power in the northwest of his ki ...

from 1627 until his death. He was also Charles III as

Duke of Nevers The counts of Nevers were the rulers of the County of Nevers, in France, The territory became a duchy in the peerage of France in 1539 under the dukes of Nevers. History The history of the County of Nevers is closely connected to the Duchy of Bu ...

and

Rethel Rethel () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture and third-most important city and economic center in the department. It is situated on the river Aisne, near the northern border of Champagne and 37 ...

, as well as Prince of Arche and Charleville.

Biography

Plan Charleville Meziere Edme Moreau 1625

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 The first rulers of Rethel might have governed under the Abbey of Saint-Remi and later independently, before the county passed first to the counts of Nevers, then to the counts of Flanders, and finally to the dukes of Burgundy. In 1405 the count ...

, 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 Margaret Palaeologa (; 11 August 1510 – 28 December 1566), was the ruling Marquise regnant of Montferrat in her own right between 1533 and 1536. She was also Duchess of Mantua by marriage to Federico II, Duke of Mantua. Margaret acted as t ...

, 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 Vincenzo II Gonzaga (8 February 1594 – 25 December 1627) was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1626 until his death. Vincenzo was the son of Duke Vincent I and Eleonora de' Medici and inherited the duchy upon the death of his elder ...

(1627), Charles inherited the title through an agreement. His succession, however, spurred the enmity of

Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy Charles Emmanuel I (; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 30 August 1580 until his death almost 50 years later in 1630, he was the longest-reigning Savoyard monarch ...

, 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 Charles de Lorraine, duc de Mayenne (26 March 1554 –3 October 1611) was a French noble, governor, military commander and rebel during the latter French Wars of Religion. Born in 1554, the second son of François de Lorraine, duke of Guise ...

and Princess Henriette of Savoy. They had: * Francis Gonzaga, Duke of Rethel (1606–1622) *

Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers Charles II Gonzaga (22 October 1609 – 30 August 1631) was the son of Charles I, Duke of Mantua, and Catherine de Lorraine-Guise (also known as Catherine de Mayenne). He was the Duke of Nevers and Rethel, together with his father. In 1621, he ...

, 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 John II Casimir Vasa (; ; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 to his abdication in 1668 as well as a claimant to the throne of Sweden from 1648 to 1660. He was the first son of Sigis ...

*Benedetta Gonzaga (1614 – 30 September 1637) * Anne Marie Gonzaga (1616 – 6 July 1684). Married first

Henry II, Duke of Guise Henri II de Lorraine, 5th Duke of Guise, (4 April 1614, in Paris – 2 June 1664) was a French aristocrat and archbishop, the second son of Charles, Duke of Guise and Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse. Life At the age of fifteen, he became archbi ...

, and secondly

Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern Edward, Prince Palatine of the Rhine (''Eduard, Prinz von der Pfalz'') (5 October 1625 – 10 March 1663), was the sixth son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine (of the House of Wittelsbach), the "Winter King" of Bohemia, by his consort, the Eng ...

References

Sources

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External links

* {{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