Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga (1395 – 23 September 1444) was Captain of the People from 1407 to 1433 and

Marquis of Mantua The Marquisate or Margraviate of Mantua () was a margraviate centered around the city of Mantua in Lombardy (historical region), Lombardy. Ruled by the House of Gonzaga, Gonzaga family from its founding in 1433, it would later be raised to the ra ...

from 1433 to 1444. He was also a

condottiere Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

Biography

Gianfrancesco was the son of

Francesco I Gonzaga image:Ritratto di Francesco I Gonzaga.jpg, Portrait of Francesco I Gonzaga Francesco I Gonzaga (1366 – 7 March 1407) was List of rulers of Mantua, ruler of Mantua from 1382 to 1407. He was also a condottiero. Diplomatic policies towards Mil ...

and Margherita Malatesta. He inherited the rule of

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 ...

in 1407, when he was 12. In his first years, he was under the patronage of his uncle Carlo Malatesta and, indirectly, of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. In 1409 he married Paola Malatesta, daughter of Malatesta IV Malatesta of

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

, by whom he had two sons, Ludovico, who succeeded him as marquis of Mantua, and Carlo. He was the first Gonzaga to bear the title of marquis, which he obtained from

Emperor Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

on 22 September 1433. He fought for the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

and the Malatestas in 1412 and 1417, respectively, and was ''capitano generale'' (commander-in-chief) of the Venetian Armies from 1434. Later he left the alliance with Venice and entered at the service of the

Visconti of Milan The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the V ...

, starting an unsuccessful war against Venice which caused the loss of several Mantuan territories. During his reign the famous humanist Vittorino da Feltre was invited to Mantua, as well as numerous artists like

Pisanello Pisanello (), born Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, also erroneously called Vittore Pisano by Giorgio Vasari, was one of the most distinguished painters of the early Italian Renaissance and Quattrocento. He was acclaimed b ...

and others, starting the traditional role of the city as a capital of Italian Renaissance. He founded the first workshop in Italy for the manufacture of

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to han ...

. Cecilia Gonzaga, his daughter, was a humanist and scholar who received instruction from Vittorino. He pushed for his daughter to marry Oddantonio da Montefeltro, the first

duke of Urbino The Duchy of Urbino () was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1631. It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the ea ...

, but renounced the arrangement later when the Duke turned out to be a cruel ruler.

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Biography

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