Margherita Gonzaga, Marquise of Ferrara (1418–1439) was a noblewoman of the

House of Gonzaga The House of Gonzaga (, ) is an Italian princely family that ruled Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy from 1328 to 1708 (first as a captaincy-general, then Margraviate of Mantua, margraviate, and finally Duchy of Mantua, duchy). They also ruled M ...

, from

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 modern-day Italy. She was the daughter of Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua and Paola Malatesta. In 1435, she became the first wife of Leonello d'Este, Marquess of Ferrara, making her the Marquise of Ferrara and creating an alliance between the House of Gonzaga of Mantua and the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

of Ferrara. The artist

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 ...

gave them a painting of Julius Caesar as a wedding gift. The couple had a son, Niccolò, who is also known as Niccolò di Leonello to avoid confusion with his grandfather,

Niccolò III d'Este Niccolò III d'Este (9 November 1383 – 26 December 1441) was Marquess of Ferrara from 1393 until his death. He was also a condottiero. Biography Born in Ferrara on 9 November 1383, Niccolo was the son of Alberto d'Este and Isotta Albaresan ...

References

1418 births 1439 deaths 15th-century Italian women

Margherita Margherita is an Italian feminine given name. It also is a surname. As a word, in Italian it means " daisy". The name is related to Margaret. Given name As a name, it may refer to: * Margherita da Trento (anglicized as Margaret of Trent) compa ...

Nobility from Ferrara {{Italy-noble-stub