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Anna Isabella Gonzaga
Duchess consort of Mantua andMontferrat
Tenure	1671–1703
Born	(1655-02-12)12 February 1655 Italy
Died	11 August 1703(1703-08-11) (aged 48) Guastalla, Italy
Burial	San Maurizio,Mantua
Spouse	Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat ​ ​ (m. 1671)​
House	Gonzaga
Father	Ferrante III Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla
Mother	Margherita d'Este

Anna Isabella Gonzaga (12 February 1655 – 11 August 1703) was a Duchess consort ofMantua andMontferrat and heiress of theDuchy ofGuastalla, includingLuzzara andReggiolo; she married in 1671 toFerdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat, as his first wife. She was the regent of Mantua in the absence of her spouse in 1691-1692 and during theWar of the Spanish Succession in 1702-1703.

Born into theHouse of Gonzaga, Anna Isabella Gonzaga was the daughter ofFerrante III Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla and his wife, Princess Margheritad'Este (1619–1692), daughter ofAlfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena.

As the eldest of two daughters, she was the heir of theDuchy of Guastalla andLuzzara Reggiolo, areas which had long been a source of conflict between the two Gonzaga lines: the Gonzagas of Guastalla and the Gonzagas of Mantua. In 1671, she was married to Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga. Her aunt arranged the marriage, and the empress dowagerEleanor Gonzaga united the two Gonzaga lines. The marriage was childless.

In 1678, her father died, and her rights to Guastalla were challenged byDon Vincenzo Gonzaga, who married her sister, PrincessAnna Maria Vittoria (1659–1707), and proclaimed himselfDuke of Guastalla. Mantua protested, after which Spain intervened and threatened Mantua. In 1691, Spain attacked Mantua, and Ferdinando fled toVenice with his ministers. In his absence, Anna Isabella served asregent, assisted by the Imperial representative Marquis degliObizzi and some advisers. She managed to calm the frightened public and successfully arranged for the defense of Mantua against Spain. She also successfully handled peace negotiations with Spain between the Spanish governor in Milan and the viceroy of Naples, which was concluded in 1692.

In 1702, during theWar of the Spanish Succession,Imperiali attacked the Duchy of Mantua, who wished to conquer the areas ofLuzzara and Cocoon. Duke Ferdinando Carlo fled and left Anna Isabella to handle the situation as regent.^[1] During her second regency, she was assisted by Mr de Liesse. She appointed commanders to handle the defense of Luzzara and Cocoon and issued negotiations for Sabbioneta's foreign protection.

• Anna Isabèlla Gonzaga duchessa di Mantova
• Gonzaga, duchi sovrani di Guastalla.
• L. Carnevali, Anna Isabella Gonzaga, in Archivio storico lombardo, 1886, p. 378.

• 1655 births
• 1703 deaths
• Duchesses of Mantua
• Duchesses of Montferrat
• 17th-century women regents
• 17th-century regents
• Regents of Mantua
• 18th-century women regents
• 18th-century regents
• House of Gonzaga
• Women in 17th-century warfare
• Women in European warfare

• CS1 Italian-language sources (it)
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