| Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga | |
|---|---|
_by_Hyacinthe_Rigaud.jpg) Portrait byHyacinthe Rigaudc. 1706 | |
| Duke of Mantuaand Montferrat | |
| Reign | 14 August 1665 – 5 July 1708 |
| Predecessor | Charles II Gonzaga |
| Successor | Charles VI Habsburg (in Mantua) Victor Amadeus II of Savoy (in Montferrat) |
| Born | 31 August 1652 Revere,Duchy of Mantua |
| Died | 5 July 1708(1708-07-05) (aged 55) Padua,Republic of Venice |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Anna Isabella Gonzaga Suzanne Henriette of Lorraine |
| House | Gonzaga |
| Father | Charles II Gonzaga |
| Mother | Archduchess Isabella Clara of Austria |
Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga (31 August 1652 – 5 July 1708) was the only child of DukeCharles II ofMantua andMontferrat, and the last ruler of theDuchy of Mantua of theHouse of Gonzaga.
Born inRevere, In 1665 Ferdinand Charles received the imperial investiture on theDuchy of Mantua with the ceremony of Coronation at theCathedral of St. Peter. The first act of the government of the Duke was to try to curb the abuses that occurred in the collection of court fees. At the same time, is implemented the reform of public order of the Duchy.[1] Ferdinando Carlo, although he was a very intelligent man and attentive to the world of music (a great lover of music, in 1700 the composerTomaso Albinoni he dedicated his second opera in press), however, proved more inclined to women and to do charitable works, rather than to hold the duchies of Mantua and Monferrato.
Ferdinand Charles first marriedAnna Isabella Gonzaga (d. 11 August 1703), daughter ofFerrante III Gonzaga, sovereignDuke ofGuastalla. This marriage was arranged by the assistance of his aunt empress dowagerEleanor Gonzaga, and took place in 1671. Anna Isabella Gonzaga was the heir of theDuchy of Guastalla andLuzzara, and her rights transferred these areas, which had long been a source of conflict between the two Gonzaga lines, to the Mantua line of the Gonzaga dynasty. During the years of the government of the Duke Ferdinando Carlo, the duchy of Mantua had a period of development and autonomy in respect of theEmpire. This aroused the suspicions of theSpain which, fearing the strengthening of the small state of Mantua, decided to suspend payment of the annual contribution of 50,000 crowns a garrison of Casale, thus provoking the wrath of the Duke of Mantua.[2]
Frustrated by the Austrians in theconquest of Guastalla, he concluded apact withLouis XIV of France on 8 December 1678, sellingCasale. In this context hisminister, CountErcole Antonio Mattioli, might have become theMan in the Iron Mask, being imprisoned inPinerolo since April 1679 for disclosing this pact to the enemies of France.
The duke denied everything, but concluded a new pact with the French in 1681, obtaining thereby a yearly pension of sixty thousandlire, a career as an armygeneral, and a part in any future French conquests in Italy. The French occupied Casale on 29 September 1681 and the Duke of Mantua lost respect in Italy.
Although the Lorraine-Elbeufs were reckoned among theprinces étrangers at thecourt of France, as acadet branch (Elbeuf) of a non-reigning cadet branch (Guise) of theHouse of Lorraine, it was not their custom to marry crowned heads. Nevertheless, following the death of his first wife, Ferdinando sought a new wife and he became enamored with the Louise Bernardine de Durfort daughter ofJacques Henri de Durfort, 1st Duke of Duras after seeing her portrait. He made his interest known to the king who approved of his courtship of the young woman. She was still in mourning for her husband the Duke de Lesdigueres and resisted Ferdinandos attempts to woo her,having heard his health was bad and not wanting to live in Italy. Ferdinandos pursuit of the widow persisted until she went to the king and begged to not have to marry him.[3]
His support and hope for marriage lost he instead marriedSuzanne Henriette de Lorraine in pursuit of an heir and adynastic alliance with anotherreigning ducal house under French influence. She was the daughter ofCharles de Lorraine, Duke d'Elbeuf by his third wife, Françoise de Montault de Navailles, daughter of Philippe de Montault, Duke de Navailles. Duke Ferdinando Carlo marriedMademoiselle d'Elbeuf inMilan on 8 November 1704. To the French, her husband was known asCharles de Gonzague.[4] This marriage was childless.
Ferdinando Carlo again chose the French side in theWar of the Spanish Succession. In 1701, when the anti-French coalition forces conquered Mantua, he fled to Casale, leaving his consort Anna Isabella Gonzaga behind as regent during his absence. He paid heavily for his choice, when the French were chased back over theAlps in 1706. After the death ofDuchess of Mantua, Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga appointedAscanio Andreasi as Prime Minister, thus constituting the state act of the duke, with the task of stabilising the Mantuan state during the war.[5] Placed under theImperial ban in 1701 byLeopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, this was confirmed by the Diet of Regensburg, 30 June 1708, and all his possessions were confiscated.
TheHouse of Savoy obtained the remaining half ofMontferrat, having already conquered the first half in theWar of the Mantuan Succession in 1631. The Duchy of Mantua was thereafter administered by Austria and ceased its independent existence. Ferdinando Carlo died the same year inPadua.
| Ancestors of Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga |
|---|
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Duke of Mantua 1665–1708 | Succeeded by |
| Duke of Montferrat 1665–1708 | Succeeded by | |
