TheDuchy of Mantua (Italian:Ducato di Mantova;Lombard:Ducaa de Mantua) was aduchy inLombardy,northern Italy. Its first duke wasFederico II Gonzaga, member of theHouse of Gonzaga that ruledMantua since 1328.[1] In 1531, the duchy also acquired theMarch of Montferrat, thanks to the marriage between Gonzaga andMargaret Paleologa, Marchioness ofMontferrat.[2]
Duchy of Mantua | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1530–1797 | |||||||||
.svg) Flag  Coat of arms | |||||||||
 The Duchy of Mantua in the early 18th century | |||||||||
| Capital | Mantua | ||||||||
| Common languages | Lombard Italian Latin | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
| Government | Princelyhereditary monarchy | ||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||
• 1530–1540 | Federico II Gonzaga(first) | ||||||||
• 1665–1708 | Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga | ||||||||
• 1708–1797 | Austrian Habsburgs(last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Early Modern | ||||||||
• Margraviate of Mantua is raised toDuchy | 8 April 1530 | ||||||||
| 25 December 1627 | |||||||||
| 1628–1631 | |||||||||
• Gonzaga rule ends - Partitioned and ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs | 1708 | ||||||||
• Annexed to theDuchy of Milan | 26 September 1786 | ||||||||
• Separated from the Duchy of Milan | 24 January 1791 | ||||||||
• Conquered by Napoleon - Disestablished | 1797 | ||||||||
| Currency | Monetazione di Mantova | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Italy | ||||||||
The duchy's historic power and influence under theGonzaga family made it one of the main artistic,cultural, and especially musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole. Mantua also had one of the most splendid courts of Italy and Europe in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and early seventeenth centuries.[3]
In 1708, after the death ofFerdinando Carlo Gonzaga, the last heir of the Gonzaga family, the duchy was partitioned. The domains were divided between theHouse of Savoy, that obtained the remaining half ofMontferrat, and theHouse of Habsburg, that obtained the city of Mantua itself.[4]
History
edit
Background
editAfter the fall of theWestern Roman Empire, Mantua was invaded byByzantines,Lombards andFranks. In the 11th century it became a possession ofBoniface of Canossa,marquis ofTuscany. The last ruler of the family was the countessMatilde of Canossa (died 1115), who, according to legend, ordered the construction of the preciousRotonda di San Lorenzo (1082). After the death of Matilde of Canossa, Mantua became afreecommune and strenuously defended itself from theHoly Roman Empire in the 12th and 13th centuries.
During theInvestiture Controversy,Pinamonte Bonacolsi took advantage of the chaotic situation to seize power, as Captain General of the People, in 1273. His family, theBonacolsi, ruled Mantua for the next century, making it more prosperous and artistically beautiful.[5]
On 16 August 1328, the last Bonacolsi, Rinaldo, was overthrown in a revolt backed by theHouse of Gonzaga, a family of officials, namely the 60-year-oldLudovico and his sonsGuido, Filippino andFeltrino. Ludovico, who had beenpodestà of the city in 1318, was electedcapitano del popolo ("people's captain"). The Gonzaga built new walls with five gates and renovated the architecture of the city in the 14th century, but the political situation in the city did not settle untilLudovico II eliminated his relatives, seizing power for himself in 1370.[6]
Through a payment of 120,000 goldenflorins in 1433,Gianfrancesco was appointedmarquis of Mantua by EmperorSigismund, whose great-nieceBarbara of Brandenburg he married. In 1459Pope Pius II held adiet in Mantua to proclaim a crusade against theTurks, which was known as theCouncil of Mantua.[7]
The Duchy
editThe first duke of Mantua wasFederico II, who acquired the title fromCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1530. The following year, the family acquired theMarquisate of Montferrat through marriage. Federico commissionedGiulio Romano to build the famousPalazzo Te, in the periphery of the city, and profoundly improved the city.[8]
In 1624,Ferdinando Gonzaga moved the ducal seat to a new residence, theVilla La Favorita, designed by the architect Nicolò Sebregondi, inPorto Mantovano.[9]
As many as eight hundred persons, including writers, artists, musicians, and even a troop of commedia dell'arte actors, enjoyed Gonzaga patronage in the early seventeenth century. In that time, the Gonzagas were patrons of the Flemish artistPeter Paul Rubens. The duchy also played a key role in the development of opera;Claudio Monteverdi lived there from about 1590 to 1612, and hisL'Orfeo (1607) and other works were first presented there.[3]
In 1625 Ferdinando Gonzaga founded the University of Mantua, whereJesuits taught humanities and philosophy, while laymen taught law and medicine. However, in order to pay for their splendid court, the Gonzaga family sold some of its assets, in 1627Vincenzo Gonzaga sold the family collection of Renaissance paintings, including works ofTitian,Andrea Mantegna,Correggio andRaphael toCharles I of England.[3]
In 1627, the direct line of the Gonzaga family came to an end with the vicious and weakVincenzo II, and the town slowly declined under the new rulers, the Gonzaga-Nevers, a cadet French branch of the family. TheWar of the Mantuan Succession broke out, and in 1630 anImperial army of 36,000Landsknecht mercenaries besieged Mantua, bringing the plague with them. Mantua never recovered from this disaster.[10]
DukeFerdinand Charles, an inept ruler whose only aim was to hold parties and theatrical representations, allied with France in theWar of the Spanish Succession. After the latter's defeat in Italy, he was declared deposed by EmperorJoseph I and took refuge inVenice, carrying with him a thousand pictures. At his death, in 1708 his family lost Mantua forever to theHabsburgs ofAustria. Montferrat's territories were ceded to theDuke of Savoy, and the Emperor compensatedLeopold, Duke of Lorraine, heir in female line of the Gonzaga, for the loss of Montferrat by ceding him theDuchy of Teschen. The Gonzagas of theDuchy of Guastalla were passed over entirely despite having the strongest claim, themselves dying out in 1746, marking the end of the Gonzaga family.[11]
Mantua was briefly united with theDuchy of Milan by an edict of EmperorJoseph II on 26 September 1786 but later restored in its separated administration by EmperorLeopold II on 24 January 1791. Mantua was besieged byNapoleon'sFrench army in 1796, before falling in 1797. With theTreaty of Campo Formio, Mantua was annexed to theCisalpine Republic becoming theDepartment of Mincio.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Il marchesato, poi ducato di Mantova (sec. XIV - 1530; 1530 - 1786) – Istituzioni storiche – Lombardia Beni Culturali".lombardiabeniculturali.it. Retrieved1 July 2020.
- ^Murgia, Adelaide.I Gonzaga. Mondadori. p. 67.
- ^abc"Mantua | Encyclopedia.com".encyclopedia.com. Retrieved14 July 2020.
- ^Fochessati, Giuseppe.I Gonzaga di Mantova e l'ultimo duca (in Italian). Ceschina. p. 300.
- ^"Bonacòlsi, Pinamonte nell 'Enciclopedia Treccani'".www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved22 February 2023.
- ^"Gonzaga, Ludovico in 'Dizionario Biografico'".www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved23 February 2023.
- ^"Màntova, Dièta di- su Enciclopedia".www.sapere.it (in Italian). Retrieved23 February 2023.
- ^"Federico II Gonzaga, duca di Mantova e marchese del Monferrato in 'Dizionario Biografico'".www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved23 February 2023.
- ^"Ferdinando Gonzaga, duca di Mantova e dei Monferrato in 'Dizionario Biografico'".www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved23 February 2023.
- ^"Gonzaga Nevers".www.fermimn.edu.it. Retrieved23 February 2023.
- ^"1707, addio Gonzaga".Gazzetta di Mantova (in Italian). 27 February 2007. Retrieved23 February 2023.
External links
edit- (in English)"The House of Gonzaga, heirs to the sovereign marquessate of Mantua"
- (in Italian)I Gonzaga di Mantova
45°09′37.3″N10°47′49.2″E / 45.160361°N 10.797000°E /45.160361; 10.797000