GONZAGA FAMILY

The Gonzaga ruled Mantua from 1328, when Luigi Gonzaga was elected Captain General of the People, until 1708, when Mantua was seized by the AustrianHapsburgs. In 1433, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund gave Gianfrancesco Gonzaga the title of marquis, while in 1530 EmperorCharles Vconferred the title of duke toFederigo Gonzaga. In 1531, Federigo married Maria Palaeologo, daughter of the Marquis of Monferrato, a territory Charles V ceded to Federigo in 1536 when the Palaeologo line ended. A branch of the Gonzaga family settled in France where they became the Dukes of Nevers and Rethelois. Upon the extinction of the Italian line in 1627, the French Gonzaga took over the rule of Mantua, but not before the French monarchs and the Hapsburgs contested the succession. The war between the two factions ended in 1631 with the Treaty of Cherasco, and the Dukes of Nevers and Rethelois were able to rule Mantua until their own extinction in 1708. The Gonzaga court was a major center of arts and culture. Among the artists who served the family wereLeon Battista Alberti, Andrea Mantegna, Correggio, Giulio Romano, andPeter Paul Rubens. Among the literary figures werePietro AretinoandTorquato Tasso.