GONZAGA DYNASTY

Ruling house of the Italian city ofMantuafrom 1328, first assignori(lords) of the city and from 1433 with the more elegant title of marquis, conferred on Ludovico II (1412-1478) by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. By that time, the principality had become a small but relatively powerful state in Lombardy. The most famous member of the dynasty was Francesco II (1466-1519), who became a mercenary captain, orcondottiere, in the service of the Republic ofVeniceand thepapacy. His talented wife,Isabella d'Este, administered the principality during his many absences. In 1530 the EmperorCharles Vpromoted Federico II (1500-1540) to the rank of duke, but the dynasty and the state were frequently overshadowed by imperial power. After the death of the last direct descendant of the ruling family, Vincenzo II, in 1627, the principality declined, becoming involved in an internal dispute between two branches of the dynasty. In 1707 the last Gonzaga duke, Ferdinando Carlo, was exiled and the duchy reverted to theHabsburgsas an imperial fief. During the later 16th century, several members of the family were active in the Catholic reform movement. Elisabetta Gonzaga, a daughter of Federico I, married the duke ofUrbino, became a notable patron of literature, and appears as the leading figure in the famous book of Renaissance court manners,The Book of the Courtier, by the Mantuanhumanist Baldassare Castiglione.