Ferdinando Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua

Ferdinand I Gonzaga (26 April 1587 – 29 October 1626) was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1612 until his death.

Ferdinando Gonzaga
Ferdinando Gonzaga
Duke of Mantua and Montferrat
Reign1612–1626
PredecessorFrancesco IV Gonzaga
SuccessorVincenzo II Gonzaga
Born(1587-04-26)26 April 1587
Mantua, Duchy of Mantua
Died29 October 1626(1626-10-29) (aged 39)
Mantua, Duchy of Mantua
Burial
Basilica palatina di Santa Barbara
SpouseCatherine de' Medici
HouseHouse of Gonzaga
FatherVincenzo I Gonzaga
MotherEleonora de' Medici

Biography

Born in Mantua, he was the son of Vincenzo I and Eleonora de' Medici.[1]

He was appointed a cardinal at the age of 20. A few years after his elder brother, Duke Francesco IV, died in 1612 without heirs, he renounced the ecclesiastical career and succeeded his brother in both the Duchy of Mantua and the Duchy of Montferrat.

In 1616 he secretly married Camilla Faà di Bruno, whom he divorced in the same year. Their son Francesco Giacinto Teodoro Giovanni Gonzaga, although accepted at court, was not made Ferdinando's heir. He died of the plague during the 1630 siege of Mantua.[2] On 16 February 1617 he married Catherine de' Medici (1593–1629), the daughter of Ferdinand I, Grand Duke of Tuscany.[1]

Ferdinand Gonzaga died in 1626. His younger brother Vincenzo II inherited the duchy.[1]

Family

In 1616 he married Camilla Faà di Bruno, they had:

Honours

References
  1. Parrott 1997, p. 22.
  2. Grendler 2009, p. 239.
  3. Parrott 1997, p. 37.

Sources
  • Grendler, Paul F. (2009). The University of Mantua, the Gonzaga, and the Jesuits, 1584–1630. Johns Hopkins University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Parrott, David (1997). "The Mantuan Succession, 1627–31: A Sovereignty Dispute in Early Modern Europe". The English Historical Review. Oxford Academic. Volume CXII, Issue 445, February (445): 20–65. doi:10.1093/ehr/CXII.445.20.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Ancestry
Royal titles
Preceded by
Francis IV		 Duke of Mantua
1612–1626		 Succeeded by
Vincent II
Duke of Montferrat
1612–1626
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