Charles I of Gonzaga-Nevers (Italian: Carlo I Gonzaga; 6 May 1580 - 22 September 1637) was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. He was also Duke of Rethel and Nevers, as well as Prince of Arches.
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Biography
Born in Paris, he was the son of Louis I of Gonzaga-Nevers and
In 1612, Charles, a descendant of the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus through his grandmother, who was of the line of Theodore I of Montferrat, Andronicus' son.[1] claimed the throne of Constantinople, at the time the capital of the Ottoman Empire. He began plotting with the Maniots of Greece, who addressed him as "King Constantine Palaeologus". When the Ottoman authorities heard about this, they sent an army of 20,000 men and 70 ships to invade Mani. They succeeded in ravaging Mani and imposing taxes on the Maniots. This caused Charles to move more actively for his crusade. He sent envoys to the courts of Europe looking for support. In 1619, he recruited six ships and a number of men, but he was forced to abort the mission because of the beginning of the Thirty Years' War.[1][2]
At the death of the last legitimate male heir of the Gonzaga line in the Duchy of Mantua, Vincenzo II (1627), Charles inherited the title through an agreement. His son was married with Maria Gonzaga, daughter of former Duke Francesco IV.
However, his succession spurred the enmity of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy, who aimed at the Gonzaga lands of Montferrat, and, above all, of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, which did not like a philo-French ruler in Mantua. This led to the War of Mantuan Succession. In 1629 emperor Ferdinand II sent a Landsknecht army to besiege Mantua, Charles left without the promised support from Louis XIII of France. The siege lasted until July 1630, when the city, already struck by a plague, was brutally sacked. Mantua never recovered from this disaster.
The subsequent diplomatic maneuvers allowed Charles, who had fled to the Papal States, to return to the duchy in 1631, although not without concessions to the House of Savoy and to the Gonzaga of Guastalla. The situation of the Mantuan lands was dramatic, but he was able to trigger some economic recovery in the following years.
Charles died in 1637. His successor was his grandson Charles II, initially under the regency of Maria Gonzaga, Charles I's daughter-in-law.
Children
He married Catherine of Mayenne, daughter of Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne and Henriette of Savoy, Marquise de Villars. They had six children:
- Francis I, Duke of Rethel (1606 - 1622).
- Charles of Gonzaga-Nevers, nominal co-ruler Duke of Mantua (1609 - 14 August 1631) and his heir. Better known as Duke of Nevers and Rethel. Married heiress Maria Gonzaga. They were parents to Eleanor of Mantua consort of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, and Charles II, Duke of Mantua and Monferrat.
- Ferdinand, Duke of Mayenne (1610 - 25 May 1632).
- Ludwika Maria Gonzaga (18 August 1611 - 10 May 1667). Married first Władysław IV Vasa and secondly John II Casimir of Poland.
- Benedetta Gonzaga (1614 - 30 September 1637).
- Anna Maria Gonzaga (1616 - 6 July 1684). Married first Henry II, Duke of Guise and secondly Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern.
References
- Coniglio, Giuseppe (1967). I Gonzaga. Varese: Dall'Oglio.
| Preceded by Vincenzo II |
Duke of Mantua 1627–1637 |
Succeeded by Charles II |
| Marquess of Montferrat 1627–1637 |
External links
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