Gonzaga, Marquis Francesco (1466-1519), high Renaissance prince of Mantua and condottiere, outstandingly profligate and faithless even by highly competitive contemporary standards. His wife and match in every way was the notable art patron Isabella d'Este.
The French invasion of 1494 with a train of cannon that rendered old fortifications obsolete created interesting times for all concerned. In addition to their own traditional internecine rivalries and those among the Holy Roman Empire, the Venetian republic, and the papacy, the northern Italian principalities now had to deal with France and Spain as well. Gonzaga was a master at obtaining stipends from them, usually to buy his neutrality. At various times he received payments from Venice, the papacy, France, Spain, and both the Holy Roman and Ottoman empires, which he spent on the principle that ‘ostentation was power’. He raised his price by leading an army paid for by Venice to victory over the French at Fornovo in June 1495, but his inveterate scheming led to imprisonment by Venice in 1509. During his latter years syphilis eroded his mind and Mantuan affairs (sic) were handled by Isabella.
Bibliography
- Simon, Kate, A Renaissance Tapestry (New York, 1988)
— Hugh Bicheno
