Maria Gonzaga or Maria of Mantua (29 July 1609 – 14 August 1660) was a reigning duchess of Montferrat from 1612 until 1660, and

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

in Mantua during the minority of her son from 1637 until 1647.

Biography

Maria was the eldest and only surviving child of

Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua Francesco IV Gonzaga (7 May 1586 – 22 December 1612) was Duke of Mantua and Montferrat between 9 February and 22 December 1612. Biography Born in Mantua, he was the eldest son of Duke Vincenzo I and Eleonora de' Medici. In 1607, Claudio Monte ...

and

Montferrat Montferrat ( , ; ; , ; ) is a historical region of Piedmont, in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Province of Alessandria, Alessandria and Province of Asti, Asti. Montferrat ...

and Margaret of Savoy (1589–1655), daughter of

Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel I (; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 30 August 1580 until his death almost 50 years later in 1630, he was the longest-reigning Savoyard monarch ...

and

Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain Catalina Micaela of Spain (10 October 1567 – 6 November 1597) was Duchess of Savoy by marriage to Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy. She ruled the duchy several times as regent in Charles Emmanuel's absence, notably during his campaign in 1594 ...

. Maria's father died aged 26 in 1612 when she was only three years old, and was succeeded as Duke of Mantua by his two brothers, who had no issue. This made Maria and her husband Charles of Nevers in 1627 successors to the two Duchies. Maria was already Duchess of Montferrat since 1612. This led to the War of Mantuan Succession. The outcome was that, after the death of her husband Charles in 1631, his father

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

became the new Duke of Mantua until his death in 1637. Maria exercised the

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of Mantua on behalf of her son for ten years, until 1647.
She died in 1660, aged 51.

Issue

Maria and Charles had: *Maria Gonzaga * Charles Gonzaga (1629–1665) married Archduchess Isabella Clara of Austria * Eleanor Gonzaga (1630–1686), who married in 1651

Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608 – 2 April 1657) was Archduke of Austria, Kingdom of Hungary, King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia from 1625, Kingdom of Bohemia, King of Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emper ...

References

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External links

Sardimpex.com : Gonzaga - Marchesi e Duchi sovrani di Mantova, indice L1
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzaga, Maria 1609 births 1660 deaths Maria Gonzaga, Duchess of Montferrat Regents of Mantua Duchesses of Mantua Duchesses of Montferrat 17th-century Italian women 17th-century Italian nobility 17th-century women regents 17th-century regents Mothers of Italian monarchs Regents in the Holy Roman Empire

Biography

Issue

See also

References

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