Rodolfo Gonzaga

Rodolfo Gonzaga (18 April 1452, in

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

– 6 July 1495, in Fornovo) was an Italian

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

. He was the son of Ludovico III Gonzaga and Barbara of Brandenburg. He had married

Caterina Pico Caterina Pico della Mirandola (14545 December 1501) was an Italian noblewoman, by marriage member of the House of Gonzaga. Biography She was born in Mirandola, into the House of Pico, the eldest of the seven children of Gianfrancesco I Pico ...

and he was the founder of the Castel Goffredo, Castiglione and

Solferino Solferino ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a small town and municipality in the province of Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy, approximately south of Lake Garda. It is best known as being close to the site of the Battle of Solferino on 24 June 1859, part ...

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the

House of Gonzaga The House of Gonzaga (, ) is an Italian princely family that ruled Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy from 1328 to 1708 (first as a captaincy-general, then Margraviate of Mantua, margraviate, and finally Duchy of Mantua, duchy). They also ruled M ...

. He died at the Battle of Fornovo, where he commanded a contingent of men fighting against France. 15th-century condottieri Rodolfo 1452 births 1495 deaths {{Italy-mil-bio-stub