Francesco IV Gonzaga
Francesco IV Gonzaga
Duke of Mantua and Montferrat
Reign	9 February 1612 - 22 December 1612
Predecessor	Vincenzo I Gonzaga
Successor	Ferdinando Gonzaga

Born	(1586-05-07)7 May 1586 Mantua, Duchy of Mantua
Died	22 December 1612(1612-12-22) (aged 26) Mantua, Duchy of Mantua
Spouse	Margaret of Savoy (m. 1608)
Issue	Maria Gonzaga
House	Gonzaga
Father	Vincenzo I Gonzaga
Mother	Eleonora de' Medici

Francesco IV Gonzaga (7 May 1586 – 22 December 1612) was duke of Mantua and Montferrat between 9 February and 22 December 1612.

Biography

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

In 1607, Claudio Monteverdi dedicated his opera L'Orfeo to Francesco. The title page of the opera bears the dedication "Al serenissimo signor D. Francesco Gonzaga, Prencipe di Mantoua, & di Monferato, &c."

Francesco became Duke upon his father's death on 9 February 1612. He died at Mantua on 22 December 1612 without male heirs. He was succeeded by his brother Ferdinand; however, Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, the father of Francesco's wife Margaret of Savoy, disputed this, leading to the War of the Montferrat Succession (1613–1617).

Family

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On 19 February 1608 he married in Turin, Margaret of Savoy (1589–1655),^[1] daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy.^[2] They had:

Maria (29 July 1609 – 14 August 1660);^[2] married in 1627 Charles II of Gonzaga, Duke of Rethel and Nevers.^[3]
Ludovico (27 April 1611 – 3 August 1612).
Eleanore (12 September 1612 – 13 September 1612).

Honours

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Grand Master of the Order of the Redeemer

Ancestry

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Ancestors of Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua

16. Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua

8. Federico II, Duke of Mantua

17. Isabella d'Este

4. Guglielmo X Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua

18. William IX, Marquess of Montferrat

9. Margaret Palaeologina

19. Anne of Alençon

2. Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua

20. Philip I of Castile

10. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

21. Joanna of Castile

5. Archduchess Eleanor of Austria

22. Vladislas II of Hungary

11. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary

23. Anna of Foix-Candale

1. Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua

24. Giovanni dalle Bande Nere

12. Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany

25. Maria Salviati

6. Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany

26. Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, 2nd Marquis of Villafranca

13. Eleanor of Toledo

27. Maria Osorio

3. Eleonora de' Medici

28. Philip I of Castile (= 20)

14. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (= 10)

29. Joanna of Castile (= 21)

7. Archduchess Joanna of Austria

30. Vladislas II of Hungary (= 22)

15. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (= 11)

31. Anna of Foix-Candale (= 23)

References

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^ ^a ^b Bourne 2010, p. 182.
^ ^a ^b Raviola 2016, p. 59.
^ Bourne 2016, p. 162.

Sources

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Bourne, Molly (2010). "The Art of Diplomacy: Mantua and the Gonzaga". In Rosenberg, Charles M. (ed.). The Court Cities of Northern Italy: Milan, Parma, Piacenza, Mantua, Ferrara, Bologna, Urbino, Pesaro, and Rimini. Cambridge University Press. p. 138-195.
Bourne, Molly (2016). "From court to cloister and back again: Margherita Gonzaga, Caterina dé Medici and Lucrina Fetti at the convent of Sant'Orsola in Mantua". In Cavallo, Sandra; Evangelisti, Silvia (eds.). Domestic Institutional Interiors in Early Modern Europe. Routledge. p. 153-180.
Raviola, Blythe Alice (2016). "The Three Lives of Margherita of Savoy-Gonzaga, Duchess of Mantua and Vicereine of Portugal". In Cruz, Anne J.; Stampino, Maria Galli (eds.). Early Modern Habsburg Women: Transnational Contexts, Cultural Conflicts. Routledge. p. 59-78.

Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua House of GonzagaBorn: 7 May 1586 Died: 22 December 1612 Regnal titles Preceded byVincenzo I Duke of Mantua 1612 Succeeded byFerdinando Duke of Montferrat 1612

v t e Dukes of Mantua
Federico II (1530–1540) Francesco III (1540–1550) Guglielmo (1550–1587) Vincenzo I (1587–1612) Francesco IV (1612) Ferdinando (1612–1626) Vincenzo II (1626–1627) Charles I (1627–1637) Charles II (1637–1665) Ferdinando Carlo (1665–1708)

v t e House of Gonzaga
Generations start from Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga
1st Generation	Ludovico III, Marquis of Mantua Carlo
2nd Generation	Federico I, Marquis of Mantua Gianfrancesco, Count of Sabbioneta Francesco
3rd Generation	Clara, Countess of Montpensier Francesco II, Marquis of Mantua Sigismund Elisabetta, Duchess of Urbino
4th Generation	Eleonora, Duchess of Urbino Federico II, Duke of Mantua Ippolita Gonzaga Ercole Ferrante I, Count of Guastalla Paola
5th Generation	Francesco III, Duke of Mantua Guglielmo, Duke of Mantua Louis, Duke of Nevers Federico, Cardinal Gonzaga Cesare, Duke of Amalfi Francesco, Cardinal Gonzaga Gian Vicenzo, Cardinal Gonzaga
6th Generation	Vincenzo I, Duke of Mantua Margherita, Duchess of Modena Anne Juliana, Archduchess of Austria Charles, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat Ferrante II, Duke of Guastalla
7th Generation	Francesco IV, Duke of Mantua Ferdinando, Duke of Mantua Margherita Gonzaga, Duchess of Lorraine Vincenzo II, Duke of Mantua Eleonora, Holy Roman Empress Charles, Duke of Nevers Marie Louise, Queen of Poland Anne, Countess Palatine of Simmern Cesare II, Duke of Guastalla Vincenzo, Viceroy of Sicily Andrea, Count of San Paolo
8th Generation	Maria, Duchess of Montferrat Charles, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat Eleonora, Holy Roman Empress Vincenzo, Duke of Guastalla Ferrante III, Duke of Guastalla Vespasiano Vincenzo, Viceroy of Valencia
9th Generation	Ferdinando Carlo, Duke of Mantua Eleonora Luisa, Duchess of Rovere Antonio Ferrante, Duke of Guastalla Giuseppe, Duke of Guastalla Anna Isabella, Duchess of Mantua

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