Francesco IV Gonzaga
Francesco IV Gonzaga
Duke of Mantua and Montferrat
Reign9 February 1612 - 22 December 1612
PredecessorVincenzo I Gonzaga
SuccessorFerdinando Gonzaga
Born(1586-05-07)7 May 1586
Mantua, Duchy of Mantua
Died22 December 1612(1612-12-22) (aged 26)
Mantua, Duchy of Mantua
Spouse
​
(m. 1608)​
IssueMaria Gonzaga
HouseGonzaga
FatherVincenzo I Gonzaga
MotherEleonora 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

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

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:

Honours

Ancestry

References

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

Sources

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
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