Carlo Gonzaga of Milan
Carlo Gonzaga (died 21 December 1456), Lord of
Biography
Carlo Gonzaga was born in Mantua. He married twice, first to Lucia d'Este, daughter of Niccolò III d'Este, who died childless, and then to Ringarda Manfredi, who gave him three daughters and a son.
After the death of his father in 1444 Ludovico became Marquis and removed all authority from Carlo. He went to
Gonzaga made attempts for peace first with
In the spring of 1453 Carlo Gonzaga, allied with the Republic of Venice, raised an army of 4,000 to invade Mantua and overthrow his brother Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantova. Carlo seized the strongpoints of Castelbelforte (then known as Castelbonafisso) and Bigarello, but was defeated by Ludovico's forces and a detachment of Milanese allies at Castellaro Lagusello an outlying hamlet by the village of Monzambano. Forced to retreat across the Adige river at Legnago Carlo and his Venetian allies were pursued and decisively defeated on 14 June 1453 battle at Villabona near Goito. The historian Ludovico Muratori states that in the battle at Villabona Carlo lost 1,000 horses and 200 men-at-arms and was forced to seek shelter with the Este family in Ferrara. The Mantuan Jesuit Antonio Possevino instead states that Carlo was captured in the battle, but released immediately thereafter on request of the Marquis of Este and allowed to proceed to Ferrara.[1]
Nevertheless, with the Treaty of Lodi in 1454 Ludovico was forced to give back all he stole from Carlo. Later Carlo was made Lord of Sabbioneta by Sforza. He died heirless, his only son presumably having fallen prey to death in years previous, and his lands passed to his brother Ludovico ΙΙΙ Gonzaga.
References
- ^ Volta, L.C. Compendio cronologico-critico della Storia di Mantova, dalla sua fondazione sino ai nostri tempi Mantova: Francesco Agazzi, 1827, 135.
- A History of Milan under the Sforza. Cecilia M. Ady, Edward Armstrong; Methuen & Co., 1907. [1] Archived 6 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- (in Italian) Note biografiche di Capitani di Guerra e di Condottieri di Ventura operanti in Italia nel 1330–1550: Ludovico Gonzaga
- Marek, Miroslav. "Gonzaga genealogy" (in Italian). Genealogy.EU.[better source needed]
- (in Italian) Storia di Milano