Duchy of Mantua
The Duchy of Mantua (Italian: Ducato di Mantova; Lombard: Ducaa de Mantua) was a duchy in Lombardy, northern Italy. Its first duke was Federico II Gonzaga, member of the House of Gonzaga that ruled Mantua since 1328. The following year, the Duchy also acquired the March of Montferrat, thanks to the marriage between Gonzaga and Margaret Paleologa, Marchioness of Montferrat.
Duchy of Mantua | |||||||||
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| 1530–1786 1791–1797 | |||||||||
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Coat of arms
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The Duchy of Mantua in the early 18th century | |||||||||
| Capital | Mantua | ||||||||
| Common languages | Lombard Italian Latin | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
| Government | Princely hereditary monarchy | ||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||
• 1530–1540 | Federico II Gonzaga (first) | ||||||||
• 1665–1708 | Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga | ||||||||
• 1708–1797 | Austrian Habsburgs (last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Early Modern | ||||||||
• Margraviate of Mantua is raised to Duchy | 8 April 1530 | ||||||||
• Gonzaga-Nevers' ascent to throne | 25 December 1627 | ||||||||
• Succession war | 1628–1631 | ||||||||
• Annexed to the Duchy of Milan | 26 September 1786 | ||||||||
• Restored | 24 January 1791 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1797 | ||||||||
| Currency | Monetazione di Mantova | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Italy | ||||||||
The Duchy's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family has made it one of the main artistic, cultural, and especially musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole. Mantua also had one of the most splendid courts of Italy and Europe in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and early seventeenth centuries.
In 1708, after the death of Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, the last heir of the Gonzaga family, the Duchy ceased its existence. Their domains were divided between the House of Savoy, that obtained the remaining half of Montferrat, and the House of Habsburg, that obtained the city of Mantua itself.