Vincent II of Mantoue

Vincent II Gonzague , in Italian Vincenzo II Gonzaga , was a noble Italian born the February 8th 1594 with Mantoue and dead the December 26th 1627 with Mantoue. It was the seventh duke of Mantoue (area of Lombardy in Italy) and cinqième duke of Montferrat (area of the Piedmont).

Vincent, wire youngest child of Vincent I {{er}} of Mantoue and Éléonore de Médicis, is 32 years old when it succeeds his brother Ferdinand who dies in 1626.

The use wanting that puîné of a family devotes itself to the Church whereas the elder one takes again the reins of the paternal capacity, Vincent, youngest child of the family is found in the position of second after the death of the older brother, François and the resumption in load of the capacity by the born second, Ferdinand. It thus will be an ecclesiastic. In 1615, the here cardinal one.

But a very beautiful quadragénaire will make him change ideal and ideas. It was about Isabelle de Novellara (1576-1627), girl of Alfonso de Novellara and Vittoria de Capoue. Isabelle was widowed, since 1605, of Shoeing of Gazzuolo and mother, inter alia, of Scipion I {{er}} (1595-1670), prince de Bozzolo and duke of Sabbioneta.
Vincent married it secretly, in 1617. He preferred to give up the crimson cardinalice on the authorities of the pope. However, the marriage was not happy, the couple could not have children and Vincent, anxious of his descent wanted to make cancel the marriage and even tried to remove his wife by poisoning it.

Old of only thirty years but of a health already staggering, it is in line of sight of almost all Europe which covets its succession. In the storm of the War Thirty Year old which has relents of confrontation between Gibelins (imperial) and Guelfes (papal), two parties will be found face to face. On a side, there will be the camp austro-Spanish of the emperor Ferdinand II and of the king d' Espagne Philippe IV, combined with the duke of Savoy Charles-Emmanuel I {{er}} strong interested party by the Montferrat which will support the Gonzague de Guastalla, the duke Ferdinand II and its son César. Other side, the pope Urbain VIII and the king de France Louis XIII will support the “French” branch of Gonzague of Nevers, descendants of Louis IV of Nevers, a great-uncle of Vincent.
Initially more attracted by the Italian party, Vincent chose the French party after having learned that Ferdinand II of Guastalla had inserted of the men armed in Mantoue. To seal the “market” of the succession of Charles III of Nevers and Rethel, chief of line, it organized the marriage of his niece Marie de Mantoue, girl of his brother François IV with Charles, grandson of Louis IV and the last wire surviving of Charles III of Nevers.
The weddings took place the December 26th 1627 and Vincent died the very same day, 33 years old, a few hours after the celebration.

The death of Vincent II will bring the swirl of the Thirty Year old war in the north of Italy in what one will call the War of succession of Mantoue which will last of 1628 with 1631 and will be punctuated by the Traité of Cherasco which will confirm the succession of the chief of line which will become Charles Ier de Mantoue.

The name of Vincent II remains associated with the negotiation with the sale with the artistic inheritance with the family which it negotiated with Charles Ier of England for an amount of 80 000 pounds sterling, and that Charles Ier had to realize in 1628-1629. This sale which made scandal, was to some extent a less evil because the remainder of the inheritance was completely put at bag when the imperial troops seized Mantoue in 1630.

See too

House Gonzague
List of the dukes of Mantoue
plundering, at the end of the article, of the Palate of Te

External bonds

Itis.mn.it : Vincenzo II - Septimo duca di Mantova, quinto del Monferrato
Sardimpex.com: Gonzaga - Marchesi E Duchi sovrani di Mantova
Genealogy.euweb.cz: Gonzaga family

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