Mantua Raised to Duchy
Charles V made Federico II Gonzaga Duke of Mantua in April 1530, three months after being crowned emperor at Bologna. The Gonzaga had ruled Mantua as captains-general since 1328 and as marquises since 1433, and the elevation was payment. Federico had kept the city loyal to the emperor through the Italian Wars, had commanded papal and imperial forces, and — crucially — had not been on the wrong side when Charles's unpaid army sacked Rome in 1527. Mantua was small, surrounded by lakes, and had survived among Milan, Venice and the Papacy by selling its rulers' military services and by marrying carefully. Federico's real distinction was as a patron. He brought Giulio Romano — Raphael's principal pupil, who had left Rome after engraving a set of erotic drawings — to Mantua in 1524 and gave him effectively unlimited scope. Giulio built the Palazzo Te on an island outside the walls as a pleasure villa, and its Room of the Giants is painted floor to ceiling so that the architecture appears to collapse on the viewer, with no flat surface anywhere. He also rebuilt much of the city, and the Gonzaga collection became one of the greatest in Europe. Federico's mother was Isabella d'Este, who had assembled much of it and had governed the state during his father's captivity. The dynasty lasted until 1707. Charles I of England bought the bulk of the collection in 1627 and 1628, and Parliament sold it after his execution. Mantua was sacked by imperial troops in 1630. What survives is the architecture, which is among the most inventive of the sixteenth century.
- Year: 1530 CE
- Category: Diplomacy
