Duchy of Mantua

Governed by the Gonzaga family from 1328 to 1708, Mantua was a refined Renaissance court famous for its patronage of the arts. Ludovico III Gonzaga invited Andrea Mantegna as court painter. His daughter-in-law Isabella d'Este, called 'the First Lady of the Renaissance', assembled one of Italy's greatest art collections. Francesco II Gonzaga commanded the Italian forces at the Battle of Fornovo (1495) against Charles VIII of France. Federico II received the ducal title from the Emperor Charles V in 1530. The duchy ended when the Austrian Habsburgs occupied Mantua in 1708.

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