Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ludovico III Gonzaga |
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| Marquis of Mantua | |
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| The Court of Mantua, detail: Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua |
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| Spouse(s) | Barbara of Brandenburg |
| Issue | |
| Federico I Francesco Gianfrancesco Dorotea Rodolfo Barbara |
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| Noble family | Gonzaga |
| Father | Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga |
| Mother | Paola Malatesta |
| Born | 5 June 1412 Mantua, Margravate of Mantua |
| Died | 12 June 1478 (aged 66) Goito, Margravate of Mantua |
Ludovico III Gonzaga was an important ruler of the Italian city of Mantua. He was born on June 5, 1412, and ruled Mantua as its Marquis from 1444 until he passed away on June 12, 1478. He was sometimes called "the Turk" (il Turco in Italian).
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Ludovico's Life and Rule
Ludovico was the son of Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga and Paola Malatesta. His father was also a ruler, and Ludovico followed in his footsteps. From a young age, he became a condottiero, which was a leader of a group of soldiers for hire.
In 1433, Ludovico married Barbara of Brandenburg. She was the niece of Emperor Sigismund, a very powerful ruler.
Becoming Marquis of Mantua
For a while, Ludovico worked for the Visconti family in Milan. This made his father, Gianfrancesco, angry. Gianfrancesco even sent Ludovico and his wife away from Mantua. But later, Gianfrancesco also started working for the Visconti family, and he made up with Ludovico in 1441.
In 1444, Ludovico became the Marquis of Mantua after his father's death. However, some parts of the family's lands went to his brothers. At this time, Mantua was smaller and not in great shape because of many years of war and high costs.
Keeping Peace in Mantua
From 1445 to 1450, Ludovico worked as a condottiero for different powerful cities like Milan, Florence, Venice, and Naples. He often switched sides to try and bring more peace to his own lands in Mantua.
In 1448, he was part of the Battle of Caravaggio and had to escape. The next year, he joined Venice and Florence in a fight against Milan. In 1450, he got permission to lead an army for King Alfonso of Naples. He hoped to gain some land for himself.
However, Francesco I Sforza, the new Duke of Milan, convinced Ludovico to become his ally. Sforza promised to give him back some lands that used to belong to Mantua but were then part of Venice.
Conflicts and Peace
Venice reacted by attacking Castiglione delle Stiviere in 1452. They also hired Ludovico's brother, Carlo, to fight against him.
Carlo Gonzaga invaded Mantua in 1453 with 4,000 soldiers. Ludovico gathered his own army and, with help from Milanese troops, defeated Carlo. Ludovico then chased Carlo's troops and defeated them again.
However, Venetian troops stopped him from taking back all the lands he wanted. The Peace of Lodi in 1454 made Ludovico give back all the lands he had won. He also had to give up his claim to three cities. But, he gained his brother Carlo's lands after Carlo died without children in 1456.
The Council of Mantua
A very important event for Mantua was the Council of Mantua. This big meeting was held in the city from 1459 to 1460. It was called by Pope Pius II to plan a crusade against the Ottoman Turks. The Turks had recently taken over Constantinople.
Even though the Pope wasn't completely happy with the city's conditions, the council ended well for Ludovico. His son, Francesco, was made a Cardinal, which was a great honor.
From 1466, Ludovico mostly worked for the Sforza family of Milan. He died in Goito in 1478 during a plague and was buried in Mantua cathedral.
Ludovico's Education and Support for Arts
Ludovico's father made sure he had an excellent education. His teacher was a famous humanist named Vittorino da Feltre. Humanists were scholars who studied ancient Greek and Roman texts and focused on human values and achievements.
Vittorino believed that educating a good prince would help all the people he ruled. This education taught Ludovico strong moral and religious values. It also made him care deeply about culture and public works in Mantua. He improved the city by paving streets, building a clock tower, and reorganizing the city center.
Ludovico invited famous scholars and artists to Mantua. One of them was Leon Battista Alberti, a Genoese scholar who designed two important churches: San Sebastiano and San' Andrea. In 1460, Ludovico also hired Andrea Mantegna, a very talented artist, to be the court artist for the Gonzaga family.
Ludovico is even mentioned in a book called Treatise on Architecture from around 1465. In this book, he helps convince another ruler to prefer the older, classical style of architecture over the "modern" Gothic style.
Ludovico's Children
Ludovico III and Barbara had fourteen children:
- Federico (died as a baby)
- Maddalena (died as a baby)
- Elisabetta (died as a baby)
- Federico I (1441 – 1484), who became the next Marquis of Mantua. He married Margaret of Bavaria.
- Francesco (1444 – 1483), who became a Cardinal.
- Paola Bianca (died as a baby)
- Gianfrancesco (1446 – 1496), who became Count of Sabbioneta.
- Susanna (1447–1481), who became a nun.
- Dorotea (1449–1467), who married Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the Duke of Milan.
- Cecilia (1451–1472), who became a nun.
- Rodolfo (1452–1495), who became Lord of Castiglione delle Stiviere.
- Barbara (1455–1503), who married Eberhard I, Duke of Württemberg.
- Ludovico (1460–1511), who became Bishop of Mantua.
- Paola (1463–1497), who married Leonhard, Count of Gorizia.
Ludovico III also had two daughters outside of marriage: Caterina and Gabriella.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Federico I Gonzaga at the Uffizi, Florence Italy
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Portrait of Francesco Gonzaga by Andrea Mantegna, c. 1461
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Portrait of Gianfrancesco Gonzaga
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Barbara Gonzaga
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Paola Gonzaga, fresco by Andrea Mantegna, Ducal Palace, Mantua
See also
- Wars in Lombardy
Sources
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Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua
Born: 5 June 1412 Died: 12 June 1478 |
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| Preceded by Gianfrancesco I |
Marquis of Mantua 1444–1478 |
Succeeded by Federico I |
