Camillo II Gonzaga di Novellara

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Coat of arms of the Gonzaga di Novellara from 1650 to 1678

Camillo II Gonzaga di Novellara (born May 25, 1581 in Novellara , † November 8, 1650 in Novellara) was an Italian nobleman who ruled from 1589 to 1640 and from 1644 to 1650 as the 5th Count of Novellara and of Bagnolo in Piano , distinguished himself as a condottiere , became a clergyman in 1635 and resigned in favor of his son in 1640, but after his son's death in 1644 again took over the government of the two counties until his death.

origin

Novellara Castle, owned by the Gonzaga di Novellara line since 1371.

Camillo came from the old Italian noble family of Gonzaga , but not from the main line, which ruled as lords, then as margraves and later as dukes of Mantua , but from the oldest branch line, which is in the person of Feltrino Gonzaga († after 1371) had split off as early as the 14th century and since then, first as lords and from 1501 as counts, ruled the two neighboring territories of Novellara and Bagnolo in Piano , a few kilometers north of Reggio nell'Emilia in the Po Valley and now part of the province of Reggio Emilia in the Region of Emilia-Romagna belong.

Camillo II was the eldest son of Alfonso I Gonzaga, who ruled from 1540 to 1589 as the 4th Count of Novellara and Bagnolo, from his marriage to Vittoria di Capua († 1627), a daughter of Giantommaso di Capua, Marchese della Torre di Francolise and Faustina, who came from the famous Roman family of Colonna .

Life

Novellara, Piazza Unità d'Italia with the Chiesa di Santo Stefano, in the background the campanile built by Camillo II

Camillo II Gonzaga grew up in the castle of Novellara, enjoyed an upbringing in the spirit of the Renaissance, followed in 1589 after the untimely death of his father at the age of 8 nominally as the 5th Count of Novellara and Bagnolo, although the effective rule until his Came of age with his mother as regent and with her advisors.

After reaching the age of majority, he was formally enfeoffed with the two counties in 1596 by Emperor Rudolf II . In order to broaden the narrow financial base of his rule, following the tradition of the family, he took up a military career as a condottiere in the service of the House of Austria , by joining the service of King Philip III. of Spain († 1621), from 1603 fought under Ambrosio Spinola Doria marqués de los Balbases († 1630) in the Netherlands and later under the governor of Lombardy , Pedro Henriquez de Acevedo , Conde de Fuentes († 1610).

Bagnolo, view of the “Torrazzo”, the tower that remains from the Gonzaga castle.

On January 13th, 1605 he married Caterina d 'Avalos, who died in 1618. In 1616 he had the campanile of the Chiesa di Santo Stefano rebuilt in Novellara and the hospital built.

The plague, which broke out in Novellara in 1630, claimed countless victims among the population, which made a deep impression on Camillo and prompted him to deepen his religiosity and devote himself to the study of theology. In 1636 he decided to pursue a spiritual career, traveled to Rome, where he was received in audience by Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini) (1623–1644) and made his vows before him. He then returned to Novellara, continued to exercise the government, but gave up in 1640 in favor of his eldest son Alessandro III. Gonzaga and retired to a monastery.

When his son Alessandro died four years later, Camillo II again took over the government in the counties of Novellara and Bagnolo until he died in 1650.

Marriage and offspring

On January 13, 1605, Camillo II married Caterina d'Avalos d'Aquino d'Aragona, who came from one of the most famous noble families of the Kingdom of Naples , but which had its roots in Spain. She was a daughter of Alfonso Felice d'Avalos d'Aquino d'Aragona (* 1564; † 1593), Principe di Francavilla, Principe di Montesarchio, Marchese del Vasto, Marchese di Pescara etc., grandee of Spain , royal Neapolitan chamberlain etc. . and Lavinia della Rovere Princess of Urbino (* 1558, † 1632), a daughter of Guidobaldo della Rovere († 1574), Duke of Urbino , and Vittoria Farnese , Princess of Parma and Piacenza († 1602).

Progeny:

  1. Alessandro III. Gonzaga († September 10, 1644), 6th Count of Novellara and Bagnolo (1640–1644), ⚭ Anna Bevilacqua († February 1630 of the plague), daughter of Ernesto Bevilacqua Conte di Bismantova and Felice Sassatelli
  2. Lavinia Thecla Gonzaga Countess of Novellara (born October 14, 1607; † May 7, 1639) ⚭ December 17th, 1628 Count Wratislaw I. von Fürstenberg (born January 31, 1584 in Prague; † July 10, 1631 in Vienna) the Möhringer line; ⚭ II. October 7, 1635 in Kaiserebersdorf Otto Friedrich Reichsgraf von Harrach zu Rohrau (* September 2, 1610 - † May 7, 1639)
    1. Katharina Eleonore Countess von Fürstenberg (* 1630; † February 15, 1676 in Vaduz) ⚭ February 14, 1648 Franz Wilhelm I, Count of Hohenems (* 1628; † September 19, 1662)
    2. Franz Wratislaus Count von Fürstenberg (* 1631; † 1641)
    3. Ferdinand Bonaventura I. Count of Harrach zu Rohrau (* July 14, 1636; † June 15, 1706) ⚭ October 28, 1662 Johanna Theresia Countess von Lamberg (* 1639; † 1718)
    4. Maria Elisabeth Countess of Harrach (* September 2, 1637; † May 23, 1710 in Vienna) ⚭ January 29, 1660 Karl Ferdinand Count von Waldstein (* 1634; † April 9, 1702)
  3. Alfonso II Gonzaga (April 20, 1616 - July 25, 1678), 7th Count of Novellara and Bagnolo (1650–1678) ⚭ 1648 in Massa Ricciarda Cibo, Principessa di Massa (March 20, 1622; † 1683) , a daughter of Carlo I. Cibo († 1662), Principe di Massa e di Carrara and Brigida Spinola († 1660)
    1. Camillo III. Gonzaga (* 23 August 1649; † 16 August 1727), 8th Count of Novellara and Bagnolo (1678–1727) ⚭ 1695 Matilde d'Este (* 1673; † March 2, 1732), daughter of Sigismondo IV 'Este, Marchese di San Martino and Maria Teresa Grimaldi († 1723)
    2. Caterina Gonzaga di Novellara (* 1653; † July 17, 1723) ⚭ April 15, 1661 Carlo Giustiniani 2nd Principe di Bassano (born November 9, 1649 in Rome; † November 25, 1679 in Bassano)
  4. Faustina Gonzaga (* 1617; † 1637), nun in Pesaro

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands
  2. ^ Genealogical manual of the princely houses. Volume XV. P. 538 f.
  3. Our royal - titled-noble-and commoner ancestors

literature

  • Pompeo Litta Biumi: Storia delle 113 famiglie celebri italiane. Gonzaga di Mantova, Torino, 1835.
  • Giuseppe Coniglio: I Gonzaga. dall'Oglio, editore 1967
predecessor Office successor
Alfonso Gonzaga Count of Novellara and Bagnolo
1595–1640
Alessandro III. Gonzaga
Alessandro III. Gonzaga Count of Novellara and Bagnolo
1644–1650
Alfonso II Gonzaga