Federico fought for the Sforza of Milan until 1470 and succeeded to the marquisate on 14 June 1478.[2] He was, however, forced to split much of the Mantuan possessions with his brothers.
Federico continued to fight as a condottiero, and during his frequent absences Mantua was administered by Eusebio Malatesta, while the local army was under his brother-in-law, Francesco Secco d'Aragona. Federico took part in numerous actions in defence of the Duchy of Milan, in particular against the aggressive Republic of Venice. During one of these wars Francesco Secco occupied Asola and other Venetian territories. Later, after the peace, Ludovico Sforza of Milan asked for the return of Asola to Milan, to which Frederick had to acquiesce.
Federico died in Mantua at the age of 43, and was buried in the church of Sant'Andrea.
Maddelena (1472–1490) married in 1489 to Giovanni Sforza Lord of Pesaro and Gradara[4]
Giovanni (1474–1525) married in 1493 Laura Bentivoglio (d. 1523) and had issue.[5] His descendants, the Marquises of Vescovato, have been the senior line of the House of Gonzaga since the 18th century, after the extinction of the other senior lines
Ancestry
Ancestors of Federico I Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua
Bartlett, Kenneth R. (2013). A Short History of the Italian Renaissance. University of Toronto Press.
Hickson, Sally Anne (2016). Women, Art and Architectural Patronage in Renaissance Mantua: Matrons, Mystics, and Monasteries. Routledge.
James, Carolyn (2020). A Renaissance Marriage: The Political and Personal Alliance of Isabella D'Este and Francesco Gonzaga, 1490-1519. Oxford University Press.
Jansen, S. (2008). Debating Women, Politics, and Power in Early Modern Europe. Palgrave Macmillan.
Kraye, Jill, ed. (1997). Cambridge Translations of Renaissance Philosophical Texts. Vol. 2: Political Philosophy. Cambridge University Press.
Further reading
Coniglio, Giuseppe (1967). I Gonzaga. Varese: Dall'Oglio.
