Margherita Gonzaga, Marquise of Ferrara

For other uses, see Margherita Gonzaga.

Margherita Gonzaga
Marquise of Ferrara
Margherita in the Genealogia dei principi d'Este (1470s)
Born	1418 Mantua
Died	7 July 1439 Governolo
Buried	Mantua
Noble family	Gonzaga
Spouse(s)	Leonello d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara
Issue	Niccolò d'Este (Niccolò di Leonello)
Father	Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua
Mother	Paola Malatesta

Margherita Gonzaga, Marquise of Ferrara (1418–1439) was a noblewoman of the House of Gonzaga, from Mantua in modern-day Italy. She was the daughter of Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua[1] and Paola Malatesta.[2] In 1435, she became the first wife of Leonello d'Este, Marquess of Ferrara,[3][4] making her the Marquise of Ferrara and creating an alliance between the House of Gonzaga of Mantua and the House of Este of Ferrara.[5] The artist Pisanello gave them a painting of Julius Caesar as a wedding gift.[3] The couple had a son, Niccolò, who is also known as Niccolò di Leonello to avoid confusion with his grandfather, Niccolò III d'Este.[6]

References

1. Iain Fenlon, ed. (1989). The Renaissance: From the 1470s to the end of the 16th century. London: MacMillan. p. 135.
2. Anne Commire; Deborah Klezmer (1999). Women in World History. Yorkin Publications. p. 365.
3. Francis Ames-Lewis (2000). The Intellectual Life of the Early Renaissance Artist. New London: Yale University Press. p. 78.
4. "Leonello d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara and Modena". The British Museum.
5. Cordelia Warr; Janis Elliott, eds. (2010). Art and Architecture in Naples, 1266 - 1713: New Approaches. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. p. 8.
6. Kurt Barstow (2000). The Gualenghi-d'Este Hours. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. p. 27.