Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers

Charles II Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers
Portrait of Charles of Gonzaga-Nevers from Matthäus Merian's Theatrum Europaeum
Spouse(s)	Maria Gonzaga
Noble family	House of Gonzaga
Father	Charles I, Duke of Mantua
Mother	Catherine of Lorraine (also known as Catherine of Mayenne)
Born	1609
Died	August 30, 1631(1631-08-30) Cavriana

Charles II Gonzaga (1609–1631) was the son of Charles I, Duke of Mantua and Catherine of Lorraine (also known as Catherine of Mayenne), he was the Duke of Nevers and Rethel, together with his father.

In 1621, he succeeded his uncle Henry of Lorraine as Duke of Mayenne.
In 1627 he married his cousin Maria Gonzaga, inheritor to the Duchy of Mantua and the Marquisate of Montferrat. However, Cesare II Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla and emperor Ferdinand II did not accept this succession line, leading to the War of Mantuan Succession (1628–1631).

Charles was never the proper Duke of Mantua since he died at Cavriana six years before his father. When the latter died in 1637, Charles's eight-year-old son, Charles II, became Duke of Mantua, his widow Maria acting as regent. His daughter Eleonora became Holy Roman Empress.

Family

In December 1627 he married his cousin Maria Gonzaga, the marriage being arranged by Vincenzo II Gonzaga.

Charles and Maria had three children:

• Maria
• Charles (1629–1665), Duke of Mantua.
• Eleonora (1630–1686), who married in 1651 Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor.

Ancestry