Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua

Francesco IV Gonzaga
Francesco IV Gonzaga
Spouse(s)	Margaret of Savoy
Noble family	House of Gonzaga
Father	Vincenzo I Gonzaga
Mother	Eleonora de' Medici
Born	(1586-05-07)7 May 1586 Mantua
Died	22 December 1612(1612-12-22) (aged 26) Mantua

Francesco IV Gonzaga (7 May 1586 – 22 December 1612), was Duke of Mantua and (as Francesco II) Duke of Montferrat between 9 February and 22 December 1612.

Biography

Born in Mantua, he was the eldest son of Duke Vincenzo I and Eleonora de' Medici.

In 1607, Claudio Monteverdi dedicated his opera L'Orfeo to Francesco. The title page of the opera bears the dedication "Al serenissimo signor D. Francesco Gonzaga, Prencipe di Mantoua, & di Monferato, &c."

Francesco died at Mantua in 1612, without male heirs. He was succeeded by his brother Ferdinand.

Family

On 19 February 1608 he married in Turin, Margaret of Savoy (1589–1655), daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy.
They had three children :

• Mary (1609–1660); married 1627 Charles II of Gonzaga (1609–1631), Duke of Rethel en Nevers
• Ludwig (27 April 1611 – 3 August 1612)
• Eleanore (12–13 September 1612)

Ancestry