Federico Gonzaga

Third son of Isabella d’Este and Francesco Gonzaga, was born in Mantua in 1500 and died there in 1540. The favourite son of Isabella, he received from his mother a fine humanistic education and was since a tender age involved in the political events of the time. He was sent as envoy to the court of King Francis I of France, after the French victory at Marignano in 1515. He returned to Italy in 1517 to marry (a betrothal arranged by his mother) Maria Paleologo, daughter of Guglielmo IX, Marquis of Monferrato, but the marriage was not consummated as the bride was very young (only eight). When his father died in 1519 he became the Head of State. At the end of 1520 he put himself at the service of  Leo X and in April of 1521 the Pope made him marquis. From a clandestine affair with Isabella Boschetti he had two illegitimate children, Alessandro and Emilia. In 1523 he was confirmed captain general of the Church. After the death of Maria Paleologo he married her sister, Margherita, who gave him five sons and three daughters. The worsening of his syphilis (like for his father) led to his death in 1540. Federico was critical towards  the way Ariosto’s plays in verse were performed, albeit praising them as literary works. Ariosto, with a letter dated 15 January 1532, petitioned the Marquis to be exempted from paying tax on the paper necessary for the third edition of the Furioso and, at the same time, informed him about the variations to the latest edition and how his work had been praised in the writing. As soon as it was off the press, Ludovico immediately sent a copy of the third edition to the Marquis. The poet celebrated  Federico Gonzaga as a virtuous man at arms in various parts of the Orlando furioso, as in XXXIII, 46, 1-6: "Federico, ch’ancor non ha la guancia / de’ primi fiori sparsa, si fa degno / di gloria eterna, ch’abbia con la lancia, / ma più con diligenzia e con ingegno, / Pavia difesa dal furor di Francia, / e del Leon del mar rotto il disegno" and in XXVI, 49, 5-6: "V’è Francesco Gonzaga, né abandona / le sue vestigie il figlio Federico".