Mantua War of Succession, 1627-1630
also referred to as the Second War over Monferrato (La Seconda Guerra del Monferrato)



A.) Causes for the War

In 1627, Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga of Mantua, Prince of Monferrato, died; as he had no children, he had bequeathed his territories to the Duke of Gonzaga-Nevers. Neither Spain nor the Emperor were willing to accept the heir..


B.) The War

In 1628 a Spanish force laid siege to Casale, the main fortress in Monferrato. Charles Emmanuel of Savoy-Piemont had most of the Principality of Monferrato occupied. In 1629 a French army crossed into Italy, relieved Casale and garrisoned it, only to withdraw in order to fight against Huguenot-held la Rochelle. Casale was besieged by the Spanish, Mantua by an Imperial force. In 1630 the French army returned to Northern Italy; Mantua fell before they arrived on the scene.
The appearance of a Swedish army in the 30 Years War forced the Emperor to withdraw his forces from Italy. In October 1630, both Spain and the Emperor recognized the succession of the Duke of Gonzaga-Nevers; the French, having achieved their goal, withdrew, leaving behind a garrison at Casale.


C.) The Legacy

The House of Gonzaga continued to rule in Mantua-Monferrato until 1708. The French possession of Casale brought Savoy-Piemont in a difficult position.




EXTERNAL
FILES
Notes on the History of Casale
The House of Gonzaga, Heirs to the Sovereign Marquessate of Mantua, from European Royal Houses
Palace of the Gonzaga
Article Mantua, from Catholic Encyclopedia
Italian States in the Seventeenth Century, by J.P. Sommerville, scroll down for Mantua
Anno 1627, from Cronologia, in Italian
DOCUMENTS Rulers of Mantua, from Genealogy Euweb
REFERENCE Thomas J. Dandelet, Politics and the state system after the Habsburg-Valois Wars, pp.11-30; Geoffrey Symcox, The political world of the absolutist state in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, pp.104-122 in : John A. Marino (ed.), Early Modern Italy (Short Oxford History of Italy), Oxford : UP 2002



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on February 10th 2004, last revied on November 19th 2004

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