Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers

Who was Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers?

Charles II Gonzaga was the son of Charles I, Duke of Mantua and Catherine of Lorraine, 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.

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.