County of Novellara and Bagnolo | |||||||||
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1371–1728 1501–1737 | |||||||||
Motto: Frangar, non flectar (Latin for 'I will be broken, not bent') | |||||||||
Status | County | ||||||||
Capital | Novellara | ||||||||
Common languages | |||||||||
Religion | Catholicism | ||||||||
Government | County | ||||||||
Historical era | Early modern era | ||||||||
• Created | 1371 | ||||||||
• Title of County | 1501 | ||||||||
• Absorbed by the Duchy of Modena | 1737 | ||||||||
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Today part of | Italy |
The County of Novellara and Bagnolo (Italian : Contea di Novellara e Bagnolo) was an independent state which existed in Northern Italy from 1371 to 1728. It was ruled for some three centuries and a half by the Gonzaga of Novellara branch of the eponymous large Italian noble family.
The state originated in 1371 when Feltrino Gonzaga, lord of Reggio and leader of the anti-Visconti coalition, was forced to sell Reggio to Barnabò Visconti, and retired to Novellara. His son Guido started to fortify the town.
The fief was not large and was divided into two separate zones encompassing the modern comuni of Novellara and Bagnolo in Piano. In 1501 the original lordship received the title of Imperial County, and in the same century, the castle was turned into a noble palace. The last Gonzaga lord was Filippo Alfonso Gonzaga, who died on 12 October 1728; his lands were returned to Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, who assigned them to the Duchy of Modena under the House of Este in 1737.
The House of Gonzaga is an Italian princely family that ruled Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy from 1328 to 1708. They also ruled Monferrato in Piedmont and Nevers in France, as well as many other lesser fiefs throughout Europe. The family includes a saint, twelve cardinals and fourteen bishops. Two Gonzaga descendants became empresses of the Holy Roman Empire, and one became queen of Poland.
The Duchy of Modena and Reggio was an Italian state created in 1452 located in Northwestern Italy, in the present day region of Emilia-Romagna. It was ruled since its establishment by the noble House of Este, and since 1814 by the Austria-Este branch of the family. The Este dynasty was a great sponsor of the arts, making the Duchy a cultural reference during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
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Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he and Galeazzo II were rumoured to have murdered their brother Matteo since he endangered the regime. When Galeazzo II died, he shared Milan's lordship with his nephew Gian Galeazzo. Bernabò was a ruthless despot toward his subjects and did not hesitate to face emperors and popes, including Pope Urban V. The conflict with the Church caused him several excommunications. On 6 May 1385, his nephew Gian Galeazzo deposed him. Imprisoned in his castle, Trezzo sull'Adda, he died a few months later, presumably from poisoning.
The nobility of Italy comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ages, and by the kings of Italy after the unification of the region into a single state, the Kingdom of Italy.
The War of Ferrara was fought in 1482–1484 between Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, and the Papal forces mustered by Ercole's personal nemesis, Pope Sixtus IV and his Venetian allies. Hostilities ended with the Treaty of Bagnolo, signed on 7 August 1484.
Novellara is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy and has a population of 13,670. It is 18 kilometres north of Reggio Emilia and has a railway station for the local train going from Reggio to Guastalla.
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Bagnolo in Piano is a comune (municipality) in the province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Bologna and about 8 kilometres (5 mi) northeast of Reggio nell'Emilia.
Emilia is a historical region of northern Italy, which approximately corresponds to the western and the north-eastern portions of the modern region of Emilia-Romagna, with the area of Romagna forming the remainder of the modern region.
Maria Beatrice d'Este was the last descendant of the House of Este, of the House of Cybo-Malaspina and, through her maternal grandmother Ricciarda, also of the House of Gonzaga of Novellara and Bagnolo. Ducal princess of Modena and Reggio, she became the sovereign duchess of Massa and Carrara from 1790 until 1796 and from 1815 until her death in 1829. Through her marriage, she was co-founder of the new House of Austria-Este.
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina was sovereign Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. From 1780, she also formally held the title of Duchess consort of Modena and Reggio as the wife Ercole III d'Este.
Spinetta Malaspina (1282–1352), also known as Spinetta Malaspina the Great, a descendant of Obizzo Malaspina, was the Marquisse of Verrucola and the lord of Fosdinovo. He is the forefather of the marquisses of Fosdinovo and of its related imperial feud.
Feltrino Gonzaga was an Italian condottiero, a member of the Gonzaga family.
Ludovico I Gonzaga was an Italian lord, the founder of the Gonzaga family who was the first capitano del popolo of Mantua and imperial vicar.
This article presents the coats of arms of Italy.
San Bernardino is a frazione of Novellara in the province of Reggio Emilia. It has a population of 326 inhabitants.
The Scotti is an aristocratic family centered around Piacenza in Northern Italy. The family is also known as also known as Douglas Scotti for claiming descendancy from the Scottish Clan Douglas.
Guido Torelli was a condottiero. Through his military campaigns and diplomatic skills, he achieved the title of the first Count of Guastalla and Montechiarugolo.