County of Novellara and Bagnolo

Last updated
County of Novellara and Bagnolo
Contea di Novellara e Bagnolo (Italian)
1371–1728
1501–1737
Arms of the house of Gonzaga-Novellara.svg
Coat of arms
Motto: Frangar, non flectar
(Latin for 'I will be broken, not bent')
Carta contea Novellara.jpg
StatusCounty
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
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1430-1806).svg Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)
Duchy of Modena and Reggio Ducado de Modena (antes de 1830).svg
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.

History

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.

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Gonzaga</span> Italian royal family that ruled

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchy of Modena and Reggio</span> Duchy in Northwestern Italy from 1492-1796 and 1814-1859

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matteo Maria Boiardo</span>

Matteo Maria Boiardo was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem Orlando innamorato.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchy of Reggio</span>

The Duchy of Reggio was one of the states that belonged to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, ruled by the House of Este, in the north of Italy, in a territory now belonging to the Province of Reggio Emilia. The capital was Reggio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernabò Visconti</span> Medieval Italian statesman

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobility of Italy</span> Former officially privileged social class in Italy

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novellara</span> Comune in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gonzaga, Lombardy</span> Comune in Lombardy, Italy

Gonzaga is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 140 kilometres (87 mi) southeast of Milan and about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Mantua. Located in a region known as the "Lower Mantuan" is notable for being the ancestral home of the House of Gonzaga, rulers of the Duchy of Mantua between 1328 and 1707.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagnolo in Piano</span> Comune in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa</span> Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina</span> Suo jure Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludovico I Gonzaga</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Bernardino, Novellara</span> Italian village

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guido Torelli</span> Count of Guastalla and Montechiarugolo, Italy,

Guido Torelli was a condottiero. Through his military campaigns and diplomatic skills, he achieved the title of the first Count of Guastalla and Montechiarugolo.