v09_1224 - ARDENNES - PRINCIPAUTÉ SOUVERAINE D'ARCHES-CHARLEVILLE - CHARLES II DE GONZAGUE Denier tournois

ARDENNES - PRINCIPALITY OF ARCHES-CHARLEVILLE - CHARLES II GONZAGA

(1637-1659)

Grandson of Charles I of Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and builder of Charleville, Charles II was only seven years old when his grandfather died. His father Charles de Gonzague died in 1631 leaving him and a sister Éléonore who would marry Emperor Ferdinand III. It was his mother, Marie de Gonzague, daughter of François II and cousin of his father, who was regent. He married Isabelle-Claire, daughter of Archduke Leopold of Austria and Claude de Medici, in 1649, with whom he had only one son, Charles III Ferdinand. He made only short visits to Charleville, residing more often in Mantua or Paris. In 1659, he sold his duchies of Nevers, Rethel, Mayenne, etc. to Mazarin. and retained only the sovereign land of Arches with the city of Charleville. He died in 1665.