Career
However, Cesare II Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla and Emperor Ferdinand II rejected her claim to Mantua, leading to the War of Mantuan Succession (1628–1631). 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.
Charles and Maria had three children:
Maria
Charles II, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat (1629–1665).
Eleonora (1630–1686), who married in 1651 Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor.