Background
Gianfrancesco was the son of Francesco I Gonzaga and Margherita Malatesta.
Gianfrancesco was the son of Francesco I Gonzaga and Margherita Malatesta.
He was also a condottiero. He inherited the rule of Mantua in 1407, when he was 12. He was the first Gonzaga to bear the title of marquess, which he obtained from Emperor Sigismund on 22 September 1433.
He fought for the Papal States and the Malatestas in 1412 and 1417, respectively, and was capitano generale (commander-in-chief) of the Venetian Armies from 1434.
Later he left the alliance with Venice and entered at the service of the Visconti of Milan, starting an unsuccessful war against Venice which caused the loss of several Mantuan territories. During his reign the famous humanist Vittorino da Feltre was invited to Mantua, as well as numerous artists like Pisanello and others, starting the traditional role of the city as a capital of Italian Renaissance.
He founded the first workshop in Italy for the manufacture of tapestries.