War of the Montferrat Succession

{{About|the 1613–7 war of succession over Montferrat|the 1627–32 war over Mantua and Montferrat|War of the Mantuan Succession}}

{{short description|War in Northwestern Italy from 1613-1617}}

{{Multiple issues|{{one source|date=October 2018}}{{lead too long|date=October 2018}}}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2018}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = War of the Montferrat Succession

| width =

| partof =

| image = Italia 1600.svg

| caption = Italy in 1600. Montferrat is portrayed as part of Mantua.

| date = 1613 – 1617

| place = Northwestern Italy

| territory = Savoy renounces its claims to Montferrat

| result = Spanish–Mantuan victory
Peace of Asti

| combatant1 =Supporting the Duke of Mantua:
File:Flag of the Margraviate of Mantua (1328–1575).svg Duchy of Mantua
File:Flag of Montferrat.svg Montferrat
File:Bandiera del granducato di Toscana (1562-1737 ).gif Tuscany (1613)
{{flagicon|Spain|1506}} Spanish Empire
{{flagcountry|Kingdom of France}} (1613–14)
{{flag|Holy Roman Empire}}
{{flag|Kingdom of Naples}}
{{flagcountry|Republic of Genoa}}

| combatant2 =Supporting the Duke of Savoy:
{{flag|Duchy of Savoy}}
File:Flag of Montferrat.svg Montferrat
File:Bandiera del granducato di Toscana (1562-1737 ).gif Tuscany (1613)
{{flagcountry|Kingdom of France}} (1615–17)
{{flagcountry|Republic of Venice}}

| commander1 = {{flagicon|Spain|1506}} John Anthony of Levo, prince of Ascoli
{{flagicon|Spain|1506}} Pedro de Toledo Osorio
File:Flag of the Margraviate of Mantua (1328–1575).svg Mainfroi of Castillon
File:Flag of the Margraviate of Mantua (1328–1575).svg Charles Gonzaga
{{flagicon|Spain|1506}} Pedro Álvarez de Toledo

| commander2 = {{flagicon|Savoy}} Charles Emmanuel I
{{flagicon|Kingdom of France}} François of Lesdiguières

}}

The War of the Montferrat Succession (Italian: Guerra di successione del Monferrato) was a war of succession from 1613 to 1617 over the Duchy of Montferrat in northwestern Italy.{{Cite book |last=Alfani |first=Guido |date=2013 |title=Calamities and the Economy in Renaissance Italy: The Grand Tour of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wCYV-WMj6DYC&pg=PT47 |publisher=Springer |page=47 |isbn=9781137289773 |access-date=14 September 2018}}

The direct cause of the conflict was the death of duke Francesco IV Gonzaga of Montferrat and Mantua on 22 December 1612 without male heirs. His brother Ferdinando Gonzaga was a cardinal, but renounced his ecclesiastical career in order to succeed his brother in both the Duchy of Mantua and the Duchy of Montferrat. However, Francesco's wife Margaret of Savoy was the daughter of duke Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy, who claimed Montferrat now fell to his dynasty. Charles Emmanuel invoked the treaty of 1 May 1330 on the occasion of the marriage of Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrat, daughter of Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat, and Argentine Spinola, with Aymon, Count of Savoy. The treaty stipulated that when the male descendants of the marquis of Montferrat went extinct, those of Yolande (and thus the House of Savoy) would succeed in the marquisate, to provide the daughters with money.

Both sides rallied numerous other states to their camps, and the war raged on for four years. Spain and France joined Ferdinando's side, but France would defect to Charles Emmanuel's side in 1615. That year, the Peace of Asti was drawn up, determining that Savoy should relinquish its claims on Montferrat, but the treaty was never signed and the war continued. Eventually, Savoy and Spain finally signed the Peace of Asti in 1617, which confirmed Ferdinando as the legitimate heir of Francesco.

When Ferdinando died in 1626, his brother Vincenzo II (1594–1627), also a cardinal, succeeded him as Duke of Mantua and Montferrat. Despite marrying, following the resignation of Ferdinando and the expulsion of Vincenzo from the Sacred College of Cardinals (for violating the celibacy), neither produced any legitimate children. A new crisis erupted when Vincenzo II died on 26 December 1627, leading to the War of the Mantuan Succession (1627–1632).