Duchess of Guastalla
| Duchy of Guastalla | ||||||||||
| Ducato di Guastalla | ||||||||||
| State of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||||
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| Capital | Guastalla | |||||||||
| Languages | Italian | |||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | |||||||||
| Government | Principality | |||||||||
| Duke | ||||||||||
| • | 1621–1630 | Ferrante II Gonzaga (first) | ||||||||
| • | 1729–1746 | Giuseppe Gonzaga (last) | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Raised from county by Ferdinand II |
2 July 1621 |
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| • | Annexed to Parma–Piacenza at Aix-la-Chapelle |
18 October 1748 |
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| Currency | Guastalla lira | |||||||||
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| Today part of |
 Italy
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Coat of arms
The Duchy of Guastalla was an Italian state which existed between 1621 and 1748. It was bordered by the Duchy of Modena and Reggio and the Po River to the north, on the opposite bank of the Duchy of Mantua.
On 2 July 1621 Emperor Ferdinand II Habsburg elevated the County of Guastalla to the rank of a duchy. Ferrante II Gonzaga became the first duke of the city, hoping to succeed in the future to the great Duchy of Mantua. Ferrante died of plague in 1630 and was succeeded by his son Cesare II. With him Guastalla expanded its territory with the annexation of the lands of Dosolo, Luzzara and Reggiolo, until then owned by Mantua. In 1632 his son Ferrante III ascended to the throne. Having no male heir, he bequeathed the Duchy of Guastalla to his daughter's husband Ferdinand Charles, Duke of Mantua.
Meanwhile, Guastalla modernized its defenses, owing to the frequent wars which swept over Italy at this time. Between 1689 and 1690 the city was attacked by the Spaniards, who managed to demolish the defensive walls, thus occupying the city, and destroyed the Visconti castle and the town tower.
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Wikipedia