War of the Mantuan Succession
The War of the Mantuan Succession (1628–1631) was a conflict related to the Thirty Years' War and was caused by the death in December 1627 of Vincenzo II, the last male heir in the direct line of the House of Gonzaga and the ruler of the duchies of Mantua and Montferrat. Those territories were key to control of the Spanish Road, an overland route that allowed Habsburg Spain to move recruits and supplies from Italy to their army in Flanders. The result was a proxy war between France, which supported the French-born Duke of Nevers, and Spain, which backed a distant cousin, the Duke of Guastalla.
The successful claimant, Charles I Gonzaga
Vincenco II, whose death in December 1627 sparked the war
French chief minister Cardinal Richelieu; the war ultimately proved a major foreign policy success for France
Siege of Casale Monferrato, 1630
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle, famine, or disease, while parts of present-day Germany reported population declines of over 50%. Related conflicts include the Eighty Years' War, the War of the Mantuan Succession, the Franco-Spanish War, the Torstenson War, the Dutch-Portuguese War, and the Portuguese Restoration War.
Left to right: The Defenestration of Prague (23 May 1618) The death of Gustavus Adolphus at Lützen (16 November 1632) Dutch warships prior to the Battle of the Downs (21 October 1639) The Battle of Rocroi (19 May 1643)
"Winter's King", Frederick V of the Palatinate, whose acceptance of the Bohemian Crown sparked the conflict
The Catholic counter-offensive; Tilly's campaign during the Bohemian revolt and Palatine campaign
Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria whose seizure of the Palatinate expanded the war