The coat of arms of the Duchy of Mantua.

The Gonzagas are a royal family that ruled Mantua in Northern Italy from 1328 to 1708.

History[link]

In 1433, Gianfrancesco I assumed the title of Marquis of Mantua, and in 1530 Federico II (1500–1540) received the title of Duke of Mantua. In 1531, the family acquired the Duchy of Monferrato through marriage. Through maternal ancestors, the Gonzagas inherited also the Byzantine ancestry of the Paleologus, that earlier ruling family of Montferrat.

A cadet branch of the Mantua Gonzagas became Dukes of Nevers and Rethel in France when Luigi (Louis) di Gonzaga, a younger son of Duke Federico II and Margherita Paleologa, married the heiress. The Gonzaga-Nevers later came to rule Mantua again, when Louis' son Charles (Carlo) inherited Mantua and Montferrat, triggeriddinng the War of the Mantuan Succession.

Another cadet branch were first sovereign Counts, later Dukes of Guastalla. They descended from Ferrante, a younger son of Duke Francesco II of Mantua (1484–1519). Ferrante's grandson, Ferrante II, also played a role in the War of the Mantuan Succession. A further cadet branch was that of Sabbioneta, founded by Gianfrancesco, son of Ludovico II.

Marie Louise Gonzaga, daughter of prince Charles Gonzaga-Nevers, was a Polish queen consort from 1645 to her death in 1667.

Two daughters of the house, both named Eleanor Gonzaga, became Holy Roman Empresses, by marrying Emperors Ferdinand II of Germany and Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, respectively. From the latter Empress Eleanor, the today heirs of the Gonzaga descend, as explained in family tree leading to Leopold, Duke of Lorraine.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was a member of a junior branch of this family.

The House of Gonzaga is the inspiration for the play-within-the-play in Shakespeare's Hamlet. In Act 3, scene 2, they act out a play called The Murder of Gonzago (or The Mousetrap).

Gonzaga rule continued in Mantua until 1708 and in Guastalla and in Sabbioneta until 1746. Both ruling lines became extinct, and the headship of the House of Gonzaga passed to the Vescovato line, descended from Giovanni, a son of Federico I Gonzaga. The line continues today.^[1]

Family tree[link]

The branches of the Gonzaga family, showing Marquesses and (subsequently) Dukes of Mantua in bold, Dukes of Nevers and Rethel in italics and the Guastalla line to the right.

See also[link]

• Duchy of Mantua, a list of House of Gonzaga rulers.

Bibliography[link]

• Brinton, Selwyn (1927). The Gonzaga. Lords of Mantua. London: Methuen. 

References[link]

External links[link]

• Genealogy tree

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Toni Gonzaga
Born	Celestine Cruz Gonzaga (1984-01-20) January 20, 1984 (age 28) Taytay, Rizal, Philippines
Residence	Taytay, Rizal and Manila, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Occupation	television host, singer, actress, model
Years active	1998–present
Website
http://www.tonigonzaga.net

Celestine Cruz Gonzaga (born January 20, 1984), better known as Toni Gonzaga, is a Filipino singer, television host and actress. She started her career with GMA Network, then later moved to ABS-CBN Network. She hosts the entertainment talk show The Buzz, and the reality show Pinoy Big Brother. She's also a co-host and a performer in the musical variety show ASAP.

Early life and education[link]

Toni Gonzaga is a resident of Taytay, Rizal and the eldest daughter of Carlito and Crisanta Gonzaga, who also acts as her talent manager.^[1] Her sister is Catherine Gonzaga, also known as Alex Gonzaga whose also an actress and television host in TV 5. In Taytay, she was an elected barangay kagawad for one term^[2][3] and a Sunday school teacher in her evangelical church. She studied Mass Communication at the Dominican College in San Juan, Rizal for two years. Later, she transferred to the Asian Institute for Distance Education (AIDE) and shifted her course to AB English.

Career[link]

Toni Gonzaga started in local entertainment at the age of 13. It was on 1997 where she joined a singing competition called "Tanghalan Ng Kampeon" aired on GMA Network hosted by Pilita Corales and Bert "Tawa" Marcelo.^[4] The singing competition television show also start the careers of two other Filipina singers, Kyla and Faith Cuneta.^[5][6] She did not win the competition.

Her biggest break in the Philippine entertainment industry was her soft drink TV ad with Piolo Pascual in 2001.^[7] In the same year, she released her eponymous debut album under Prime Music and "Paano", a cover of Gary Valenciano, was released as it's carrier single. And in 2002 she became one of the main hosts in the long time afternoon variety show Eat Bulaga,^[8][9]. She also sung "Doon", the theme song of TAPE, Inc.'s afternoon TV drama, "Ikaw Sa Puso Ko" which stars Star Struck finalist, Nadine Samonte and Oyo Sotto which aired on GMA Network. In March, 2004 she joined Studio 23's Wazzup Wazzup with Archie Alemania and Vhong Navarro.

In 2005, she transferred to ABS-CBN Network^[10]. Later she became one of the main hosts of Pinoy Big Brother series and the Sunday musical variety program ASAP. In 2006 she released her second album and her first to Star Records with "Toni: You Complete Me" and star her first prime time drama series "Crazy For You" opposite Luis Manzano. In 2007, she was awarded the Princess of Philippine Movies by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Foundation, Inc. (GMMSF) for the movie "You are the One" with Sam Milby as the Prince of Philippine Movies. In 2008, she had her first solo major concert at the Aliw Theater titled "Catch Me, Toni Gonzaga: First Major Concert" which had a repeat the same year. In 2009, she starred in a Valentine's Day Special episode of the longest-running drama anthology on Philippine television and on Asia, Maalaala Mo Kaya. And in 2010 she became part of entertainment talk show program The Buzz. She is the SM Cinema's Box Office Queen for 2010^[11][12] alongside John Lloyd Cruz as the Box Office King for their movie "My Amnesia Girl".

On September 30, 2011, she celebrated her 10th year anniversary in Philippine entertainment industry with a concert at the Smart Araneta Center titled "Toni@10" with guests Piolo Pascual, John Lloyd Cruz, Vhong Navarro, Pokwang, Vice Ganda, Sam Milby, and her real-life sister Alex Gonzaga, with the special participation of Gary Valenciano.^[13][14] TAG Concept, the production and talent management group owned by the Gonzaga family, co-produced the show with Star Events and Epic Entertainment.

In March, 2012, she starred in the first ever month-long special of "Wansapanataym" which aired four episodes^[15].

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Awards[link]

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

Compilation Albums[link]

Concerts[link]

References[link]