Castel Goffredo
Encyclopedia
Castel Goffredo is a comune
in the province of Mantova, in Lombardy
, Italy, lying 35 km (21.75 mi) from Mantua and a few more from Brescia
. It lies in a region of springs at the foot of the slopes that contain Lake Garda
, towards the plain of the Po.
Castel Goffredo borders the following municipalities: Castiglione delle Stiviere
, Medole
, Ceresara
, Casaloldo
, Asola
, Acquafredda
, Carpenedolo.
, Castel Goffredo belonged to the count-bishops of Brescia
from the ninth century to 1115, when the commune
was established. When Brescia proved unable to come to the commune's defense, in 1337 it placed itself under the protection of Mantua
and the Gonzaga
. From 1348 to 1404 it was governed from Milan
by the Visconti and returned to the Gonzaga in 1441.
Castel Goffredo became the seat of an autonymous feudo of marquis Aloysio Gonzaga in 1511. At his death, his fiefs of Castel Goffredo, Castiglione delle Stiviere
and Solferino
were divided among his three sons. The eldest, Alfonso, who gained Castel Goffredo, was assassinated in 1592 by members of the household of his nephew Rodolfo Gonzaga of Castiglione, brother of the saintly Aloysius Gonzaga
; Alfonso, publicly tried for murder but acquitted, was murdered in turn, 31 January 1593, occasioning a popular uprising that reestablished the Magnifica Comunità. The territory was annexed in 1603 by the duchy of Milan
following a bitter suit heard before the Emperor, and remainmed a part of Milanese territory until 1707.
In 1861 Castel Goffredo became part of the new Kingdom of Italy
. Starting in the 1920s and gaining momentum following World War II, it enjoyed a period of economic development that made it a center of hosiery manufacture and eventually resulted in its title of città in 2002.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Mantova, in Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, Italy, lying 35 km (21.75 mi) from Mantua and a few more from Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
. It lies in a region of springs at the foot of the slopes that contain Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
, towards the plain of the Po.
Castel Goffredo borders the following municipalities: Castiglione delle Stiviere
Castiglione delle Stiviere
Castiglione delle Stiviere is a town and comune in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy, Italy, 30 km northwest of Mantua by road.-History:During the War of the Spanish Succession, the French under the duc de Vendôme occupied it....
, Medole
Medole
Medole is a comune in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 110 km east of Milan and about 30 km northwest of Mantua...
, Ceresara
Ceresara
Ceresara is a comune in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 110 km east of Milan and about 20 km northwest of Mantua...
, Casaloldo
Casaloldo
Casaloldo is a comune in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 110 km east of Milan and about 25 km northwest of Mantua. , it had a population of 2,436 and an area of 16.8 km²....
, Asola
Asola
Asola is a commune in the province of Mantua, Lombardy . It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree of October 23, 1951....
, Acquafredda
Acquafredda
Acquafredda is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy....
, Carpenedolo.
History
Founded in a region inhabited from the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, Castel Goffredo belonged to the count-bishops of Brescia
Bishopric of Brescia
The Diocese of Brescia is a see of the Catholic Church in Italy. The diocese is suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan, also in Lombardy...
from the ninth century to 1115, when the commune
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...
was established. When Brescia proved unable to come to the commune's defense, in 1337 it placed itself under the protection of Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
and the Gonzaga
House of Gonzaga
The Gonzaga family ruled Mantua in Northern Italy from 1328 to 1708.-History:In 1433, Gianfrancesco I assumed the title of Marquis of Mantua, and in 1530 Federico II received the title of Duke of Mantua. In 1531, the family acquired the Duchy of Monferrato through marriage...
. From 1348 to 1404 it was governed from Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
by the Visconti and returned to the Gonzaga in 1441.
Castel Goffredo became the seat of an autonymous feudo of marquis Aloysio Gonzaga in 1511. At his death, his fiefs of Castel Goffredo, Castiglione delle Stiviere
Castiglione delle Stiviere
Castiglione delle Stiviere is a town and comune in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy, Italy, 30 km northwest of Mantua by road.-History:During the War of the Spanish Succession, the French under the duc de Vendôme occupied it....
and Solferino
Solferino
Solferino is a small town and comune in the province of Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy, approximately 10 kilometres south of Lake Garda....
were divided among his three sons. The eldest, Alfonso, who gained Castel Goffredo, was assassinated in 1592 by members of the household of his nephew Rodolfo Gonzaga of Castiglione, brother of the saintly Aloysius Gonzaga
Aloysius Gonzaga
- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
; Alfonso, publicly tried for murder but acquitted, was murdered in turn, 31 January 1593, occasioning a popular uprising that reestablished the Magnifica Comunità. The territory was annexed in 1603 by the duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
following a bitter suit heard before the Emperor, and remainmed a part of Milanese territory until 1707.
In 1861 Castel Goffredo became part of the new Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
. Starting in the 1920s and gaining momentum following World War II, it enjoyed a period of economic development that made it a center of hosiery manufacture and eventually resulted in its title of città in 2002.