Ludovico I Gonzaga

Ludovico I Gonzaga (1268–1360) founded Gonzaga rule in Mantua. A son of Guido Corradi, in 1328 he drove out Rinaldo Bonacolsi with Ghibelline troops lent by Cangrande I della Scala and the help of his father-in-law. Mantua's citizens then elected him capitano del popolo. In 1329 Emperor Louis IV named him imperial vicar, and in 1335 he became lord of Reggio Emilia.

He backed the Visconti at Parabiago in 1339 and hosted Petrarch in Mantua in 1349. In his later years he fought Bernabò Visconti. He died in 1360 and was succeeded in Mantua by his son Guido, while another son, Feltrino, held Reggio Emilia.