Louis Gonzague (* 2 October 1539; † 23 October 1595) was a son of Federico Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. He came to Paris at a young age on inheritance matters of his grandmother. He then joined the army of Henri II. In 1565 he married Henriette de Clèves, the eldest sister of Catherine de Clèves and Marie de Clèves, making him the brother-in-law of Guise and Condé. As a convinced Catholic, he was very hostile to the Huguenot leadership in particular, although he later supported Henri III and not the Catholic League. In the eyes of the Huguenots, he was one of the main instigators of the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre.1
The Massacre at Paris
Gonzague kills Admiral Coligny in [Szene 6] on behalf of Guise. This does not correspond to the facts any more than Gonzague’s presence at the murder of Ramée and Guise’s request that Gonzague organise a massacre in Orléans in [Szene 9].
- Holt (1995)↩︎