Ambizioni curiali e carriera diplomatica di Francesco Gambara tra Roma, Venezia e l'Impero (1576-1630)

Between the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries the noble Brescian house of Gambara insisted in his traditional policy of autonomy from both the city of Brescia and the Republic of Venice. In order to enforce the family power, their strategy led them to build a network of relationship and patronage with princes such as the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, whose ostility towards Venice was well known. Francesco Gambara's life and political career (1576-1630) provides a clear example of how his house behaved in the broader Italian and international political context. First he became a member of the Roman Curia: after the Venetian Interdict Francesco found himself in a dramatic situation, since his double allegiance to Venice and the Holy Roman Empire became suddenly unacceptable. Many years later he abandoned his role as cleargyman and was appointed ambassador by the Emperor Ferdinand II, getting involved directly in the diplomatic crisis that eventually led to the outbreak of the Mantuan Succession War (1628-1631).