Francesco Gonzaga (6 December 1538 – 6 January 1566) was an Italian nobleman, who was Duke of Ariano. He was also a Roman Catholic cardinal and bishop.
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Early life
Francesco Gonzaga was born in Palermo on 6 December 1538, the son of Ferrante Gonzaga (a member of the House of Gonzaga) and Isabella di Capua. His father was at that time viceroy of Palermo. He was the nephew of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. His brother Giovanni Vincenzo Gonzaga also became a cardinal.
When Ferrante died in 1557 Ercole Gonzaga became guardian and the young Mantuan humanist and future Jesuit Antonio Possevino became tutor to the brothers. Francesco studied law at the University of Padua. He began an ecclesiastical career under the guidance of his uncle, Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga. In 1538, he was made archpriest of Guastalla. On 26 February 1560 he became a protonotary apostolic.
Clerical career
In March 1560, Francesco's older brother Cesare I Gonzaga married Camilla Borromeo, sister to Cardinal Charles Borromeo, and niece of Pope Pius IV. In the consistory of 26 February 1561 Pius IV made Francesco a cardinal deacon. He received the red hat and the deaconry of San Nicola in Carcere on 10 March 1561. The pope named him papal legate in the Campagne and Maritime Province.