# County of Novellara and Bagnolo

The County of Novellara and Bagnolo (Italian: Contea di Novellara e Bagnolo) was an small state which existed in Northern Italy from 1501 to 1728. It was ruled for some three centuries and a half by the Gonzaga of Novellara branch of the eponymous large Italian noble family.

## History

On May 17, 1371, Feltrino Gonzaga, lord of Reggio and leader of the anti-Visconti league, after being defeated, was forced to sell the city and the county to Bernabò Visconti for 50,000 gold florins. The Gonzagas, now broke, took refuge in a small fiefdom, located between Reggio and the Lordship of Mantua, which they had reserved for themselves. However, Feltrino Gonzaga never went to his new, small state and a few years later, in 1374 , he died in conditions of extreme poverty in Padua.
Feltrino was succeeded by his son Guido, who immediately proceeded with the construction of the fortress of Novellara, but the state coffers were so empty that only the foundations could be built. The lordship of Novellara and Bagnolo drew great profits from the duties placed along the roads and canals that connected Reggio to the Po and effectively blocking trade between the Emilian city, Mantua and Venice. The lordship based its autonomy above all on the military service performed by the majority of the male descendants. The Gonzagas of Novellara enlisted in the Papal, French and imperial troops.
In 1501 the lordship of Novellara was elevated to a county with Giampietro I (1469 - 18 November 1515), who had the titles of Lord of Novellara and Cortenuova, Lord of the water canal of Novellara, Lord of San Tommaso, Santa Maria and San Giovanni (from 1484), 1st Sovereign Count of Novellara of the Holy Roman Empire (Imperial Diploma of 7 July 1501), in 1510 he obtained Bagnolo already confiscated from his cousins. He was allowed to mint coins. This privilege was granted in 1533 by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V and the workshop operated until 1678: Count Alfonso II was the only one to have his portrait printed on coins. Also in the 16th century the fortress, from a mighty fortress, was transformed into an elegant noble residence with a refined courtyard.
Artists, such as Lelio Orsi, musicians and poets found refuge and welcome at the county residence. Furthermore, many lands were cleared and the vast marshy and unhealthy areas surrounding Novellara and Bagnolo were reclaimed. Upon the death of Filippo Alfonso Gonzaga, on 12 October 1728, the dynasty, through the male line, became extinct, and the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VIrefused to follow up on the deceased count's will in favour of his sister Ricciarda, who nevertheless administered the county during the interregnum. The county was therefore considered a vacant imperial fief, which was then invested, in 1737, by the duke of Modena Rinaldo d'Este in recognition of the services rendered during the war of the Polish Succession. The county would therefore become part of the states ruled by the House of Este, whose fortunes it followed until the Unification of Italy. Although annexed by the Este family, the county was left in usufruct, until her death in 1768, to Ricciarda, the last descendant of the family, widow (since 1731) of the Duke of Massa and Carrara, Alderano I Cybo-Malaspina, whose daughter Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina later became, in addition to sovereign Duchess of Massa, also Duchess consort of Modena and Reggio (and therefore also Countess of Novellara).

## Geography

The County of Novellara had a very limited surface area and, moreover, it did not appear as a single territorial entity, but was divided into two center. It occupied part of what are currently the municipalities of Novellara and Bagnolo in Piano, in the Province of Reggio Emilia. The only two inhabited centers were Novellara and Bagnolo, both equipped with fortifications still visible. The County of Novellara bordered to the north and west with the Duchy of Guastalla, to the east with the Lordship of Correggio and with the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, with which it was also adjacent to the south and west.
Feltrino Gonzaga chose to reserve these lands for himself and his family given the great importance they had, especially from a commercial point of view, for Reggio. The Tassone canal still flows through the territories of the ancient county today, which, in the past, allowed the arrival of goods from the Po to Reggio, in the hands of their eternal enemies, the House of Este. The Gonzagas of Novellara placed heavy duties on this waterway, thus causing serious damage to the economy of Reggio for several centuries.

## Mint of Novellara

The Novellara emissions began in 1533 and ended in 1678, with the death of Alfonso II. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, granted the counts of Novellara the right to mint coins with a diploma dated 6 April 1533.
The coins minted in the early years were the gold scudo, worth 7.0 lire, the silver 2 lire coins, the silver cavallotto, the parpagliola, the quattrino and the copper soldo.
In addition to these coins, other imitation or counterfeit coins are also mentioned by both Davolio and Celestino Malagoli.