County of Guastalla

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County of Guastalla
Contea di Guastalla
State of the Holy Roman Empire
1406–1621
Coat of arms
Capital Guastalla
Languages Italian
Religion Roman Catholicism
Government Principality
 •  1575–1621 Ferrante II Gonzaga (last)
History
 •  Created for the Torelli 1406
 •  Partitioned to create
    Montechiarugolo

1456
 •  Purchased by
    Ferrante Gonzaga

1539
 •  Reacquired
    Montechiarugolo

1612
 •  Raised to duchy
    by Ferdinand II

2 July 1621
Currency Guastalla lira
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Guastalla 20px

The County of Guastalla was a sovereign state of northern Italy centred on Guastalla. The title of count was created in 1406 for Guido Torelli: the Torelli family ruled Guastalla until 1539, when it was purchased by Ferrante Gonzaga, while another branch held the County of Montechiarugolo, which was created from a split in the county in 1456, until 1612. Ferrante's descendants ruled the country until 1746, being raised to the title of Duke in 1621. Duke Giuseppe Maria died heirless in 1746 and the country was briefly incorporated into Austrian Lombardy.

With the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, Guastalla was ceded to the Duke of Parma.

See also