He was the son of
Ludovico I Gonzaga, the first
capitano del popolo of
Mantua, where Feltrino was born. In 1335 his troops conquered
Reggio Emilia, which he would abandon only in 1371. Here he built a citadel, destroyed in 1850. In 1345 he was unsuccessfully besieged by
Mastino I della Scala. In 1363, leading an anti-Visconti coalition, he won a battle at Solara. He signed a treaty of peace with
Bernabò Visconti in 1364, and in 1366 he was appointed as
imperial vicar in Reggio by emperor
Charles IV. In 1370 and again 1371 the Visconti besieged him in Reggio, and Feltrino was forced to sell Reggio to
Barnabò Visconti for 50,000 golden florins. However, he maintained the
county of Novellara and Bagnolo, which was ruled by a Gonzaga cadet branch until 1728. He died in
Padua in 1374. ==Family==