Doppia - Charles II

Charles II inherited Mantua in 1647 as a minor, with his mother Isabella Clara of Austria holding the regency until 1669. The Gonzaga-Nevers line he represented was already economically exhausted from the War of the Mantuan Succession (1628–1631), during which imperial troops sacked the city so thoroughly that the population collapsed from roughly 30,000 to under 7,000. Gold coinage of this period was struck more for prestige and diplomatic gift-giving than for any meaningful commercial circulation — the duchy's finances simply could not sustain it otherwise.

Surviving examples frequently show uneven planchet preparation, a consistent characteristic of the Mantua mint under the later Gonzaga issues.