He was given a famous humanist tutor, Baldassarre Malosso di Casalmaggiore, nicknamed "Tranquillus," and quickly developed a love of war and fortifications.

His father was, however, keen to make Pier Luigi the true head of the Farnese family and so arranged a favourable marriage alliance with Gerolama (also known by the spelling Girolama) Orsini, daughter of Lodovico, Count of Pitigliano.

Despite a loveless marriage, Gerolama remained a faithful devoted wife, tolerating Pier Luigi's excesses, brutality, and extravagances with dignity.

While his brother Ranuccio withdrew to Castel Sant'Angelo to defend the Pope; Pier Luigi crossed the Tiber and quartered his men in the family palace, thus saving it from destruction.

But Charles V only reluctantly allowed the granting of titles to Pier Luigi over the city of Novara,[6] agreeing an annual pension on the condition that the news was not made public.

In the hope of speeding things up, Pier Luigi took direct part in the negotiations while leading troops into the lands occupied by his Farnese relatives.

Novara and its surrounding territory was finally established as a marquessate in favour of Pier Luigi, but had to wait until February 1538 until formal investiture could be made.

[8] Pier Luigi and his son, Ottavio, declared they would pay 9,000 golden ducati every year to the treasury of the Holy See, and, in exchange, they gave back the Duchies of Camerino and Nepi.

In addition, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor fostered discontent with the Duke, in part to further his aim of annexing Parma and Piacenza to the Duchy of Milan.

Thus the governor of Milan, Ferrante Gonzaga, learning of the aims of the emperor, launched a plot against the Farnese, supported by the marquis Anguissola and Andrea Doria.

Pier Luigi did not remain passive; on 4 June 1547 he arranged the marriage of his daughter, Vittoria, with Guidobaldo II della Rovere, the Duke of Urbino.

Marquis Pallavicini Cortemaggiore offered support; but Ferrante preferred to rely on his distant kinsman Louis Gonzaga, Lord of Castel Goffredo and Castiglione, and his brother Count Giovanni Anguissola, governor of Como.

Following the death of his son, Pope Paul met in consistory and had Ferrante accused of the murder - declaring that Ottavio would succeed his father as the new duke and the new Gonfalonier of the Church.

[1] Letters also exist from Pier Luigi's father, Paul III, reproaching him for taking male lovers when on an official mission to the court of the emperor; and another from the chancellor of the Florentine embassy detailing a man-hunt he had mounted in Rome to search for a youth who had refused his advances.