The son of Antongaleazzo Bentivoglio, he was exiled from his city due to his father's anti-Papal stance. In 1438 he returned in Bologna, contributing to its liberation from the milanese Visconti rule. In 1442 he was imprisoned by Niccolò Piccinino in the castle of Varano, where he was freed by Tideo and Galeazzo Marescotti.
Bentivoglio was made effective ruler of Bologna, but was stabbed a year later.