House of Sforza

The House of Sforza (pronounced [ˈsfɔrtsa]) was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last member of the family's main branch in 1535.

House of Sforza
CountryItaly
Founded1411
FounderMuzio Attendolo
Final ruler
Milan:
Francesco II (1535)
Pesaro:
Galeazzo Sforza (1512)
Titles
  • Duke of Milan
  • Duke of Bari
  • Lord of Pesaro
  • Marquess of Caravaggio
  • Count of Cotignola
  • Lord of Castell'Arquato
Estate(s)Milan, Pesaro, Gradara
Cadet branchesIllegitimate:
  • House of Sforza-Pesaro (extinct in 1515)
  • House of Sforza-Cotignola (extinct in 1624)
  • House of Sforza-Cesarini

History

Francesco I Sforza ruled Milan, having acquired the title of Duke of Milan (1450–1466) after marrying in 1441 the natural daughter and only heir of the last Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti, Bianca Maria (1425–1468), making the Sforzas the heirs of the house of Visconti.

The family also held the seigniory of Pesaro, starting with Muzio Attendolo's second son, Alessandro (1409–1473). The Sforza held Pesaro until 1512, after the death of Costanzo II Sforza.

Muzio's third son, Bosio (1411–1476), founded the branch of Santa Fiora, who held the title of count of Cotignola; the Sforza ruled the small county of Santa Fiora in southern Tuscany until 1624. Members of this family also held important ecclesiastical and political positions in the Papal States, and moved to Rome in 1674, taking the name of Sforza Cesarini.

The Sforza became allied with the Borgia family through the arranged marriage (1493–1497) between Lucrezia Borgia and Giovanni (the illegitimate son of Costanzo I of Pesaro).[1] This alliance failed, as the Borgia family annulled the marriage once the Sforza family were no longer needed.

In 1499, in the course of the Italian Wars, the army of Louis XII of France took Milan from Ludovico Sforza (known as Ludovico il Moro, famous for taking Leonardo da Vinci into his service).

After Imperial German troops drove out the French, Maximilian Sforza, son of Ludovico, became Duke of Milan (1512–1515) until the French returned under Francis I of France and imprisoned him.

In 1521 Charles V drove out the French and restored the younger son of Ludovico, Francesco II Sforza to the duchy. Francesco remained the ruler of Milan until his death in 1535 and as he was childless the Duchy reverted to the Emperor, who passed it to his son Philip II in 1540, thus beginning the period of Spanish rule in Milan.

Sforza rulers of the Duchy of Milan
Map of Italy in 1494. Insert shows the Duchy of Milan ruled by the Visconti family and inherited by the Sforzas.

Sforza rulers of Pesaro and Gradara

Sforza family tree
A family tree of the House of Sforza

Notable members
Name Portrait Relationship to the House of Sforza
Muzio AttendoloFounder of the House of Sforza
Francesco SforzaSon of Muzio Attendolo, first Sforza ruler of Milan
Bianca Maria ViscontiWife of Francesco I Sforza
Galeazzo Maria SforzaSon of Francesco I Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan
Gian Galeazzo SforzaSon of Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Bona SforzaDaughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza
and Queen of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Princess of Grand Duchy of Lithuania,
as the wife of Sigismund I the Old, King of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania
Bianca Maria SforzaDaughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza and
Holy Roman Empress, as the wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Anna SforzaDaughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza and wife of Alfonso I d'Este
Her successor would be the infamous Lucrezia Borgia
Caterina SforzaIllegitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan
Ludovico SforzaSon of Francesco I Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan
Beatrice d'EsteWife of Ludovico Sforza
Maximilian SforzaSon of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan
Francesco II SforzaSon of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan
Giovanni Paolo I SforzaIllegitimate son of Ludovico Sforza, first Marquess of Caravaggio

Castellini Baldissera

While the House of Sforza has died out over the last century, it is closely related to the Castellini Baldissera family, who inherited a number of their palazzos and estates.[3]

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See also

References
  1. "La Signoria degli Sforza". Gradara.com. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
  2. http://www.britannica.com/biography/Sigismund-I-king-of-Poland
  3. de Sio, Gian Filippo (March 2019). "Lo sfarzo abituale di una nobile famiglia milanese. Gli eredi Mellerio 1783-1792". SOCIETÀ E STORIA (163): 57–89. doi:10.3280/ss2019-163004. ISSN 0391-6987.
  4. Miller, Matt (12 October 2010). "The Real Life Characters of Assassin's Creed". Game Informer. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
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