Gian Galeazzo Sforza

Gian Galeazzo Sforza
Gian Galeazzo Sforza
	Duke of Milan
	Gian Galeazzo Sforza, c.1483, by Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis
Born	20 June 1469; Abbiategrasso
Died	21 October 1494 (aged 25)
Noble family	Sforza
Spouse(s)	Isabella of Naples (m. 1489)
	Issue Francesco Sforza ; Ippolita Maria Sforza ; Bona, Queen of Poland; Bianca Maria Sforza
Father	Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Mother	Bona of Savoy

Gian Galeazzo Sforza (20 June 1469 – 21 October 1494), also known as Giovan Galeazzo Sforza, was the sixth Duke of Milan.

Early life

Born in Abbiategrasso, he was only seven years old when in 1476 his father, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, was assassinated and he became the Duke of Milan. His uncle, Ludovico Sforza, acted as regent to the young duke, but quickly wrested all power from him and became the de facto ruler of Milan. Ludovico imprisoned Gian Galeazzo and later became the duke after Gian Galeazzo's death, which was widely viewed as suspicious.[1]

Marriage and issue

In February 1489, Gian Galeazzo married his cousin Princess Isabella of Naples. Together they had four children:

Francesco Sforza (1491–1512)
Ippolita Maria Sforza (1493–1501)
Bona Sforza (1494–1557); married Sigismund I of Poland
Bianca Maria Sforza (posthumously 1495–1496)

Death

Charles VIII visiting the deathbed of Gian Galazzo Sforza at Palazzo Ducale.

Gian Galeazzo died in 1494 at Palazzo Ducale, the summer home of the Visconti and Sforza families. During that time, he received a visit from Charles VIII of France. According to the Italian historian Francesco Guicciardini in his The History of Italy (Italian: La Historia di Italia), he was poisoned by his uncle, Ludovico il Moro.[2]

The rumor was widespread that Giovan Galeazzo's death had been provoked by immoderate coitus; nevertheless, it was widely believed throughout Italy that he had died not through natural illness nor as a result of incontinence, but had been poisoned … one of the royal physicians … asserted that he had seen manifest signs of it. Nor was there anyone who doubted that if it had been poison, it had been administered through his uncle Ludovico Sforza's machinations …

Ancestry

Ancestors of Gian Galeazzo Sforza

16. Giovanni Attendolo

8. Muzio Attendolo Sforza

17. Elisa Petraccini

4. Francesco I Sforza

9. Lucia da Torsciano

2. Galeazzo Maria Sforza

20. Gian Galeazzo Visconti

10. Filippo Maria Visconti

21. Caterina Visconti

5. Bianca Maria Visconti

22. Ambrogio del Maino

11. Agnese del Maino

1. Gian Galeazzo Sforza

24. Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy

12. Antipope Felix V

25. Bonne of Berry

6. Louis, Duke of Savoy

26. Philip II, Duke of Burgundy

13. Mary of Burgundy

27. Margaret III, Countess of Flanders

3. Bona of Savoy

28. James I of Cyprus

14. Janus of Cyprus

29. Helvis of Brunswick

7. Anne of Cyprus

30. John I, Count of La Marche

15. Charlotte of Bourbon

31. Catherine of Vendôme

Notes and references

Burckhardt, Jacob (1878). The Civilization Of The Renaissance in Italy. University of Toronto - Robarts Library: Vienna Phaidon Press. p. 23. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
"Charles VIII visiting the deathbed of Gian Galazzo Sforza at". Europeana Collections. Retrieved 27 April 2019.

Italian nobility
Preceded by Galeazzo Maria Sforza	Duke of Milan 1476–1494	Succeeded by Ludovico Sforza

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[1] Burckhardt, Jacob (1878). The Civilization Of The Renaissance in Italy. University of Toronto - Robarts Library: Vienna Phaidon Press. p. 23. Retrieved 28 February 2019.

[2] "Charles VIII visiting the deathbed of Gian Galazzo Sforza at". Europeana Collections. Retrieved 27 April 2019.