The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

. 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.

History

The first son of Muzio Attendolo Sforza, Francesco I Sforza, married Bianca Maria (1425–1468) in 1441. She was the daughter and only heir of the last Duke of Milan, ( Filippo Maria Visconti). He thus acquired the title of Duke of Milan (1450–1466), ruled Milan for 16 years, and made 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 Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Baricco ...

(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 it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

until 1624. Members of this family also held important ecclesiastical and political positions in the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

, 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). 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 Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

, the army of Louis XII of France took Milan from Ludovico Sforza (known as ''Ludovico il Moro'', famous for taking

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on ...

into his service). After Imperial

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

troops drove out the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, Maximilian Sforza, son of Ludovico, became Duke of Milan (1512–1515) until the French returned under

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...

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

* Francesco I, 1450–1466 * Galeazzo Maria, 1466–1476 * Gian Galeazzo, 1476–1494 * Ludovico, 1494–1499 * Massimiliano, 1513–1515 *

Francesco II Francesco II may refer to: * Francesco II Ordelaffi (1300–1386) * Francesco II of Lesbos (c. 1365 – 1403/1404) * Francesco II Acciaioli (died 1460), last Duke of Athens * Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua (1466–1519), ruler of the It ...

, 1521–1535

Sforza rulers of Pesaro and Gradara

, 1445–1473 * Costanzo I, 1473–1483 * Giovanni, 1483–1500 and 1503–1510 * Costanzo II, 1510–1512 * , 1512

Sforza family tree

* Muzio Sforza with mistress Lucia da Torsano had 7 illegitimate sons ** son Gabriele Sforza archbishop of Milan ** son Francesco I Sforza married

Bianca Maria Visconti Bianca Maria Visconti (31 March 1425 – 28 October 1468) was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468 by marriage to Francesco I Sforza. She was regent of Marche during the absence of her spouse in 1448. She served as Regent of the Duchy of Milan dur ...

*** son

Galeazzo Maria Sforza Galeazzo Maria Sforza (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476) was the fifth Duke of Milan from 1466 until his assassination a decade later. He was notorious for being lustful, cruel, and tyrannical. He was born to Francesco Sforza, a popu ...

married

Bona of Savoy Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan (10 August 1449 – 23 November 1503) was Duchess of Milan as the second spouse of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. She served as regent of Milan during the minority of her son 1476–1481. Life Born in Avigl ...

, mistress Lucrezia Landriani **** daughter Bianca Maria (1472–1510), second wife of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I **** son Gian Galeazzo (1469–1494), married his cousin

Isabella of Naples Isabella of Aragon (2 October 1470 – 11 February 1524), also known as Isabella of Naples, was by marriage Duchess of Milan and ''suo jure'' Duchess of Bari. A member of the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastamara, her life was characteri ...

***** son Francesco (II), nominally duke under the regency of Ludovico Maria ***** daughter Bona (1494–1557), second wife of King Sigismund I of Poland ***** daughter

Ippolita Maria Sforza Ippolita Maria Sforza (18 April 1445 – 20 August 1488) was an Italian noblewoman, a member of the Sforza family which ruled the Duchy of Milan from 1450 until 1535. She was the first wife of the Duke of Calabria, who later reigned as King Alfo ...

(1493–1501) **** illegitimate daughter

Caterina Sforza Caterina Sforza (1463 – 28 May 1509) was an Italian noblewoman, the Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola, firstly with her husband Girolamo Riario, and after his death as a regent of her son Ottaviano. Caterina was a noblewoman who lived a l ...

married

Giovanni de' Medici il Popolano Giovanni de' Medici, in full Giovanni di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, later known as il Popolano (the commoner) (21 October 1467 – 14 September 1498) was an Italian nobleman of the Medici House of Florence. He was the son of Pierfrancesco di Lore ...

**** illegitimate son Ottaviano Maria Sforza bishop of Lodi *** son Ludovico il Moro (the Moor) (1451–1508) **** son Ercole Massimiliano **** son Francesco II (III) Maria **** illegitimate daughter Bianca Sforza (1483–1496) married to Galeazzo Sanseverino **** illegitimate son Giovanni Paolo I (1497–1535), marquess of Caravaggio *** son Ascanio (1444–1505), Cardinal *** daughter Ippolita Maria (1446–1484), married king of Alfonso II d'Aragon of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

*** illegitimate daughter Polissena (1428-1449), married Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta ** son

, first lord of Pesaro *** son Costanzo I **** son Giovanni (1466–1510), first husband of Lucrezia Borgia ***** son Costanzo II (Giovanni Maria) last ruler of Pesaro ** Bosio (count of Cotignola, lord of

Castell'Arquato Castell'Arquato (; Piacentino: or ) is an Italian town located on the first hills of Val D’Arda in the province of Piacenza, in Emilia-Romagna, approximately from Piacenza and from Parma. Places nearby include Bacedasco, Vigolo Marchese, ...

)

Notable members

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.

In popular culture

* One of the cursed artefacts from '' Friday the 13th: The Series'' was the "Sforza Glove", attributed to the original family's possession. * Thomas Harris's character Hannibal Lecter is a descendant of the House of Sforza. * In the book, anime, and manga series '' Trinity Blood'', the Duchess of Milan, who is also one of the Cardinals, is named

. *

appears as a non-playable character in the video game '' Assassin's Creed 2'' and its sequel, '' Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''. * The Sforza figure prominently in the Showtime series '' The Borgias''. * The house is mentioned in a song about the Borgia family in the British edutainment TV show '' Horrible Histories''. * There are notable members from the family in the television series ''

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sforza, House Of Dukes of Milan Italian noble families Roman Catholic families