Giovanni Maria Sforza (

Gradara Gradara is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino (Provincia di Pesaro e Urbino, PU), in the region of Marche in central Italy. It is 6 km from Gabicce Mare and Cattolica, 25 km from Rimini, 15 km from Pesaro and 33 ...

, 24 February 1510 – 1512), also known as Costanzo II, was the Lord of

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

from his father's death in 1510 until his own death at a young age in 1512. He was the only son of Giovanni Sforza, Lord of Pesaro, and his third wife, Ginevra Tiepolo. Giovanni Sforza had been the first husband of

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto. Her family arranged ...

, but their marriage was annulled in 1497 by her father,

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into t ...

, on the grounds of supposed non-consummation and the alleged impotence of the groom. In 1504, Giovanni Sforza married Ginevra Tiepolo, a marriage that produced a male heir in 1510. However, Giovanni Maria became fatherless a few months after his birth, when his father died on 27 July 1510. Upon Giovanni Sforza's death, Giovanni Maria became the Lord of Pesaro, under the name of Costanzo II. Since he was an infant, his paternal uncle served as regent. Costanzo II died in 1512, legally making the heir to his estate his paternal uncle. However,

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

decided to retain control over Pesaro, and he did not allow Galeazzo Sforza to be invested with the title. In this way, Costanzo II was effectively the last

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...

Lord of Pesaro. Pope Julius II then gave the title to his nephew, Francesco Maria I della Rovere, Duke of Urbino. Galeazzo Sforza married Ginevra , daughter of Ercole Bentivoglio and Barbara Torelli, on 4 August 1507, but had no children. On 12 March 1515, while returning from Parma to Milan together with Duke Massimiliano Sforza, he was hit by a shot from an

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

rifle. He died from his wounds on 14 April.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sforza, Costanzo Lords of Pesaro Costanzo 1510 births 1512 deaths