Galeazzo I Visconti (21 January 1277 – 6 August 1328) was lord of

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

from 1322 to 1327. After being chosen Captain of Milan, he defeated two papal armies and was excommunicated by

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...

. Temporarily imprisoned for murder, Galeazzo retired to Pescia and died in August 1328.

Biography

Galeazzo was the son of

Matteo I Visconti Matteo I Visconti (1250–1322) was the second of the Milanese Visconti of Milan, Visconti family to govern Milan. Matteo was born to Teobaldo (o Tibaldo) Visconti, Teobaldo Visconti and Anastasia Pirovano. In 1287, Matteo's uncle Ottone Visco ...

and Bonacosa Borri. On 24 June 1300 he married

Beatrice d'Este Beatrice d'Este (29 June 1475 – 3 January 1497) a noblewoman from Duchy of Ferrara, Ferrara, duchess of Bari and Milan by her marriage to Ludovico Sforza (known as "Ludovico il Moro"). She was known as a woman of culture, an important patron ...

, daughter of Obizzo II d'Este. The following year the Visconti were however forced to leave Milan and he lived at the Este and Bonacolsi courts for several years. In 1322 Galeazzo was named ''

capitano del popolo Captain of the people () was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian city-states.Najemy, John M. 2006. ''A History of Florence 1 ...

'' in Milan, and defeated a

Papal The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

- Angevin army at Bassignana. He was excommunicated by Pope John XXII in March 1323 and unrest in Milan impaired his authority. With the support of Emperor Louis IV, at

Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...

Galeazzo defeated an army sent against him by John XXII. In 1328, after accusations of betrayal from his brother Marco, as well as that of the assassination of his brother

Stefano Visconti Stefano Visconti ( 1287 – 4 July 1327) was a member of the House of Visconti that ruled Milan from the 14th to the 15th century. Life He was the son of Matteo I Visconti. Marriage In 1318 he married Valentina Doria, daughter of Bernabò D ...

, the emperor had him imprisoned in Monza. Galeazzo was freed in March 1328 and took shelter under the other Ghibelline leader of Italy at the time, Castruccio Castracani. However, he died at Pescia in August 1328. His son

Azzone Azzone (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northeast of Bergamo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 458 and an area of .All dem ...

succeeded him in Milan. His daughter Ricciarda was married to Tommaso II di Saluzzo.

Ancestry

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Visconti, Galeazzo 1 1277 births 1328 deaths Galeazzo 1 Rulers of Milan 14th-century Italian nobility