Ottone Visconti (1207 8 August 1295) was
Archbishop of Milan and
Lord of Milan
The Lordship of Milan was a state in Northern Italy created in May 1259 following the election of Martino della Torre as lord of Milan. From 1259 to 1277 it was governed by the Della Torre, Della Torre family until, following the Battle of Desio, ...
, the first of the
Visconti line.
Under his rule, the
commune 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 ...
became a strong
Ghibelline city and one of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
's seats in Italy.
Biography
Early life
Born in
Invorio, near
Novara, Ottone was one of the six children of Uberto Visconti, lord of
Massino, and Berta Pirovano. Along with his brother Azzone (later
Bishop of Ventimiglia), Ottone was forced into an ecclesiastical career by his family. He became
canon of
Desio and in 1247
chamberlain of the powerful
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
Ottaviano degli Ubaldini. Under his patronage, Ottone was appointed by
Archbishop of Milan Leone da Perego as his envoy to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in 1252, gaining the trust of
Pope Innocent IV, becoming his chaplain.
After the death of Leone da Perego in 1257, Ottone was supported by Cardinal Ubaldini as successor to the
Archdiocese of Milan, against
Raimondo della Torre's candidacy. This action displeased the city's lord
Martino della Torre (relative of Raimondo), who claimed the historical autonomy of Milan on Archbishop appointments. Despite Martino's opposition,
Pope Urban IV chose Ottone as the new archbishop on 22 July 1262.
Power struggle in Milan

The Pope's choice did not stop the hostility of Martino della Torre, who occupied
Milan Cathedral
Milan Cathedral ( ; ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary (), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, Nativity of St. Mary (), it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdi ...
on August 1262, resulting in his
excommunication
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...
by the papal legate
Filippo di Pistoia. This act started a war between Martino's family, the
Della Torre or ''Torriani'', and the
Visconti. The two families were also politically opposed: the Della Torre were historically
Guelphs
The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were Political faction, factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th ...
and allied of
Charles I of Anjou, while the Visconti were
Ghibellines and exponents of low nobility.
Still in
Montefiascone, near
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...
, where he received Pope's appointment, Ottone marched to
Arona on 1 April 1263, where he met several nobles who had fled Milan owing to their opposition to Della Torre. Informed of Ottone's presence in
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
, Martino sent his troops to put Arona under siege. Ottone, who occupied the near
Rocca of Angera, was forced to surrender on 5 May 1263. Back in Montefiascone, Ottone lost his powerful ally Urban IV, who died on October 1264. Della Torre, however, never obtained Raimondo's formal appointment, and after Martino's death, the once-loyal
Pallavicino family switched to the Visconti side, plotting the assassination of Paganino della Torre,
podestÃ
(), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...
of
Vercelli
Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC.
...
, on January 1266. In response, the new lord of Milan
Napoleone della Torre executed 53 nobles, suspected of scheming. This vicious act undermined Della Torre's grab on Milan, aggravated by
Pope Gregory X, a Visconti of
Piacenza
Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...
, who in 1273 confirmed Ottone Visconti as legal Archbishop of Milan. Napoleone della Torre reacted by exiling all noble families who did not support him, causing the formation of an ''
émigré
An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate".
French Huguenots
Many French Hugueno ...
'' coalition in Novara and
Pavia
Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086.
The city was a major polit ...
. Using their financial and military support, Ottone's nephew
Teobaldo Visconti led an army in Vercelli, occupying
Castelseprio. Defeated by Torriani's forces, Teobaldo fled to
Lurate, near
Como, but after a battle in
Gallarate
Gallarate (; Lombard language, Lombard: ''Galaraa'') is a city and ''comune'' of Alto Milanese of Lombardy and of Milan metropolitan area, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 54,000 people.
It is the junction ...
, his last forces were defeated and he was beheaded by Napoleone della Torre in 1276. Ottone, returned to Lombardy in the same year, recruited his supporters near Desio, where he was canon, and after a
bloody battle on January 1277, Visconti emerged victorious. Napoleone della Torre was imprisoned and tortured to death in
Castel Baradello, while his brother Francesco was executed after the battle. Ottone entered in Milan on 22 January 1277, becoming the first Visconti ''de facto'' ruler of the city.
Rule and final years
Having become Lord of Milan at the age of 69, Ottone tried to strengthen his family's power on the city and Lombardy. The years of his rule were not peaceful: Della Torre still claimed the ''
signoria'' (Italian for "lordship") and conquered
Lodi and Castelseprio, ruling as rogue power in the region between
Adda and
Ticino
Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
rivers. Ottone sought the support of his ally
William VII, Marquess of Montferrat, who demanded the city's government as ''
Capitano generale'' (general-captain), granted to him in 1278. After William VII's side switched in 1281, Ottone re-acquired full powers on the city, and in the battle of
Vaprio d'Adda of 1281, his forces defeated
Cassone della Torre, who was killed in the battle, while Raimondo, the elder claimant to Milan Archdiocese, fled to
Friuli
Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...
.
In 1287, the old Ottone appointed his grand-nephew
Matteo I Visconti as new ''Capitano generale'' and left political affairs to him. On May 1288, Matteo Visconti also gained the title of
Imperial vicar by
Rudolph I of Germany,
who thus avoided intervening directly in the Lombard political situation while still the nominal ruler of Milan. In his final years, Ottone never got involved in the politics of Milan, concentrating only on religious affairs. He died on 8 August 1295, aged 88, in the
Abbey of Chiaravalle, and was buried in Milan Cathedral.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Visconti, Ottone
1207 births
1295 deaths
Rulers of Milan
Archbishops of Milan
13th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops
Ottone
Burials at Milan Cathedral