Troilo I de' Rossi (c. 1462 - 3 June 1521) was an Italian
condottiero
Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...
A son of Giovanni Rossi "il Diseredato" and Angela Scotti Douglas, he was born in San Secondo. He took part in
Louis XII of France
Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...
's conquest of the
duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan (; ) was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...
in 1500, during which many lands taken from his grandfather by
Ludovico il Moro
Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; 'the Moor'), and called the "arbiter of Italy" by historian Francesco Guicciardini,
and ending up in the hands of members of the
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 ...
family were restored to him. However, it proved impossible to restore to him all the lands his family had controlled in the time of Pier Maria II and it was possibly as compensation for this fact that Louis made him marquess of San Secondo on 15 August 1502. Louis also made him a senator of Milan in 1505 and allowed him to accept the inheritance left him by his uncle
Bertrando
Bertrando (February 18, 1989 – March 27, 2014) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. A tall colt that grew to 16 hands 2 inches, Bertrando was bred by Ed Nahem at River Edge Farm in Buellton, California. He was sired by Skywal ...
in 1502 in return for a payment of 8000
florin
The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian ''Fiorino d'oro'') struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time.
It had 54 grains () of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pu ...
s and the promise never to rehabilitate his cousin Filippo Maria, Troilo's bitter rival and the designated heir of Pier Maria II.
He restored the Rocca dei Rossi at San Secondo, rebuilding its bastions and towers, which had been demolished during the war with the Sforza, and expanding the defensive perimeter. He died there in June 1521, leaving the marquisate weak - his heirs were still in their minority and so the Rossi of Corniglio tried to take advantage of the situation with a force led by Filippo Maria and Bernardo, descendants of
Guido de' Rossi
Guido de' Rossi (c. 1440 - 1490) was an Italian condottiero.
Life
He was almost certainly born in the castle at San Secondo Parmense, San Secondo, the residence of his father Pier Maria II de' Rossi. His mother was Pier Maria II's wife Antonia Tor ...
, the son Pier Maria II had chosen to succeed himself.
Marriage and issue
In 1503 he married countess Bianca Riario, daughter of
Girolamo Riario
Girolamo Riario (1443 – 14 April 1488) was Lord of Imola (from 1473) and Count of Forlì (from 1480). He served as Captain General of the Church under his uncle Pope Sixtus IV. He was one of the organisers of the failed 1478 Pazzi conspiracy ag ...
, lord of Imola and sister of
Giovanni dalle Bande Nere
Ludovico de' Medici, also known as Giovanni delle Bande Nere (6 April 1498 – 30 November 1526) was an Italian ''condottiero''. He is known for leading the Black Bands and serving valiantly in military combat under his third cousins, Pope Leo X ...
,
pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...
's nephew and
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 ...
's cousin. They had nine children:
* Costanza (1503–?), married Girolamo degli Albizzi di Firenze;
* Pietro Maria (1504–1547), 2nd marquess of San Secondo, married Camilla Gonzaga, daughter of
Giovanni Gonzaga
Giovanni Gonzaga (1474 – 23 September 1525) was an Italian nobleman of the House of Gonzaga, born at Mantua.
Giovanni was the youngest child of Federico I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua and Margaret of Bavaria, Marchioness of Mantua. In 1494 he m ...
bishop of Pavia
The Diocese of Pavia () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan only since 1817.Angela (1506–1573), married Vitello Vitelli and later Alessandro Vitelli;
* Bertrando (1508–1527), soldier in the army of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...
;
* Alessandro (1512-?), deaf and dumb, soldier;
* Ettore (1515–1555), apostolic protonotary
* Camilla (1516–1543), married Girolamo Pallavicino, marquess of
Cortemaggiore
Cortemaggiore (Emilian language#Dialects, Piacentino: ) is an Italian ''comune'' (municipality) located in the Province of Piacenza.
Cortemaggiore is located in northern Italy about from Milan and from Bologna, in the Po Valley.
The municipality ...
; Cesare Marchi, ''Giovanni dalle Bande Nere'', Milano, 1981.
*
Giulio Cesare
''Giulio Cesare in Egitto'' (; ; HWV 17), commonly known as , is a dramma per musica (''opera seria'') in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym ...
(1519–1554), married Maddalena Sanseverino (?-1551), countess of Cajazzo and Colorno, daughter of Roberto Ambrogio Sanseverino, count of Cajazzo.