Ludovic Sforza

Ludovic Marie Sforza known as More (in Italian Ludovico Maria Sforza detto it Moro ), born the July 27th 1452 with Vigevano (between Milan and Pavia) and dead the May 27th 1508 with Loaches in France, is noble a Italy N which was duke of Milan in Lombardy.

Context

Geopolitics

In this second part of the 15th century, the Quattrocento, the Italy is parcelled out in states of various sizes going from tiny the Republic of San Marino not occupying that 61 km ² in the east of the the Apennines until imposing the Royaume of Deux-Siciles reunified in 1442 and controlling all Italy of the South and the Sicily.

The Duché of Milan is located at the center of Italy of North, each side of the median part of the valley of the Po, bordered, in north, by the southernmost solid masses of the the Alps, the the Alps lépontines, and, in the south, by the Western heights of the the Apennines, the the Alps Apuanes.
The adjacent states on the duchy are, in north the Swiss Confédération, in the évéché North-East of the Trentin, feudatory of the Germanic Empire, in the east the République of Venice and the marquisat of Mantoue of the Gonzague, in south-east the duchy of Modena and Reggio between the hands of the Maison of Este with that of Ferrare, in the south the République of Genoa at that time prone of the duchy of Milan, in the west the marquisat of Montferrat of the Paléologue and in the North-West the Duché of Savoy.

The duchy belongs to the states " majeurs" peninsula which is, primarily, the Savoy, Venice, the Republic of Florence governed by the family Médicis, the Royaume of Deux-Siciles to the hands of the Couronne of Aragon as well as the Papal States, property of the Pape which mixes its important voice with the chapitre.
In the second plan in the " concert of large the puissances" , are Mantoue, Montferrat, Modena and Ferrare.
Lastly, clearly in withdrawal, the marquisat of Saluces, the Republic of Lucques and that of His are hardly made hear.

The city of Milan, with 120 000 inhabitants, is populated peninsula, in front of Florence and Venice which counts 100 000 hearts. The towns of Genoa, Mantoue, Naples and Bologna, papal possession, count, as for them, approximately 50 000 inhabitants while Rome does not reach this figure.

Only possession " étrangère" " botte" , the duchy of Silk, enclosed between Savoy and Montferrat, is a French stronghold of the Valois-Orleans since 1389, brought in dowry by Valentine Visconti at the time of her marriage, the August 17th 1389, with Louis de France, duke of Orleans.

Company

All these states are neither federate nor autarkical and have relations which go from the territorial wars, according to the appetites of the ones and the periods of weakness of the others, until the cultural exchanges like the loans of artistes.
It is, indeed, the period of the First Rebirth Italy, a true cultural boiling, which sees to affirm in the foreground, as regards art, the cities of Venice, Florence, Milan, Rome and Mantoue to quote only more émergeantes. One attends a true competition of the city-States which are offered the services of artists to the names prestigieux.
This sont^, the painters FRA Angelico (1387-1455) with Rome and Florence, Paolo Uccello (1397-1475) in Florence, Domenico Veneziano (Ca 1400-1461) in Venice, Piero della Francesca (1412/20-1492) with Florence, Ferrare, Venice, Urbin and Rome, Giovanni Bellini (Ca 1425/33-1516) in Venice, Andrea Mantegna (Ca 1431-1506) in Mantoue, Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) in Florence and Rome, Pérugin (Ca 1448-1523) in Perugia, the sculptors Donatello (Ca 1386-1466) with Florence, Mino da Fiesole (Ca 1429-1484) also in Florence, and the architects Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) in Florence, Leone Battista Alberti (1404-1472) with Rimini, Florence and Rome, Bramante (1444-1514) in Milan and Rome as well as the engineer, painter and architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439-1502) with Milan and His without forgetting exceptionally gifted the Léonard de Vinci (1452-1519), painter, sculptor, architect, engineer in Milan then in France.
The Italians also illustrate themselves on the seas with the génois Christophe Colomb (1451-1506) which discovers Americas the October 12th 1492 and the Florentin Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) which leaves its first name to the continent lately discovered.

Biography

In Milan, since 1450, the family Sforza supplanted, at the head of the government of the duchy, the Visconti places since 1277 from there. After the short experiment of the Republic Ambrosienne (1447-1450), the Milaneses appealed, to take the reins of the city, with the Condottiere François Sforza, husband, since 1441, of Blanche Marie Visconti, the single downward one in hot line of the last duke viscontien.

Ludovic is the second wire of the duke François Sforza (1401-1466) and of Blanche Marie Visconti (1425-1468), itself illegitimate girl of Philippe Marie Visconti (1392-1447), last duke Visconti in Milan, and of Agnes of Maine.
His/her older brother, Galéas Marie, which had succeeded their father in 1466, dies assassinated in 1476. The son of this last becomes the duke Jean Galéas II at age the seven years and the mother of this one, Bonne of Savoy, assumes regency.

The man of war

The first feats of arms of Ludovic take place in March - April 1477, when it leaves with his brother Ottaviano (1458-1477), count of Lugano, to successfully repress an insurrection of the city of Genoa, at the time under the cane of Milan.
With the return, the two brothers seek, with the assistance of Roberto Sanseverino, Donato del Conte and Obietto Fieschi, to eliminate Cicco Simonetta, the right-hand man of the duchess regent. The adventure turns to the conflict between Guelfes and gibelins with the imprisonment of Donato del Conte. Two other brothers of Ludovic, Sforza Maria, duke of Bari, and Ascanio, come to enlarge the rows of the rebellious troops . The forces of Good of Savoy have the top however, Obietto Fieschi is also imprisoned and the others flee. In the panic, Ottaviano drowns while crossing the Adda with horse. The remaining brothers find themselves assigned with residence then considered and exiled. Ludovic leaves for Pisa.

Two years later, beginning 1479, Ludovic, Sforza Maria and Roberto Sanseverino became of the outlaws and carry out Razzia S in Toscane then, in company of Obietto Fieschi, country génois. The two brothers are considered to be rebellious and their spoils confisqué.
A little later in July 1479, Sforza Maria dies poisoned and Ludovic assumes the title of duke of Bari.
From now on, it is with a troop of 8 000 men that the three brigands move who take Tortona in August 1479 and sow terror in the area of Alexandria in the south-east of the duché.
In Milan, a group of notable gibelins, guided by Pietro Pusterla, seek to make peace between the government of the duchy and Ludovic. Cicco Simonetta calls with its help the duke of Ferrare Hercules I {{er}} of Este and the Condottiere Jacques de Trivulce to preserve the duchy of the More .

The seizure of power

In five days, 7 with the September 11th, Ludovic will succeed in seizing the capacity in the city ducale.

the 7, with the assistance of Antonio Tassino, manservant of Jean Galéas and friend of Good of Savoy, he comes into contact with the latter and concludes a market with them. Cicco Simonetta will make of them the frais.

the 8, in spite of an attempt at bringing together of Cicco Simonetta at Ludovic, notable the gibelins, carried out by Pietro Pusterla and decided well to eliminate Simonetta definitively, decide to pass to the action, try to rejoin Roberto Sanseverino, the companion of Ludovic, inform Ludovic itself of their intentions and prevent the marquis de Mantoue Frederic I {{er}} and the marquis de Montferrat Guillaume VIII to have to possibly intervene. Ludovic, which seems not to have an idea settled on what it discounts to make, appears to adopt the conjurés.

the 9, without the knowledge of Ludovic, Pietro Pusterla makes imprison a friend of Cicco Simonetta and its son. Ludovic tries to calm Pusterla and, in front of its inflexibility, agrees to go until the end with him; they will seize Simonetta itself.

the 10, it is made thing. Cicco Simonetta, its family and a certain number of its trustworthy is stopped, their plundered goods and their residences put at bag.

the 11, Ludovic, which has from now on the means of imposing its will, is made appoint first governor of the duchy by Bonne of Savoy. The arrival of Hercules I {{er}} of Este, called at the end of August by Cicco Simonetta, does not change anything and the duke, hardly being able to modify the order of the things, is turned over from there to Ferrare.

The days which follow see the installation of the government which seeks to join again continuation with its neighbors, Venice, Florence and Naples.

During the end of the year 1479 and the beginning of 1480, various reactions agitate these neighbors. Naples, Florence and Ferrare supports or, at least, seeks to get along with the Milaneses, Venice and the pope prepare with the war against Florence and Milan.
Milan, Naples and Florence signs a peace and an agreement is concluded envisaging the marriage from Jean Galéas with Isabelle of Naples and that of Ludovic with Béatrice d' Este.
The August 11th 1480, the Turks seize Otranto and the florentino-Venetian confrontations cease at the request of the pope who calls with the Croisade to make face with this new threat.

The Milaneses turn over to their settlings of score, Ludovic seizes its nephew Jean Galéas, Cicco Simonetta is decapitated at the end of October, and, in November, Bonne of Savoy is imprisoned with Abbiategrasso then exiled with the Piedmont. Ludovic is made appoint tutor of Jean Galéas, assuming thus completely the government of the duché.
Good is authorized to return to Milan in September 1482 and in December 1483 it is found again imprisoned with Abbiategrasso following a conspiracy organized against Ludovic by Luigi da Vimercate. The years to come will be years of calm for Milan, without war being profiled at the horizon, and Ludovic will be able to manage the duchy with its own way.

As envisaged since 1480, Jean Galéas wife, the February 2nd 1489, Isabelle of Naples (1470-1524), girl of the king de Naples Alphonse II and of Ippolita Maria Sforza, her aunt.

On its side, Ludovic marries, the September 18th 1491, Béatrice d' Este (1475-1497), girl of Hercules I {{er}} of Este (1431-1505), duke of Ferrare, Modena and Reggio of Emilie, and Éléonore of Naples (1450-1493), itself girl of Ferdinand I {{er}} of Naples and Isabel de Claremont.

In January 1492, a defensive league is formed between Ludovic and the king de France Charles VIII.

To attract itself the good graces of the emperor Maximilien I {{er}} whose marriage with Anne of Brittany was cancelled in 1491, Ludovic offers to him in marriage his/her niece Blanche Marie 22 years old. The marriage takes place the March 16th 1494 it costs some Ludovic 400 000 ducats is 300 000 ducats for the dowry and 100 000 ducats which will be used to ensure its nomination the ducal title.

The duke

The aspirations of Ludovic, as for the ducal title, are satisfied the October 22nd 1494 when Jean Galéas dies mysteriously. Its descent is limited to a girl, Ippolita, which are four years old and a boy, Francesco, called it Duchetto (the small Duke) , which is three years old and should normally inherit the duchy of his/her father. Its widow, Isabelle of Naples is pregnant and remains with Pavia.
Ludovic receives from the Milanese nobility the nomination of the duchy.

First war with France

Meanwhile, in September 1494, takes place the first episode of the Guerres of Italy which will bring, in the long term, the fall of Ludovic. The king de France Charles VIII, heir to the claims of Rene of Anjou on the Kingdom of Naples of which deprived it the Aragonese, crossed the the Alps, joined the duchy of Asti then, in October, is lodged with the castle of Pavia. The Lombardy, leagued in France since 1492, is thus saved but the Ligurie, the Romagna, the Toscane and the Latium undergo the pangs of the French troops. Charles VIII seizes Naples in February 1495.
The Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Papal States, the Holy Germanic Roman Empire, and the Couronne of Aragon gather, the March 31st 1495, in a coalition anti-Frenchwoman, the Ligue of Venice.
Charles VIII decides to leave Naples the May 20th 1495 with his 9 000 men and to return to France where the businesses of its kingdom wait. It leaves its governor Gilbert de Montpensier with the head of a garrison to hold the ville.
On his side, the cousin of Charles VIII, Louis of Orleans, remained in Lombardy, cannot resist emulously to seize Novare where it enters the June 10th 1495. In his capacity as grandson of Valentine Visconti, legitimate girl of the duke Jean Galéas and, insofar as it were favorably accommodated in Novare, Louis is made call duke of Milan but does not seek to seize the cité.
On his road of return, Charles VII meets the troops of the Italian league in Romagna the July 6th and faces them during the Bataille of Fornoue which it gains in spite of definitely lower manpower. The respite thus acquired enables him to continue its fold towards the duchy of Asti.
Meanwhile, Louis of Orleans finds himself besieged in Novare by the 30 000 men of Ludovic. Charles VIII signs with the Milanese duke a peace treaty to Verceil the October 9th 1495 then returns in France. Novare reinstates the Milanese bosom.

The three years which follow are calm years in the policy plans and soldier. Ludovic is devoted to the government of its duchy and, over all, to make work of patron and to manage the improvements like the road works and the embellishments of the city, especially for the religious buildings and them décoration.
Its blow dealt by fate is the death of his wife Béatrice during the birth of a child still-born child, the January 2nd 1497. It is buried in the Abside of the church Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Second war with France

The April 7th 1498, the king of France Charles VIII dies and its successor is Louis being of Orleans, that which had taken Novare and which becomes the king Louis XII.
Obnubilated by its duchy of Milan, it signs with Venetian the Traité of Blois in April 1499. Louis XII names Jacques de Trivulce Marshal of France and chief of the French troops in Italy. An alliance is signed between France and the Papauté and, in July 1499, Milan is invaded by the French troops. In August, the city rises against Ludovic and names a provisional government. The duke flees the September 2nd and finds refuge with In near the emperor. Trivulce enters Milan the September 6th and, the October 18th, it is with the turn of Louis XII to make a triumphal entry in the city. He sets out again the November 7th haloed ducal crown and leaves about it the government of Milan to the new viceroy, Trivulce. Plundering and confusion of the city start: the library viscontienne of the castle of Pavia is transferred to Paris and the soldiers destroy many buildings and works of Article.

In January 1500, the Milanese population, oppressed hard by Trivulce, revolts and one needs to the condottiere de Louis XII a new campaign to reconquer the pays.
Benefitting from popular rising, Ascanio, the brother of Ludovic, Milan the February 2nd enters, and Ludovic follows it the February 5th and takes again its trône.
There remains only one day and sets out again for Pavia to organize the army. But, the April 10th, betrayed by Mercenary S Swiss S, it falls between the hands from the French Army and is delivered to the French general Trémoille. It at once is taken along to France and is imprisoned with the castle of Lily-Saint-Georges, close to Bourges.
In 1504, it is transferred to the castle from Loches where it will live its last years. He dies in his prison the May 27th 1508. Its body, initially, is buried out of French ground then transferred to Milan in the church from Santa Maria delle Grazie near that from Béatrice, of the Abside of the church Santa Maria delle Grazie ^,. Léonard de Vinci remained of 1482 with 1500 in the ducal city and, inter alia achievements, painted the Virgin with the rocks (Vergine delle Rocce) , Portrait of musician (Ritratto di musico) , Portrait of lady (Ritratto di rammed) called today Beautiful Ferronière , the Lady with the hermine (rammed It idiot the ermellino) and especially, of 1494 with 1498, Cène (Ultima Cena) in the Réfectoire of the convent of the church Santa Maria delle Grazie .
In the same way, the monk mathematician Luca Pacioli left Venice for Milan in 1496, with the pressing request for Ludovic ; he wrote in 1497 the Compendium of divina proporzione (Precise of the divine proportion) dedicated to his patron, a treaty on the applications of the Golden section and whose illustrations are due to Léonard de Vinci.
Lived and worked at the court of Ludovic the Evangelista painters and Ambrogio de Predis, Andrea Solario, Franchino Gaffurio, architects and sculptors Giovanni Antonio Amadeo and Cristoforo Solari.
In 1499, a Polyptyque was ordered with the Pérugin for the chartreuse one of Pavie== From its marriage, the September 18th 1491, with Béatrice d' Este were born two children:

Hercules Maximilien called Maximilien (1493-1530 or 1552), prince of Pavia, which will be duke of Milan of 1512 to 1515 and 1529 to 1530,
François (1495-1535), which will be duke of Milan of 1530 to 1535

Ludovic had, except marriage, several illegitimate children of which:

Maddalena (1478-1520) which married, in 1502, Matteo Litta, count of Arese
Bianca (1482-1497), born from Bernardina of' Corradis, which married, in 1496, Galeazzo di Sanseverino, count of Caiazzo
Leone (1482-1501) which was abbot of San Vittore to Plaisance
Cesare (1491-1512), born from Cecilia Gallerani, which was abbot of San Nazaro Maggiore in Milan then canon of Milan
Giampaolo (1497-1535), born from Lucrezia Crivelli, which was marquis of Caravaggio and count of Galliate and married, in 1520, Raping Bentivoglio, natural girl of Year II, lord of Bologna.

Family ties

The tree of relationship hereafter revealed the bonds between the House capétienne of Valois, Jean II until Charles VIII and Louis XII and the families Visconti and Sforza. He allows, inter alia, to note that Louis XII and Ludovic Sforza have a common great-grandfather, Jean Galéas Visconti.

Notes, sources and references

See too

Family Sforza
List of the sovereigns of Milan

External bonds

Summarized life of Ludovic on Wikisource italophone
Storia di Milano: Chronology of Milan
Euweb.cz: Ludovic Marie '' More '' (Ludovico Maria '' it Moro '') in the genealogy of Sforza

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