Noble family of the Italian Renaissance, dukes of Milan
This article is about the noble family of Renaissance Italy. For the Swiss former footballer, see Ciriaco Sforza. For the Argentine footballer, see Juan Sforza.
The House of Sforza (pronounced[ˈsfɔrtsa]) 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 family in the mid-15th century and ended with the death of the last member of the family's main branch, Francesco II Sforza, in 1535.
The family also held the seigniory of Pesaro, starting with Muzio Attendolo's second son, Alessandro (1409–1473).[4] The Sforza held Pesaro until 1512, after the death of Costanzo II Sforza.[5]
Muzio's third son, Bosio (1411–1476), founded the branch of Santa Fiora, who held the title of count of Cotignola; the Sforza ruled the small county of Santa Fiora in southern Tuscany until 1624. Members of this family also held important ecclesiastical and political positions in the Papal States, and moved to Rome in 1674, taking the name of Sforza Cesarini.
In 1521 Charles V drove out the French and restored the younger son of Ludovico, Francesco II Sforza to the duchy. Francesco remained the ruler of Milan until his death in 1535 and as he was childless the Duchy reverted to the Emperor, who passed it to his son Philip II in 1540, thus beginning the period of Spanish rule in Milan.
Sforza rulers of the Duchy of Milan
[edit]Map of Italy in 1494. Insert shows the Duchy of Milan ruled by the Visconti family and inherited by the Sforzas.
While the House of Sforza has died out over the last[specify] century, it is closely related to the Castellini Baldissera family, who inherited a number of their palazzos and estates.[10]
The house is mentioned in a song about the Borgia family in the British edutainment TV show Horrible Histories.
There are notable members from the family in the television series Medici.
There is a campaign in the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition computer game named after the Sforza family where the player takes up the position of Francesco I Sforza.
^Cartwright, Julia (1899). Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan, 1475–1497: A Study of the Renaissance. Hallandale.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^de Sio, Gian Filippo (March 2019). "Lo sfarzo abituale di una nobile famiglia milanese. Gli eredi Mellerio 1783-1792". Società e Storia (163): 57–89. doi:10.3280/ss2019-163004. ISSN0391-6987. S2CID187172458.
Duchy of Milan
Golden Ambrosian Republic
Media related to House of Sforza at Wikimedia Commons
