Premium Only Content

The Italian Renaissance | Milan under the Visconti (Lecture 20)
Lecture 20: Milan was the model of the despotic monarchy. Ruling over the vast and fertile Lombard plain, the city had been briefly the capital of the late Roman Empire and, as the see of St. Ambrose, an important episcopal center during the Middle Ages. The struggles between the Ghibellines and Guelfs had, therefore, been particularly bitter. The Visconti family, which had ties to both factions, emerged victorious from the chaos, being formally recognized by the city in 1349 as hereditary rulers. By engaging in almost constant warfare and brutal repression, the Visconti built Milan into the most powerful state in northern Italy. The wealth of the rulers and the city, combined with the Visconti desire for lasting fame, stimulated the patronage of art and literature.
Giovanni Visconti (d. 1354), who ruled simultaneously as signore and archbishop of Milan, was Petrarch’s patron, and Giangaleazzo Visconti (d. 1402), who built a huge territorial state through brilliant diplomacy and warfare, began the celebrated cathedral and the monastery of Pavia. His successors were cruel, incompetent, and strange, culminating in the last of his line, Filippo Maria (d. 1447). Filippo married his natural daughter to the mercenary general Francesco Sforza (d. 1466), who seized the city and assumed the role of duke.
Secondary Sources:
E. R. Chamberlin, The Count of Virtue: Giangaleazzo Visconti.
Supplementary Reading:
Ernest Hatch Wilkins, Petrarch’s Eight Years in Milan.
Sergio Bertelli, Italian Renaissance Courts
Lecture 21: https://rumble.com/v4y43a9-the-italian-renaissance-milan-under-the-sforza-lecture-21.html
-
30:17
The Great Courses
1 month agoDecisive Battles of World History | 1942 Midway - Four Minutes Change Everything (Lecture 34)
160 -
22:39
BlabberingCollector
8 hours agoThe Alphabet Mafia Is Mad At JK Rowling AGAIN
12.2K2 -
5:30:52
SpartakusLIVE
9 hours agoDuos w/ @GloryJean || #1 Masculine Muscle MASS sears YOUR retinas with MIND BENDING content
219K3 -
3:05:49
TimcastIRL
8 hours agoNew DOCS PROVE Obama Hillary CONSPIRACY To SABOTAGE Trump Admin | Timcast IRL
217K101 -
2:29:36
Laura Loomer
8 hours agoEP136: YOU'RE FIRED! White House Vetting Crisis Continues
58.8K39 -
8:07
MattMorseTV
8 hours ago $6.31 earnedTrump just LOWERED PRICES by 75 PERCENT.
35.6K37 -
LIVE
Misfit Electronic Gaming
11 hours ago $4.37 earned"LIVE" "Blind Descent' +"Dollhouse of Dead" Playtest 10 Followers till we hit 1000! We CAN do this!
411 watching -
21:53
Glenn Greenwald
10 hours agoMichael Tracey on the Street: What Do People Think of the Epstein Case?
127K59 -
2:26:28
megimu32
7 hours agoOTS: Board Games Gone Wild! The Loud, Weird & Chaotic Games That Raised Us
37.6K9 -
4:25:16
DamnDanieI
8 hours agoKill First, Loot Later – OTG Live
55.3K1