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