Bianca Maria Visconti (born March 31 1425 -
October 28 1468[1]) was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468.
Biography
Early years
Born near Settimo Pavese, Bianca Visconti was the illegitimate daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of
Milan and last of the Visconti rulers, and Agnese del
Maino, the only person the shy, secluded Filippo ever loved. The couple had a second daughter, called Caterina Maria or
Lucia Maria, also born in Settimo in 1426, but she died shortly after her birth [1].
When she was six months old, Bianca and her mother were sent to a castle in Abbiate,
where a rich residence had been established for the two of them. The Duke spent much of his time in Abbiategrasso, where he was
impressed by Bianca's strong character.
Bianca spent her childhood and adolescence in Abbiategrasso, where she received a humanist education. The Ducal library
contained a wide variety of works: Latin classics, narrative texts in Provençal and
French, scientific and didactical works, as well as texts in Italian and volgare, mainly by Tuscan authors. Both Bianca and
her father were passionate hunters and lovers of horses.
Marriage
In 1430, at the age of six, Bianca was betrothed to the
condottiero Francesco I Sforza of the
House of Sforza, a man twenty-four years older than her. In that year the
condotta (contract) between Milan and Sforza came to an end, and the betrothal was a
move to keep the powerful general tied with Milan. It has also been suggested that Visconti enticed Sforza with the promise of
appointing him as legitimate heir to the Dukedom. Sforza probably also accepted because of the rich dowry, which included
territories in the areas of Cremona, Castellazzo and
Bosco Frugarolo. The contract was signed on February 23,
1432, in the castle of Porta Giovia, the Visconti residence in Milan. Bianca's official
spokesperson was her godfather, Andrea Visconti, general of the Humiliates order. The presence of
Bianca and her mother at the ceremony is not certain; according to some sources, she visited Milan for the first time when she
was already of marrying age.
In the following years, the suspicious Filippo Maria tried two times to dissolve the betrothal with the ambitious Sforza: in
1434, after the latter had sided with Pope Eugene IV, who
sent him to fight Milan, Carlo Gonzaga, the son of the Marquis of Mantua, was contacted. The later project of betrothing Bianca with Leonello d'Este, marquis of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, was only a political move to
pressure Sforza to leave the alliance formed by the Republic of Venice/Venice against Milan.
Bianca's trip to Ferrara at that time (September 1440) was also her first confirmed trip outside Abbiategrasso. The attempt to
force Sforza to change alliances was fruitless, and Bianca returned to her castle in April 1441.
In the same year Niccolò Piccinino, captain of the Milanese troops, created
difficulties for Francesco; he asked Visconti for lordship of Piacenza in return for his
capture of Sforza. Visconti then moved toward reconciling with Sforza, suspending hostilities and sending him peace proposals,
together with the proxy for the marriage with Bianca.
On October 24 1441 Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria
Visconti were wed in the Abbey of San Sigismondo in Cremona, preferring that city's
Cathedral for security reasons[2]. In the typical Italian Renaissance manner, feasts lasted for several days and included a sumptuous
banquet, tournaments, a palio, allegorical carts and a huge cake reproduction of the Torrazzo,
the city's main tower. It is probable that this cake is the origin of the torrone[3].
First years after the marriage
On November 7 of 1441, Filippo Maria issued a decree reducing the rights of his vassals,
Francesco included. The latter preferred to establish himself in the safer territory of Venice/Veneto, in the hamlet of Sanguinetto. In the same years Francesco
and Bianca were invited to Venice by the doge of Venice
Francesco Foscari. Shortly thereafter, news that Piccinino was menacing Sforza's
possessions in the Marche reached the city. Bianca then accompanied her husband to
Rimini, where they were guests of Sigismondo
Pandolfo Malatesta, in Gradara and then in Jesi. Here she
remained in the castle while Francesco led the military operations against Piccinino. In 1442
Bianca (then 17 years old) was named regent of the Marche. This choice may seem surprising, but numerous contemporary chronicles
state that Bianca had repeatedly proven her skills in administration and diplomacy. As for the ducal couple's personal
relationship, if it is certain that Francesco had strongs feelings towards Bianca, it is also true that he was frequently
unfaithful to her. Bianca usually reacted with nonchalance. On one occasion, however, in 1443, one
of her husband's mistress disappeared and was killed in dubious circumstances[4]
In 1442 Francesco was excommunicated. Four years later, ill and declining, Filippo Maria
Visconti approached Francesco for a reconciliation. The latter, however, remained distrustful, and, despite Bianca's pleading,
preferred to concentrate on the defense of his territories, menaced by Papal troops. In
1447 Sforza, feeling more confident, accepted the position of lieutenant of the Duchy of
Milan, but Visconti, jealous and suspicious after the popularity of Sforza in Milan, soon changed his mind. At the same time the
new Pope, Nicholas V, demanded the restitution of Jesi. It was a very difficult time for
Francesco and Bianca.
Francesco Sforza gave back to the pope the town of Jesi in exchange for 35,000 florins, and
moved towards Milan along with his wife. News of the death of Filippo Maria Visconti, who died in the night between 13 and 14
August 1447, reached Francesco in Cotignola. Bianca was very angry when she heard about the
depredations suffered by the Visconti properties in Milan after Filippo's death. Bianca and Francesco were marching toward Milan,
with 4,000 knights and 2,000 infantry, when the new-born Ambrosian Republic/Aurea Repubblica
Ambrosiana, under the menace of a Venetian invasion, offered Francesco the title of Captain General. Bianca favored
refusing, but Francesco accepted, starting three years in which he strove to reconquer the cities that had declared independence
from the Duchy after Filippo Visconti's death.
In May of 1448, when Sforza was in Pavia, the Venetians attacked Cremona. According to the
chronicles, Bianca donned a suit of parade armor and, along with some troops and the populace, hurried towards the bridge that
connected the city to Pavia. She fought in the battle that ensued for the whole day. This episode gained her fame as a "warrior
woman".
After the Venetian danger had been repulsed, Bianca settled in the Visconti Castle of Pavia, together with a large court. Her
good relationships with her Visconti relatives gained popular support, as well as loans and funds, for the fragile new state
created by her husband. On February 24, 1450, a revolt broke
out in Milan. The Venetian ambassador was killed, as the State of Venice/Serenissima was deemed responsible for the famine that
had struck Milan. A meeting of nobles and citizens recognized Francesco as lord.
Duchess of Milan
The date of the entrance of the new duke and duchess in Milan is disputed: March 25 or
March 22. Francesco and Bianca refused the triumphal wagon (they called it superstizione da
re, "kings' superstition"), instead reaching the Duomo riding on a couple of horses. It was the first time that a duke's
title had been awarded by the citizens of the city.
During the first years of their reign, Bianca collaborated with her husband in recovering her father's assets and restoring
the Ducal Palace. Francesco was again entangled in a war against Venice. Remaining alone in Milan, Bianca devoted herself to the
administration of the Duchy, as attested by the correspondence with her husband, which gives precious insights on the education
of their children (see Children section), state affairs, the financial
difficulties, and details of her daily life. The letters also show the assertive character of Bianca, who did not hesitate to
express her opinions even when they differed from her husband's. The letters include also accusations of his extramarital
adventures.
In 1453 in Pavia, Bianca hosted René I of Naples, who
was asked to go to Cremona with his army to fight alongside Sforza. She later showed him the construction site of the large new
Castello Sforzesco in Milan.
Late years
After the Peace of Lodi in 1454, Bianca devoted herself not only to diplomacy and the
restoration and embellishment of the several Ducal residences, but also to public works. The ducal couple had a large hospital
built in Milan, the Ospedale Maggiore, and often Bianca offered direct help to
numerous poor women. In 1459 Pope Pius II summoned a
council in Mantua to prepare a crusade against the
Ottoman Turks. Bianca offered 300 knights, and Francesco was proposed as military leader
of the expedition. The crusade never materialized, but Francesco and Bianca's support of the papacy gained them bulls of
indulgence for the Duomo and the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.
In 1462 Francesco Sforza, who suffered from gout and
dropsy, fell ill. During his absence from the government, Bianca's political and administrative
capabilities prevented the state from crumbling after some rebellions spurred by Venice. She acted effectively as co-regent of
the Duchy. Bianca also promoted a marriage between Jacopo Piccinino, the son of Niccolò, and
Drusiana, Francesco's illegitimate daughter.
The main problems for Bianca in this period came from their eldest son, Galeazzo
Maria, whose unstable and treacherous character created numerous troubles for her. On December 13, 1465, her mother, Agnese del Maino, died. Not much later, on
March 8, 1466, Duke Francesco Sforza died also. Bianca quickly
took the reins of the duchy and called back Galeazzo Maria, who was fighting alongside the king of France, to succeed as duke.
The latter's behavior was initially one of gratitude and deference towards his mother, but soon greed and ruthlessness led him to
act independently against Bianca's advice. As time passed, the Duke relegated his mother to an increasingly secondary role and in
the end forced her to leave Milan. She then moved to Cremona, her dowry city. According to some sources, she was thinking of
giving the control of the city to Venice, and she had frequent contacts with Ferdinand I
of Naples, who was aiming to overthrow Galeazzo.
Last days
Against the advice of all her counsellors, Bianca decided to take part in Galeazzo's marriage on (May
9, 1468). At the end of the feasts she accompanied her daughter Ippolita to Serravalle, whence she set off to Cremona. However, when midway, in Melegnano, she fell ill. A high fever obliged her to stay in bed until August, but she kept up an intense
correspondence. At the beginning of October, her condition worsened further. She died on October
28 of that year, after having recommended her younger children, Elisabetta and Ottaviano, to their brother Galeazzo. She
was buried in the Duomo of Milan, next to her husband. The funeral oration, commissioned by Galeazzo, was written by the humanist
Francesco Filelfo.
Her death raised suspicions; Galeazzo Maria Visconti was accused by various men, including Bartolomeo Colleoni, of having poisoned her. It is certain that during her illness, there were in
Melegnano certain men close to Galeazzo, some of whom were later involved in other cases of poisoning.[5]. According to Bernardino Corio, Bianca "died of natural ungratefulness more than
poison".
Children
Bianca bore Francesco Sforza eight children, six sons and two daughters:
- Galeazzo, Duke of Milan from 1466 to 1476 (when he was assassinated);
- Ippolita, wife of King Alphonse II of Naples
and mother of Isabella of Aragon, who was to marry Galeazzo's heir;
- Filippo Maria, Count of Corsica;
- Sforza Maria, Duke of Bari from 1464 to 1479;
- Lodovico, Duke of Bari from 1479 to 1494 and Duke of
Milan from 1494 to 1499;
- Ascanio, Abbot of Chiaraville, Bishop of Pavia, Cremona, Pesaro, and Novara and Cardinal;
- Elisabetta, wife of Guglielmo VIII Paleologo, Margrave of
Montferrat; and
- Ottaviano, Count of Lugano, who drowned while escaping
arrest.
Notes
- ^ most of the sources report October 23
as the date of death. Here the version by Caterina Santoro (see References, who
had access to original documents of the time in the Trivulzio Library in Milan, has been preferred.
- ^ Marcantonio Sabellico, in his Historiae rerum venetarum ab urbe
condita, states that before the marriage, Francesco Sforza assured Bianca that his wars against her father had not reduced
his love for her.
- ^ Bernardino Corio, Mediolanensis Patria historia
- ^ Enea Silvio Piccolomini,
Commentarii.
- ^ One of the most intimate of the Ducal emissaries was one Ambrogio of the
Grifi, podestà of Sartirana, who was later accused of having poisoned Ludovico il Moro.
References
- Daniela Pizzigalli, La signora di Milano: Vita e passioni di Bianca Maria Visconti, Rizzoli 2000
- Caterina Santoro, Gli Sforza. La casata nobiliare che resse il Ducato di Milano dal 1450 al 1535, Lampi di Stampa
1999
- Lila Jahn, Bianca Maria duchessa di Milano, Milano, Garzanti, 1941
- Winifred Terni de Gregory, Bianca Maria Visconti duchessa di Milano, Bergamo, 1940
External links
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