Azzone Visconti (7 December 1302 – 16 August 1339) was
lord of Milan
The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna.
Before elevation to duchy
Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that ele ...
from 1329 until his death. After the death of his uncle, Marco Visconti, he was threatened with excommunication and had to submit to Pope John XXII. Azzone reconstituted his family's land holdings, taking numerous cities. He died in 1339.
Biography
Born in
Ferrara, he was the sole legitimate son of
Galeazzo I Visconti
Galeazzo I Visconti (21 January 1277 – 6 August 1328) was lord of Milan from 1322 to 1327. After being chosen Captain of Milan, he defeated two papal armies and was excommunicated by Pope John XXII. Temporarily imprisoned for murder, Galeazzo ret ...
and
Beatrice d'Este
Beatrice d'Este (29 June 1475 – 3 January 1497), was Duchess of Bari and Milan by marriage to Ludovico Sforza (known as "il Moro"). She was one of the most important personalities of the time and, despite her short life, she was a major playe ...
. In 1322 he was lord of
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
, but in the same year, together with his father, was forced to flee. In 1325, Azzone commanded troops at the battles of
Altopascio
Altopascio is a ''comune'' in the Province of Lucca in the Tuscany region of Italy with a population of 15,572.
History
Already inhabited in Roman times, Altopascio gained in importance due to its ''Spedale'' (hostel, first mentioned in 1084) for ...
and
Zappolino, both victories over the
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
s.
In 1327, his father Galeazzo and all of the other leading members of the Visconti family were arrested under suspicion of assassinating Galeazzo's younger brother Stefano. Their territories were confiscated by the Emperor, and local families took control of many cities that had long been tied to the Viscontis. Milan itself was ruled by a new Imperial appointee and a council that was hostile to the Viscontis. Therefore, when Galeazzo died later that year, Visconti power was at a low point.
Azzone immediately became involved in a struggle with his uncle Marco for control of Milan.
In 1329, with the support of another uncle,
Giovanni Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
, he bought the title of imperial vicar of Milan from the emperor
Louis IV for 60,000 (or 125,000)
florins. (At the same time, Giovanni was appointed to several high offices by Nicholas V, the Imperial antipope.) Azzone paid only 12,000 of the promised florins, the feeble Louis being unable to force the payment. In the same years, Marco was killed and Azzone was named as one of the assassins, but he was never condemned.
This maneuver drew the ire of
Pope John XXII, who excommunicated Azzone, placed the city of Milan under
interdict
In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits persons, certain active Church individuals or groups from participating in certain rites, or that the rites and services of the church are banished from ...
, and threatened an invasion by his French allies. Under this pressure, Azzone was forced to submit to the Pope and renounce his Imperial vicariate, although he did retain political power within Milan, and on 15 March 1330 he was appointed signore of Milan.
In 1331, Azzone married Catherine of Savoy, daughter of
Louis II of Vaud
Louis II (1283×94 – 1348×49), son of Louis I of Vaud of the House of Savoy, was the Baron of Vaud from 1302 until his death. A military man, he fought widely in Italy and, during the first phase of the Hundred Years' War, in France. As a dipl ...
. In the August of the same year he allied with
Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat
Theodore I Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: Θεόδωρος Παλαιολόγος, full name: ''Theodoros Komnenos Doukas Angelos Palaiologos'') ( – 24 April 1338) was Marquis of Montferrat from 1306 until his death.
Life
He was a son of E ...
, against King
Robert of Anjou
Robert of Anjou ( it, Roberto d'Angiò), known as Robert the Wise ( it, Roberto il Saggio; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Ita ...
, in order to capture his possessions in north-western Italy. In 1332 he also conquered
Bergamo and
Pizzighettone
Pizzighettone ( Pizzighettonese: ) is a ''comune'' of the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy. The main population centre is located on the river Adda and is divided into two parts: Pizzighettone on the east bank and Gera on the ...
, continuing in 1335 with
Lodi,
Crema
Crema or Cremas may refer to:
Crema
* Crema, Lombardy, a ''comune'' in the northern Italian province of Cremona
* Crema (coffee), a thin layer of foam at the top of a cup of espresso
* Crema (dairy product), the Spanish word for cream
* ''Cremà ...
and other Lombardy lands who had ceded themselves to the Papal States, as well as
Vercelli
Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...
and
Cremona.
By February 1339, Azzone was suffering from gout. Faced with a revolt by
Lodrisio Visconti
Lodrisio Visconti (c. 1280 – 1364) was an Italian condottiero.
Biography
He was the son of Pietro, of the powerful Visconti of Milan, and Antiochia Crivelli.
After military training under his father, he helped his cousin Matteo Visconti and ...
, who had hired a company of mercenary troops, he had Luchino Visconti command the Milanese army. Lodrisio was defeated by the Milanese at the
battle of Parabiago
__NOTOC__The Battle of Parabiago was fought in February 1339 near Parabiago, in Lombardy, northern Italy, between the Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti. A renowned condottiero, the latter was an e ...
and imprisoned in the castle of
San Colombano al Lambro
San Colombano al Lambro ( Lodigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan.
San Colombano al Lambro borders the following municipalities: Borghetto Lo ...
.
Azzone died 16 August 1339 of a gout attack, and was buried in the church of
San Gottardo, which he had commissioned some years before. He had no male heirs (having had only a daughter, Luchina) and was succeeded as lord of Milan by Giovanni and another uncle,
Luchino. Besides his political and military career, he is remembered for his great construction works in Milan and other cities of Lombardy.
Notes
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Visconti, Azzone
1302 births
1339 deaths
Nobility from Ferrara
Azzone
Azzone (; lmo, label=Bergamasque, Sù) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northeast of Bergamo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population ...
Rulers of Milan
14th-century condottieri
Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines
14th-century Italian nobility