Carlo Visconti (died 2 January 1477) was an Italian, who was a member of the prominent

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

family, and a government secretary in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

's Council of Justice, he was executed for being the assassin of

Galeazzo Maria Sforza Galeazzo Maria Sforza (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476) was the fifth Duke of Milan from 1466 until his assassination a decade later. He was notorious for being lustful, cruel, and tyrannical. He was born to Francesco Sforza, a popula ...

, the

Duke 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 elect ...

Biography

Visconti was a well-connected official in the Milanese court, and the Duke, although popular as a patron of the arts, was known to be rather ruthless in his rule and something of a womaniser. Visconti believed that the Duke had deflowered his sister, and some time in 1476 entered a conspiracy against the Duke with

Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani (died 26 December 1476) was a member of the Milanese nobility and an assassin of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the Duke of Milan. The Lampugnani family was a high-ranking family in Renaissance Milan, and Giovanni served in sever ...

and

Gerolamo Olgiati Gerolamo Olgiati (1453 – 2 January 1477) was a government official in Milan and one of the assassins of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the Duke of Milan, along with Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani and Carlo Visconti. Olgiati was the political radical ...

, two other Milanese officials. On 26 December 1476, the three conspirators met at the church of Santo Stefano Maggiore, the site where the assassination was to take place. It was also the Saint's day for Santo Stefano, a day chosen especially for this purpose. After praying for the saint's protection, the three waited, along with several supporters and the regular congregation, for the Duke's arrival. The Duke arrived at the church with a customary procession. When it reached the part of the church where the assassins were, Lampugnani struck the first blow, soon joined by Visconti, Olgiati and a servant of Lampugnani's, all of whom were armed and wearing hidden armour. The Duke died during the attack and everyone - assassins included, quickly fled the church except for Lampugnani who was struck down. The next day, however,

Franzone Franzone (died 2 January 1477) was a servant of the Lampugnani family of Milan, and a figure in the assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the Duke of Milan. Franzone was a servant to Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani, the head conspirator in a plot to ...

, the servant of Lampugnani was caught and gave up the identities of the other conspirators. Visconti was caught on 29 December, given up by a frightened relative, and was publicly executed on 2 January 1477 along with Franzone and Olgiati. The bodies of these three men were torn from groin to neck and affixed to the gates of Milan as a warning to others; the heads separated and displayed on lances on the city's belltower.

References

*Martines, Lauro. ''April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici''. Oxford UP: New York, 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Visconti, Carlo 1477 deaths 15th-century murderers Italian assassins

Carlo Visconti Carlo Visconti (died 2 January 1477) was an Italian, who was a member of the prominent Visconti family, and a government secretary in Milan's Council of Justice, he was executed for being the assassin of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the Duke of Milan ...

15th-century Italian politicians Executed Italian people People executed by the Duchy of Milan Italian people convicted of murder Assassins of heads of state 15th-century executions Year of birth unknown Medieval assassins