Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani (died 26 December 1476) was a member of the

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 ...

ese nobility and an 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 ...

. The Lampugnani family was a high-ranking family in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

Milan, and Giovanni served in several government positions, often working quite closely with the Duke. Under the Duke, Giovanni's brothers leased some valuable land from a rural

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

. Upon the death of the abbot, the inheriting cleric nullified the lease and evicted the Lampugnani brothers from the property. Although the family appealed to the Duke, there was no government intervention on the matter, resulting in utter contempt on the part of Giovanni. Congiura dei Lampugnani, Hayez

The Duke, although popular as a patron of the arts, was known to be rather ruthless in his rule and something of a womaniser, traits which encouraged more enemies to emerge amongst the government ranks. Two other officials,

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. ...

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 ...

soon joined Giovanni in a conspiracy to assassinate the Duke.

Assassin

Despite evidence that plotting may have begun as early as 1474, there was little planning on the conspirators' part beyond the actual assassination; no efforts were made to find further outside support amongst any ruling families, nor were getaway plans solidified. Lampugnani, the leader of the plot, gathered with the other conspirators in the church of

Santo Stefano Santo Stefano is the Italian name of Saint Stephen. Santo Stefano may also refer to: Places Islands *Santo Stefano (island), an island in Sardinia, Italy *Santo Stefano Island, an island in the Pontine Islands, Italy Cities, towns and villages i ...

on 26 December 1476 (the day of the martyr, Santo Stefano) to prepare for the assassination. Armed and wearing hidden armour, they convened before Mass in the morning, praying for the saint's protection. When the Duke's procession arrived, Lampugnani, Visconti and Olgiati stepped before the Duke, Lampugnani going down on one knee. After a brief exchange of words, Lampugnani rose suddenly, stabbing the Duke in the groin and chest. Soon he was joined by Visconti, Olgiati and a servant of Lampugnani's named Franzone, stabbing the Duke to death. Pandemonium erupted quickly, as the congregation — assassins included — fled the church. Lampugnani, in an attempt to escape, ran to the women's side of the church where he was subsequently caught and killed. His head was severed and, with the heads of other assassins (who were all apprehended and executed within a week), displayed on the belltower as a warning for several years following. In the days immediately following the Duke's assassination, other Lampugnani family members were arrested on suspicion of compliance and much of their property destroyed by mobs. Most of the remaining Lampugnani fled Milan or were exiled to other cities.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lampugnani, Giovanni Andrea 1476 deaths 15th-century murderers Nobility from Milan Italian assassins 15th-century Italian nobility Assassins of heads of state Year of birth unknown Medieval assassins Criminals from Milan