The Milanese War of Succession was a

war of succession A war of succession is a war prompted by a succession crisis in which two or more individuals claim the Order of succession, right of successor to a demise of the Crown, deceased or deposition (politics), deposed monarch. The rivals are typic ...

over the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de Milan) was a state in northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city sin ...

from the death of duke

Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447)

on 13 August 1447 to the

Treaty of Lodi The Treaty of Lodi, or Peace of Lodi, was a peace agreement between Duchy of Milan, Milan, Kingdom of Naples, Naples and Republic of Florence, Florence that was signed on 9 April 1454 at Lodi, Lombardy, Lodi in Lombardy, on the banks of the Adda ...

on 9 April 1454.

Summary

Many pretenders claimed to be the rightful successor to Filippo Maria Visconti, who died without a male heir. These included the capable

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...

Francesco Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'A ...

(husband of Visconti's illegitimate daughter), King Alfonso V of Aragon and Naples (to whom Visconti had bequeathed the Duchy in his will) supported by the influential Bracceschi family, Duke Charles of Orléans (son of Visconti's half-sister), Duke Louis of Savoy (brother of Visconti's widow), archdukes Albert IV and

Sigismund of Austria Sigismund (26 October 1427 – 4 March 1496), a member of the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria from 1439 (elevated to Archduke in 1477) until his death. As a scion of the Habsburg Leopoldian line, he ruled over Further Austria and the ...

(great-grandchildren of

Bernabò Visconti Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he an ...

), and Emperor Frederick III (who declared the Duchy should revert to the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

on the extinction of its male line of succession). However, the citizens of Milan and several Lombard towns loyal to Milan proclaimed the

Golden Ambrosian Republic , it, Aurea Repubblica Ambrosiana , era = Late Middle Ages , government_type = Directorial republic , p1 = Duchy of Milan , flag_p1 = Flag of the Duchy of Milan (1450).svg , s1 ...

(1447–1450) on 14 August 1447, which rejected any

hereditary succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

, Lodi, and

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 ...

, and the invading

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

(which had already been at war with Milan before Visconti's death). The initial phase of the war may thus be characterised more as a struggle between republics rather than between rival claimants to a throne. Nevertheless, in October 1448 Sforza defected to Venice in exchange for Venetian support for his claim as duke of Milan. Sforza quickly became a successful conquering warlord, whom the Venetians started to fear. Seeking to claim Milan for himself, the

Duke of Savoy The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a Duchy of Sav ...

interfered in support of the Ambrosian Republic in 1449, but they were defeated by the Sforzan–Venetian forces under

Bartolomeo Colleoni Bartolomeo Colleoni (; 1400 – 2 November 1475) was an Italian condottiero, who became captain-general of the Republic of Venice. Colleoni "gained reputation as the foremost tactician and disciplinarian of the 15th century".''Websters New ...

at the Battle of Borgomanero (22 April 1449). To prevent Sforza from becoming too powerful, the Venetians abandoned Sforza and allied themselves with the Ambrosians in subsequent battles. But it was too late: Sforza conquered the city of Milan after a siege in early 1450, ended the Ambrosian Republic, and was recognised as duke by the senate with support of the population. Then Venice instead allied itself with

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

(an Aragonese possession), which also claimed Milan. Sforza rallied

Cosimo de' Medici Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who established the Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derived from his wealth ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...

to his side. The latter sent

René of Anjou René of Anjou ( it, Renato; oc, Rainièr; ca, Renat; 1409–1480) was Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence from 1434 to 1480, who also reigned as King of Naples as René I from 1435 to 1442 (then deposed as the preceding dynasty was restored to ...

(claimant to the Neapolitan throne, which he lost in 1442) with an expeditionary force to Italy around 1452 on the condition that Sforza would later aid him to regain Naples. The Milanese War of Succession ended with the

(9 April 1454), which recognised Sforza as the new duke of Milan (and established a balance of power in Italy, especially through the

Italic League The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the ...

formed in August 1454). The Holy Roman Emperor would not do so until 1494, when

Emperor Maximilian I Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself Ele ...

formally invested Francesco's son,

Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; "the Moor"). "Arbiter of Italy", according to the expression used by Guicciardini,

, as duke of Milan.

Battles

* 11 October 1447:

Battle of Bosco Marengo The Battle of Bosco Marengo ''(aka Battle of Frascata)'' was fought in the autumn of 1447. The Duke of Orleans, Charles I, son of Valentina Visconti, laid claim to the Duchy of Milan and dispatched an army from the ''Dauphiné'' '' and Lyona ...

(Ambrosian Republic) defeats Charles, Duke of Orléans (France) * 1447: Capture of Pavia. Sforza (Ambrosian Republic) captures Pavia (which had proclaimed independence) * 1447: Siege and sack of Piacenza. Sforza (Ambrosian Republic) captures Piacenza (Venice) * October 1447 – September 1449: Siege of Lodi. Lodi (Venice) holds out against the Piccinino brothers (Ambrosian Republic) and joins Sforza * End July – 15 September 1448: Siege of Caravaggio. Sforza (Ambrosian Republic) captures Caravaggio (Venice) * 15 – 16 July 1448: River Battle of Casalmaggiore. Sforza (Ambrosian Republic) defeats Venice * 15 September 1448: Battle of Caravaggio. Sforza (Ambrosian Republic) defeats Venice and Mantua * 22 April 1449: Battle of Borgomanero. Colleoni (Venice and Sforza) defeats Savoy and the Ambrosian Republic * 25 April – 1 May 1449: Siege of Melegnano. Sforza (for himself) captures Melegnano (Ambrosian Republic, supported by Venice) * 6 July 1449:

Battle of Castione The Battle of Castione was fought between the Golden Ambrosian Republic (Milan) and the canton of Uri on 6 July 1449. The site of the battle is near that of the earlier Battle of Arbedo, both in the territory of the current-day municipality o ...

. Ambrosian Republic defeats Swiss canton of Uri * December 1449: Battle of Monte di Brianza. Sforza (for himself) defeats the Ambrosian Republic and Venice * January 1450: Battles of

Cantù Cantù (; Brianzöö: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Como, located at the center of the Brianza zone in Lombardy. It is the second largest city in Brianza. History The name could stem from that of the Canturigi, a population of I ...

and Asso. The Ambrosian Republic and Venice defeat Sforza * 1449 – 24 February 1450: Siege of Milan. Sforza (for himself) conquers Milan and destroys the Ambrosian Republic * 1450: Battle of Castiglione Olona. * 1453: Battle of Ghedi. Sforza (Duchy of Milan) defeats Venice

References

Sources

* {{cite book, last1=Ady , first1=Cecilia M. , last2=Armstrong, first2=Edward , author-link2=Edward Armstrong (historian) , publisher= Methuen & Co., year= 1907, title=A History of Milan under the Sforza, url=https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=4776025 1440s in the Holy Roman Empire 1450s in the Holy Roman Empire 15th century in Italy 15th century in the Republic of Florence 15th century in the Republic of Venice Battles involving Savoy History of Mantua Wars involving the Duchy of Milan Wars involving France Wars involving the Republic of Florence Wars involving the Republic of Venice Wars involving the Kingdom of Naples Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe 1440s conflicts 1450s conflicts