Ottaviano Maria Sforza (1475–1545) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as

Bishop of Arezzo The Italian Catholic diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro has existed since 1986. In that year the historic diocese of Arezzo was combined with the diocese of Cortona and the diocese of Sansepolcro, the enlarged diocese being suffragan of the ar ...

(1519–1525),

Bishop of Lodi The Diocese of Lodi ( la, Dioecesis Laudensis) is an Italian Roman Catholic territorial entity that existed since the 4th century; it is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan.Titular Patriarch of Alexandria (1541–1545) and

Bishop of Terracina, Priverno e Sezze The Diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno ( la, Dioecesis Latinensis-Terracinensis-Setina-Privernensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Lazio, Italy. It was established under this name in 1986 ...

(1541–1545).

Biography

Ottaviano Maria Sforza was born 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 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in 1475, the son of Duke

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 ...

Archivio Capitolare della Cattedrale Sezze: "Cronotassi episcopale"
retrieved July 1, 2017 and his mistress Lucia Marliani. On 27 October 1497, he was appointed during the papacy of

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

Ludovico il Moro 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,

. In 1499, he was forced to resign as Bishop of Lodi after the French conquest of Milan by

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...

. The Frenchman

Claude de Seyssel Claude de Seyssel (''Italian:Claudio di Seyssel'') (died 1520) was a Savoyard jurist and humanist, now known for his political writings. He wrote ''La Grande Monarchie de France'' as a supporter of the French crown, in the person of Louis XII. W ...

(Claudio Sassatelli) was appointed as administrator in his place in 1501. In 1512, he was again reappointed as Bishop of Lodi by

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

after the expulsion of the French from Italy. He was once again forced from the bishopric in 1515 after the Duke of Milan

Massimiliano Sforza Maximilian Sforza (Italian: ''Massimiliano Sforza''; 25 January 1493 – 25 May 1530) was a Duke of Milan from the Sforza family, the son of Ludovico Sforza. He was installed as a ruler of Milan in 1512 after the capture of Milan by the Holy ...

and the

Bishop of Sion The Diocese of Sion ( la, Dioecesis Sedunensis, french: Diocèse de Sion, german: Bistum Sitten) is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north of ...

Matthäus Schiner Matthäus Schiner (or ''Schinner'', c. 1465 – 1 October 1522) was a bishop of Sion, Cardinal and diplomat. He was a military commander in several battles in northern Italy. Biography He was born in Mühlebach (in what is now the Swiss cant ...

, suspected him of collaborating with the French; others contend that it was jealousy on the part of Duke Massimiliano Sforza. Fleeing to Germany, he returned to Italy in 1519. On 19 November 1519, he was appointed

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political an ...

(switching places with Gerolamo Sansoni), where he served until his resignation in 1525. In 1527, he returned to Lodi, this time as the head of a band of mercenary troops where he helped to secure Milanese control of the city from the Venetians (who had seized it from the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

in 1526). He also regained the bishopric of Lodi, serving until his resignation in 1530 (some sources state he served from 1525-1531). His successor was again Gerolamo Sansoni. He retired to

where after the death of the Duke of Milan, he unsuccessfully sought the ducal throne. Thereafter he moved to

Murano Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about north of Venice and measures about across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures). It is famous for its glass making. It was on ...

. On 20 May 1541, he was appointed

and Titular Patriarch of Alexandria by

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...

. He served as Bishop of Terracina, Priverno e Sezze until his death in 1545 (some sources say 1540 or 1541).

References

External links and additional sources

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sforza, Ottaviano Maria 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops appointed by Pope Alexander VI Bishops appointed by Pope Julius II Bishops appointed by Pope Leo X Bishops appointed by Pope Paul III 1475 births 1545 deaths 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops