250px, Remains of the Castle of Berceto Pier Maria Rossi or Pier Maria II de' Rossi (25 March 1413 – 1 September 1482) was an Italian

condottiere Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

and count of a region around present

San Secondo Parmense San Secondo Parmense ( Sansecondino: or ; Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about northwest of Parma Parma (; ) is a city in t ...

. His properties included the castle of Rocca dei Rossi. He was known as "the Magnificent".

Biography

He was born at

Berceto Berceto ( Parmigiano: , or ; ) is a village and ''comune'' in Italy, located in the Apennine Mountains on the main road between La Spezia and Parma, in the Taro River valley, in the region of Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; o ...

, the son of Pier Maria I de' Rossi and Maria Giovanna Cavalcabò. Aged 15, he married Antonia, daughter of Guido Torelli. In the service of

Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447) was the duke of Duchy of Milan, Milan from 1412 to 1447. Reports stated that he was "paranoid", but "shrewd as a ruler." He went to war in the 1420s with Romagna, Republic of Florenc ...

duke of Milan Milan was ruled by dukes from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna. List of dukes of Milan House of Visconti In 1395, Gian Galeazzo Visconti was titled Duke ...

, he fought five times against the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. He succeeded as titular head of the Rossi family's fiefs in 1438. When Visconti died, in 1447, Pier Maria sided with

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'Aqui ...

, moving his lands in the regions of Parma and

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

under Milanese suzerainty. In 1448 he defeated the Venetians in a river battle on the Po at

Casalmaggiore Casalmaggiore ( Casalasco-Viadanese: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Cremona, Lombardy, Italy, located on the Po River. It was the birthplace of Italian composers Ignazio Donati and Andrea Zani. Recently, its women's volleyball team Volleyb ...

. In 1471 he was sent by Sforza as ambassador to the court of

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

in Rome. After the death of Duke Francesco Sforza, Pier Maria Rossi was one of the

triumvirate A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...

who in fact governed the duchy on behalf of the then underage

Gian Galeazzo Sforza Gian Galeazzo Sforza (20 June 1469 – 21 October 1494), also known as Giovan Galeazzo Sforza, was the sixth Duke of Milan. He was the father of Bona Maria Sforza, who later became Queen of Poland. He died in 1494 aged 25 and was succeeded by ...

. However, when the latter was ousted by his uncle,

Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; 'the Moor'), and called the "arbiter of Italy" by historian Francesco Guicciardini,

, the fortunes of the Rossi family started to crumble. In 1482 an alliance of Milanese troops with those of the rival Sanvitale,

Pallavicino Pallavicino () is an Italian surname, derived from a medieval given name. Notable people with the name include: * the following members of the noble Pallavicini family: ** Antonio Pallavicino (1441–1507), Italian Roman Catholic cardinal ** Batti ...

and Da Correggio families, led by

Gian Giacomo Trivulzio Gian Giacomo Trivulzio (1440 or 1441 – 5 December 1518) was an Italian aristocrat and ''condottiero'' who held several military commands during the Italian Wars. Biography Trivulzio was born in Milan, where he studied, among others, wi ...

, besieged the Rocca dei Rossi at San Secondo. Pier Maria resisted gallantly but, after the Milanese started to storm all his other fortresses, surrendered and retired to the castle of

Torrechiara Torrechiara Castle () is a 15th-century castle near Langhirano, in the province of Parma, northern Italy. It sits atop a terraced hill south of the city of Parma, in a strategic position overlooking the Parma River in the valley below. The c ...

, which he had built for his long-time great love, Bianca Pellegrini. He died there in 1482.

Children

Pier Maria and Antonia had nine children: * Giovanni de' Rossi (1431-1502) eldest son, disinherited by his father, * Roberto (? -1541) * Donella (1435 - post 1483) married to Giberto III Sanvitale * Giacomo, (1436 - post 1483) leader *

Guido de' Rossi Guido de' Rossi (c. 1440 - 1490) was an Italian condottiero. Life He was almost certainly born in the castle at San Secondo Parmense, San Secondo, the residence of his father Pier Maria II de' Rossi. His mother was Pier Maria II's wife Antonia Tor ...

(about 1440 -1490), leader and his successor * Ugolino (1447-1498), religious, canon of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Parma * Bernardo (1432-1468), bishop of Cremona and Novara * Eleonora * Maria Bianca He also had two biological children: * Bertrando (1429 - 1502) count of Berceto * Orlando (with Bianca Pelligrini).

Sources

* 1413 births 1482 deaths Military personnel from the Province of Parma Counts of San Secondo 15th-century condottieri Pier Maria II {{Italy-noble-stub