The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of

Renaissance Italy The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

, based in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of 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 of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...

following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ended with the death of the last member of the family's main branch, Francesco II Sforza, in 1535.

History

The first son of Muzio Attendolo Sforza, Francesco I Sforza, married Bianca Maria (1425–1468) in 1441. She was the daughter and only heir of the last Duke of Milan,

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 ...

. He thus acquired the title of Duke of Milan (1450–1466), ruled Milan for 16 years, and made the Sforzas the heirs of the house of Visconti. The family also held the seigniory of

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

, starting with Muzio Attendolo's second son, Alessandro (1409–1473). The Sforza held Pesaro until 1512, after the death of Costanzo II Sforza. Muzio's third son, Bosio (1411–1476), founded the branch of Santa Fiora, who held the title of count of Cotignola; the Sforza ruled the small

county of Santa Fiora The County of Santa Fiora (), also known as State of Santa Fiora () was a small historical state of southern Tuscany, in central Italy. Together with the county of Sovana, it was one of the two subdivisions into which the possessions of the Aldobr ...

in southern

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

until 1624. Members of this family also held important ecclesiastical and political positions in the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

, and moved to Rome in 1674, taking the name of Sforza Cesarini. The Sforza became allied with the Borgia family through the

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...

(1493–1497) between

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto. Her family arranged ...

and Giovanni (the illegitimate son of Costanzo I of Pesaro). This alliance failed, as the Borgia family annulled the marriage once the Sforza family were no longer needed. In 1499, in the course of the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts fought between 1494 and 1559, mostly in the Italian Peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the House of Valois, Valois kings o ...

, the army of

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

took Milan from

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,

(known as ''Ludovico il Moro'', famous for taking

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

into his service). After Imperial German troops drove out the French, Maximilian Sforza, son of Ludovico, became Duke of Milan (1512–1515) until the French returned under

Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...

and imprisoned him. In 1521 Charles V drove out the French and restored the younger son of Ludovico, Francesco II Sforza to the duchy. Francesco remained the ruler of Milan until his death in 1535 and as he was childless the Duchy reverted to the Emperor, who passed it to his son Philip II in 1540, thus beginning the period of Spanish rule in Milan.

Sforza rulers of the Duchy of Milan

* Francesco I, 1450–1466 * Galeazzo Maria, 1466–1476 * Gian Galeazzo, 1476–1494 * Ludovico, 1494–1499 * Massimiliano, 1513–1515 * Francesco II, 1521–1535

Sforza rulers of Pesaro and Gradara

* Alessandro, 1445–1473 * Costanzo I, 1473–1483 * Giovanni, 1483–1500 and 1503–1510 * Costanzo II, 1510–1512 * , 1512

Sforza family tree

* Muzio Sforza with mistress Lucia da Torsano had 7 illegitimate sons ** son Gabriele Sforza archbishop of Milan ** son Francesco I Sforza married Bianca Maria Visconti *** son Galeazzo Maria Sforza married

Bona of Savoy Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan (10 August 1449 – 23 November 1503) was Duchess of Milan as the second spouse of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. She served as regent of Milan during the minority of her son 1476–1481. Life Early life ...

, mistress Lucrezia Landriani **** daughter Bianca Maria (1472–1510), second wife of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I **** son Gian Galeazzo (1469–1494), married his cousin Isabella of Naples ***** son Francesco (II), nominally duke under the regency of Ludovico Maria ***** daughter Bona (1494–1557), second wife of King of Poland

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...

***** daughter Ippolita Maria Sforza (1493–1501) **** illegitimate daughter Caterina Sforza married Giovanni de' Medici il Popolano **** illegitimate son Ottaviano Maria Sforza bishop of Lodi *** son Ludovico il Moro (the Moor) (1451–1508) **** son Ercole Massimiliano **** son Francesco II (III) Maria **** illegitimate daughter Bianca Sforza (1483–1496) married to Galeazzo Sanseverino **** illegitimate son Giovanni Paolo I (1497–1535), marquess of

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

*** son Ascanio (1444–1505), Cardinal *** daughter Ippolita Maria (1446–1484), married king of Alfonso II d'Aragon of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

*** illegitimate daughter Polissena (1428–1449), married

Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (19 June 1417 – 7 October 1468) was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, a member of the House of Malatesta and lord of Rimini and Fano from 1432. He was widely considered by his contemporaries as one of the mos ...

** son Alessandro, first lord of

*** son Costanzo I **** son Giovanni (1466–1510), first husband of

***** son Costanzo II (Giovanni Maria) last ruler of Pesaro ** Bosio (count of Cotignola, lord of Castell'Arquato)

Notable members

Castellini Baldissera

While the House of Sforza has died out over the last century, it is closely related to the Castellini Baldissera family, who inherited a number of their palazzos and estates.

In popular culture

* One of the cursed artefacts from '' Friday the 13th: The Series'' was the "Sforza Glove", attributed to the original family's possession. * Thomas Harris's character Hannibal Lecter is a descendant of the House of Sforza. * In the book, anime, and manga series '' Trinity Blood'', the Duchess of Milan, who is also one of the Cardinals, is named Caterina Sforza. * Caterina Sforza appears as a

non-playable character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

in the video game '' Assassin's Creed 2'' and its sequel, '' Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''. * The Sforza figure prominently in the Showtime series '' The Borgias''. * The house is mentioned in a song about the Borgia family in the British edutainment TV show ''

Horrible Histories ''Horrible Histories'' is an educational entertainment franchise encompassing many media including books, magazines, audio books, stage shows, TV shows, and more. In 2013, Lisa Edwards, UK publishing and commercial director of Scholastic Corpo ...

''. * There are notable members from the family in the television series ''

Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...

''. * There is a campaign in the '' Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition'' computer game named after the Sforza family where the player takes up the position of Francesco I Sforza.