Duchy of Milan

Long ago, a family ruled a city called Milan.

They ruled for many years. One leader made Milan a big state. It had twenty-six towns.

Later, a new family took over. They made silk. This made the land very rich.

Other lands wanted to rule Milan too. Big wars happened. Many different groups fought for it.

France and Spain both wanted the land. This lasted for a long time.

Finally, the state of Milan went away. It became part of a new land. This new land was Italy.

The Visconti family ruled Milan for a long time. They grew their land by taking more towns. In 1395, Gian Galeazzo Visconti became the first Duke.

This made Milan an official state. It held twenty-six towns and many large areas.

After the Visconti family, a new group took over. This was the House of Sforza. They started the silk industry. This made Milan very wealthy during the Renaissance.

But Milan faced many hard times. Other lands wanted to rule it. France and the Habsburgs fought for control.

There were many wars. The French took the land, but then the Swiss army pushed them out. Later, Spain and Austria ruled the area.

In 1796, a leader named Napoleon Bonaparte captured Milan. This changed things again. The Duchy of Milan ceased to exist a year later. Later, the land became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Milan is now a famous part of Italy.

The Duchy of Milan was a major state in Northern Italy. It was officially created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti. He was a leader from the Visconti family. This family had ruled the city since 1277. The duchy held twenty-six towns and much rural land. It was located in the middle Padan Plain.

The land sat between many other strong areas. These included Savoy to the west and Venice to the east. The Swiss Confederacy was to the north. Genoa sat to the south, separating Milan from the sea.

Control of Milan changed many times over the years. It started with the Visconti family growing their power. They took many towns in places like Piedmont and Tuscany. In 1447, the last Visconti duke died without a male heir. This led to a short time called the Golden Ambrosian Republic. Soon, a captain named Francesco Sforza took over the city. He started the House of Sforza in 1450.

Under the Sforza family, Milan became very rich. They started a silk industry during the Renaissance. This helped make Milan one of the wealthiest states.

Later, many wars broke out over the duchy. From the late 15th century, different powers fought for it. The Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of France both wanted control. This period included many battles and changes in leadership. For example, King Louis XII of France invaded in 1499. He drove out the ruler Ludovico il Moro.

The French ruled for a while, but then the Swiss army pushed them out. The fighting was a very hard time for the people living there.

Ownership of the land shifted many times in the following centuries. Habsburg Spain ruled the duchy starting in 1556. In 1707, it passed to Habsburg Austria during a large war. This lasted until 1796 when Napoleon Bonaparte arrived. His French army captured the territory.

The duchy officially ceased to exist a year later. This happened because of the Treaty of Campo Formio. This treaty gave the land to a new group called the Cisalpine Republic.

After Napoleon was defeated, the map of Italy changed again. The Congress of Vienna in 1815 brought back many old states. However, the Duchy of Milan was not brought back. Instead, its land became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. An Austrian Emperor served as the king of this new area. In 1859, the land moved to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Finally, in 1861, it became part of the new Kingdom of Italy.

The Duchy of Milan was a powerful state located in Northern Italy. It was officially established on May 11, 1395. Gian Galeazzo Visconti created the duchy through a diploma signed in Prague. This document was signed by Wenceslaus of Bohemia. The Visconti family had already been ruling the city since 1277. This new title turned Milan into one of the five major states on the Italian peninsula.

The duchy was a large and important territory during the Renaissance.

At its height, the duchy included twenty-six towns and vast rural lands. These lands sat in the middle Padan Plain. The territory stretched from the hills of Montferrat to the middle of the plain. At its largest point, it covered almost all of modern Lombardy. It also reached into parts of Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna. The duchy was surrounded by several other strong powers. Savoy sat to the west, while the Republic of Venice was to the east. The Swiss Confederacy was to the north. To the south, the Republic of Genoa blocked access to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Visconti family spent nearly a century expanding their power. This process began with Ottone Visconti, who became archbishop in 1262. He defeated the Della Torre family at the Battle of Desio in 1277. Later, leaders like Azzone, Luchino, and Giovanni Visconti conquered many new areas. For example, Azzone took Ossola in 1331 and Bergamo in 1332. The brothers Luchino and Giovanni added Bellinzona in 1342 and Parma in 1346. Bernabò Visconti conquered Reggio Emilia in 1371. Finally, Gian Galeazzo unified these scattered domains. He was very wealthy and earned 1,200,000 gold florins in ordinary income alone. He also received 800,000 in extraordinary subsidies in a single year.

When the last Visconti duke, Filippo Maria, died in 1447, the duchy changed. There was no male heir to take his place. The people of Milan declared the Golden Ambrosian Republic. This republic faced many attacks from its neighbors. In 1450, a mercenary captain named Francesco Sforza conquered the city. He had married Bianca Maria, the illegitimate daughter of Filippo Maria. Sforza founded the House of Sforza and restored the duchy.

Under the Sforza family, Milan became incredibly wealthy. They introduced a major silk industry that helped the state prosper during the Renaissance.

Control of Milan became a source of constant conflict between major European powers. In the late 15th century, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of France fought for influence. One major event was the invasion by King Louis XII of France in 1499. He claimed the throne because his ancestor had married Valentina Visconti. Louis XII drove out the ruler Ludovico il Moro.

This period of fighting is often called the Italian Wars. The French held the territory for a time, but the Swiss army expelled them in 1512. Control shifted back and forth between the French and the Sforza family for several years. The Battle of Marignano in 1515 was a key moment when the French re-established control.

The struggle for Milan continued through the 16th century. In 1521, Charles V, the King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, conquered the duchy. He placed Francesco II Sforza on the throne. However, the French attacked again and won a major victory at the Battle of Pavia in 1525.

Eventually, the Treaty of Cambrai saw France officially abandon its claims to the area. From 1556, the duchy was ruled by Habsburg Spain. In 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession, it passed to Habsburg Austria. The duchy remained under Austrian control for many years.

The end of the duchy came during the era of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1796, a French army captured the territory during the War of the First Coalition. The duchy officially ceased to exist in 1797. This happened because of the Treaty of Campo Formio, which gave the land to the Cisalpine Republic.

After Napoleon was defeated, the Congress of Vienna met in 1815. The Congress restored many Italian states, but it did not restore the Duchy of Milan. Instead, the land became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia under the Austrian Emperor. Finally, in 1859, the territory was ceded to Piedmont-Sardinia. By 1861, it became part of the new Kingdom of Italy.