Editing House of Sforza (section)

==History==

The first son of [[Muzio Attendolo Sforza]], [[Francesco I Sforza]], married [[Bianca Maria Visconti|Bianca Maria]] (1425–1468) in 1441.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Muzio Attendolo Sforza |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG185699 |website=[[British Museum]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Mila, Leonardo and the Sforza Family |url=https://cenacolovinciano.org/en/story/milano-leonardo-and-the-sforza/ |website=Cenacolo Vinciano (Last Supper Museum)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bianca Maria Sforza |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/786269 |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art}}</ref> She was the daughter and only heir of the last [[Duke of Milan]], [[Filippo Maria Visconti]].<ref name=":0" /> 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]], starting with Muzio Attendolo's second son, [[Alessandro Sforza|Alessandro]] (1409–1473).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alessandro Sforza, 1409-1468, Lord of Pesaro 1445 [reverse], 1475 |url=https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.44485.html |website=[[National Gallery of Art]]|date=1475 }}</ref> The Sforza held Pesaro until 1512, after the death of [[Costanzo II Sforza]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Eiche |first=Sabine |date=May 1985 |title=Towards a Study of the 'Famiglia' of the Sforza Court at Pesaro |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40136077 |journal=Renaissance and Reformation }}</ref>

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]] in southern [[Tuscany]] until 1624. Members of this family also held important ecclesiastical and political positions in the [[Papal States]], and moved to Rome in 1674, taking the name of Sforza Cesarini.

The Sforza became allied with the [[Borgia|Borgia family]] through the [[arranged marriage]] (1493–1497) between [[Lucrezia Borgia]] and [[Giovanni Sforza|Giovanni]] (the illegitimate son of [[Costanzo I Sforza|Costanzo I of Pesaro]]).<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.gradara.com/italiano/signoria_sforza.htm |title=La Signoria degli Sforza |publisher=Gradara.com |access-date=2013-04-23}}</ref> 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 War of 1499–1504|Italian Wars]], the army of [[Louis XII of France]] took Milan from [[Ludovico Sforza]] (known as ''Ludovico il Moro'', famous for taking [[Leonardo da Vinci]] into his service).

After Imperial [[Germans|German]] troops drove out the [[France|French]], [[Maximilian Sforza]], son of Ludovico, became Duke of Milan (1512–1515) until the French returned under [[Francis I of France]] and imprisoned him.

In 1521 [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|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 of Spain|Philip II]] in 1540, thus beginning the period of Spanish rule in Milan.