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Duchy of Milan

Ducatus Mediolani  (Latin)
Ducato di Milano  (Italian)
Ducaa de Milan  (Lombard)

1395–1447
1450–1796

Flag

Coat of arms
(1395-1535)

Duchy of Milan in 1499

Status

State of the Holy Roman Empire
•
Duchy ruled by the Milanese nobility
(1395–1499; 1512–1515; 1521–1540)
Crown land of France
(1499–1512; 1515–1521)
Territory of Habsburg Spain
(1556–1707)
Crown land of the Austrian Branch of the Habsburg monarchy
(1707–1796)

Capital

Milan

Common languages

Lombard
Italian

Religion

Catholicism

Government

Princely hereditary monarchy

Duke

• 1395–1402

Gian Galeazzo Visconti (first)

• 1792–1796

Francis II (last)

Historical era

Early Modern

• Imperial diploma of Wenceslaus of Bohemia

1 May 1395

• Ambrosian Republic

1447–1450

• French Occupation

1499–1512, 1515–1522 and 1524–1525

• Protectorate of the Swiss Confederacy

1512-1515

• Habsburg rule

1535–1796

• Spanish rule

1556–1700

• Austrian rule

1700–1796

• Annexation to the Transpadane Republic

15 November 1796

Population

• Estimate

750,000 in the 17th century

Currency

Milanese scudo, lira and soldo

Preceded by

Succeeded by

	Commune of Milan
	Golden Ambrosian Republic

Golden Ambrosian Republic
Transpadane Republic
County of Guastalla
Austrian Empire

Today part of

Italy
Switzerland

The Duchy of Milan (which means Ducato di Milano in Italian) was a powerful state in northern Italy. It was created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, who was the ruler of Milan at the time. His family, the Visconti family, had been in charge of the city since 1277.

When it was first formed, the Duchy included Milan and 26 other towns. It also covered a large farming area in the middle of the Padan Plain. The Duchy was located between other important states. To the west was Savoy, to the east was Venice, and to the north was the Swiss Confederacy. The city of Genoa to the south separated it from the Mediterranean Sea.

At its largest in the early 1400s, the Duchy of Milan included most of what is now Lombardy. It also covered parts of Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna.

Later, under the House of Sforza, Milan became very rich. They started a big silk industry. This made the Duchy one of the wealthiest states during the Renaissance, a time of great art and learning.

From the late 1400s, the Duchy of Milan became a battleground. Both the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of France wanted to control it. From 1556, it was ruled by Habsburg Spain. Then, in 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession, it passed to Habsburg Austria.

The Duchy remained under Austrian control until 1796. That year, a French army led by Napoleon Bonaparte conquered it. The Duchy officially ended a year later, in 1797. Its land became part of the new Cisalpine Republic.

After Napoleon was defeated, many states were restored in 1815. However, the Duchy of Milan was not. Instead, its land became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. The Emperor of Austria became its king. In 1859, Lombardy joined the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. This kingdom later became the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

History
Military
Legacy
Historical Coat of Arms
See also

History

The Viscontis' lands in the 14th century, before the Duchy of Milan was created

The Visconti family had ruled Milan since 1277. That year, Ottone Visconti defeated Napoleone della Torre to take control.

The Duchy of Milan was officially created on May 1, 1395. This happened when Gian Galeazzo Visconti bought a special document for 100,000 Florins. He bought it from King Wenceslaus of the Holy Roman Empire. This document made Visconti the Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia.

Visconti Rule (1395–1447)

The 1422 Battle of Arbedo for control over Bellinzona

The Duchy, as set up in 1395, included the area around Milan. This was between the Adda and Ticino rivers. However, Gian Galeazzo Visconti's lands were much larger. They included 26 towns and stretched from Piedmont to Veneto. They also reached from present-day Canton of Ticino in Switzerland to Umbria.

Milan became one of the five most important states in Italy during the 1400s. The Visconti family had been expanding their lands for almost a century. They conquered many cities and regions. These included Bergamo, Pavia, Novara, Cremona, Como, Lodi, and Brescia. They also took Bellinzona (in modern Switzerland), Parma, and parts of southwestern Piedmont. Gian Galeazzo greatly expanded the Duchy even further. He conquered cities like Verona, Vicenza, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena.

Ambrosian Republic (1447–1450)

Bartolomeo Colleoni, a military leader for the Golden Ambrosian Republic

In 1447, the last Visconti duke, Filippo Maria Visconti, died. He had no male heir to take over. So, the people of Milan declared themselves a republic. They called it the Golden Ambrosian Republic. This new republic quickly faced attacks from its neighbors.

In 1450, a military leader named Francesco I Sforza conquered Milan. He had married Filippo Maria Visconti's daughter, Bianca Maria. Francesco Sforza brought back the Duchy and started the House of Sforza family as its new rulers.

Sforza Rule (1450–1499)

The battle of Crevola in 1487, which secured the Val d'Ossola region

Under the Visconti and Sforza families, the Duchy had to defend itself often. It fought against the Swiss, the French, and the Venetians. This continued until Ludovico Sforza was captured by the French in 1500. This allowed the new French king, Louis XII, to claim the Duchy for France.

French Rule (1499–1526)

In 1498, Louis XII became the King of France. He immediately wanted to claim Milan, as his father had. In 1499, he invaded and quickly removed Lodovico Sforza. The French ruled the Duchy until 1512. Then, the Swiss drove them out and put Lodovico's son, Massimiliano Sforza, on the throne.

Massimiliano's rule did not last long. In 1515, the French, now led by Francis I, invaded again. They won the Battle of Marignano and took control. Massimiliano was taken prisoner. The French were driven out again in 1521. This time, the Austrians took over and put Massimiliano's younger brother, Francesco II Sforza, in charge.

After the French lost the Battle of Pavia in 1525, Emperor Charles V became very powerful in Italy. Francesco joined a group called the League of Cognac against the Emperor. This group included Venice, Florence, Pope Clement VII, and the French. Because of this, Francesco was forced out of Milan by the Emperor's forces. However, he kept control of other cities in the Duchy. He was restored to Milan itself by a peace agreement in 1529.

In 1535, Francesco died without any children. The question of who would rule next came up again. Both the Emperor and the French king claimed the Duchy, leading to more wars. In 1545, a part of the Duchy of Milan was used to create the Duchy of Parma. This new Duchy was given to Pope Paul III's son, Pier Luigi Farnese.

Spanish Habsburg Rule (1556–1707)

Emperor Charles V held the Duchy from 1535. In 1556, he gave it to his son, King Philip II of Spain. The French finally recognized Spain's control of the Duchy in the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559.

The Duchy of Milan remained under Spanish Habsburg rule until the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). During this war, the Austrians invaded in 1701. They gained control of the Duchy in 1707.

Austrian Habsburg Rule (1714–1796)

The Duchy stayed in Austrian hands until 1796. That year, the French army led by Napoleon Bonaparte took it over. Austria gave up the Duchy in the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797. The Duchy then became the main part of the new Cisalpine Republic.

Military

Under the Spanish rulers from 1535, Milan became very important for the Spanish king's army. At that time, Lombardy had the most advanced factories and businesses in the world. This made it a valuable resource for the Spanish military. It was like a huge weapons factory and a very important strategic location.

Besides resources, Milan also provided soldiers. During the war between France and Spain (1635–1659), Milan sent and paid for about 4,000 soldiers each year for the Spanish king. Many of these soldiers fought in the Low Countries against the Dutch army.

Legacy

After Napoleon was defeated, the Congress of Vienna decided in 1815 that the Duchy of Milan would not be brought back. Instead, its land became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. This kingdom was part of the Austrian Empire, and the Emperor of Austria was its king. This kingdom stopped existing in 1866. At that time, its remaining parts joined the Kingdom of Italy.