Duchy of Milan

Quick Facts: Who was Duchy of Milan?

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Duchy of Milan

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A powerful historical state in Northern Italy, ruled by the Visconti and Sforza families.

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Origins & Early Life

The Duchy of Milan (Italian: Ducato di Milano; Lombard: Ducaa de 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 family, which had ruled the city since 1277. At that time, it included twenty-six towns and the wide rural area of the middle Padan Plain east of the hills of Montferrat. During much of its existence, it was wedged between Savoy to the west, Republic of Venice to the east, the Swiss Confederacy to the north, and separated from the Mediterranean by the Republic of Genoa to the south. The duchy was at its largest at the beginning of the 15th century, at which time it included almost all of what is now Lombardy and parts of what are now Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna. Under the House of Sforza, Milan experienced a period of great prosperity with the introduction of the silk industry, becoming one of the wealthiest states during the Renaissance.

Career & Major Achievements

From the late 15th century, the Duchy of Milan was contested between the forces of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of France. It was ruled by Habsburg Spain from 1556 and it passed to Habsburg Austria in 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The duchy remained an Austrian possession until 1796 when a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte captured it in the War of the First Coalition, and it ceased to exist a year later as a result of the Treaty of Campo Formio, when Austria ceded it to the new Cisalpine Republic. After the defeat of Napoleonic France, the Congress of Vienna of 1815 restored many other Italian States which he had dissolved, but not the Duchy of Milan. Instead, its former territory became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, with the Emperor of Austria as its king.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1859, Lombardy was ceded to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, which became the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The fate of the city of Milan was intertwined since the 13th century with that of the Visconti family, who resumed the policy of territorial expansionism inherited from the city's municipality. One of the first Visconti exponents to lead the Lombard city was Ottone Visconti, elected archbishop in 1262 and who defeated the Della Torre family in the Battle of Desio in 1277. In the first half of the following century, his nephews and great-grandsons who came to govern Milan: Matteo I, Galeazzo I, Azzone and the Archbishop Giovanni, expanding the area of Visconti influence over the surrounding regions. An equal policy of enlargement and consolidation was pursued in the second half of the century by their successors: Matteo II, Bernabò and Gian Galeazzo.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1262: 1262 Milestone — One of the first Visconti exponents to lead the Lombard city was Ottone Visconti, elected archbishop in 1262 and who defeated the Della Torre family in the Battle of Desio in 1277.
2. 1395: 1395 Milestone — The Duchy of Milan (Italian: Ducato di Milano; Lombard: Ducaa de 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 family, which had ruled the city since 1277.
3. 1556: 1556 Milestone — It was ruled by Habsburg Spain from 1556 and it passed to Habsburg Austria in 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession.
4. 1796: 1796 Milestone — The duchy remained an Austrian possession until 1796 when a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte captured it in the War of the First Coalition, and it ceased to exist a year later as a result of the Treaty of Campo Formio, when Austria ceded it to the new Cisalpine Republic.
5. 1815: 1815 Milestone — After the defeat of Napoleonic France, the Congress of Vienna of 1815 restored many other Italian States which he had dissolved, but not the Duchy of Milan.
6. 1859: 1859 Milestone — In 1859, Lombardy was ceded to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, which became the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Duchy of Milan

True or False: “The Duchy of Milan was permanently dissolved after Napoleon's defeat in 1815.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the Congress of Vienna did not restore it, its territory became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia until Piedmont-Sardinia annexed Lombardy in 1859.

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