From the Feuds of Romagna to the Duchy of Milan: Rise and Genealogy of the Attendolo-Sforza Dynasty (Updated 2026)

From the fertile plains of Romagna to the ducal throne of Milan, the trajectory of the Attendolo-Sforza family represents one of the most extraordinary sagas of social and military ascent in the Italian Renaissance. Born as a house of the wealthy rural bourgeoisie, entangled in local feuds, it was able to transform itself in little more than a generation into a dynasty of condottieri whose name, “Sforza”, became synonymous with power, ambition, and the art of war. This epic is built on two inseparable pillars: the military genius of its men and a network of strategic alliances in various parts of Italy, sealed by marriages with daughters of noble houses such as the Salimbeni and the Aldobrandeschi in Tuscany; the sister of a favorite of the queen of Naples, Caterina Alopo, the da Marzano and the San Severino in Campania; the Trinci in Umbria; the Ruffo in Calabria; the da Varano and the da Montefeltro in the Marche; the Visconti in Lombardy. The history of the house is that of the transformation of a Romagnol surname, Attendolo, into a political brand, Sforza, capable of dominating the Italian scene for a century. This history of the Attendolo/Sforza is one of multiple lights and shadows; lights that concern positively, from the point of view of military art, the three main exponents of the dynasty: Muzio Attendolo Sforza, his son Francesco, and Micheletto Attendolo. The shadows concern the latter two, with Francesco indeed reaching maximum success by becoming duke of Milan, but at the price of a long list of misdeeds that also touched his family, and Micheletto, the latter being a victim of a definitive defeat at the hands of his nephew (the battle of Caravaggio). He was removed by the Venetians who, after his passage into the ranks of the Florentines—at the time adversaries of the Serenissima—also requisitioned from him the lordship of Castelfranco Veneto previously entrusted to him. Thus ends the parabola of this warrior who, after being considered one of the most famous condottieri of his time, ends up in oblivion, lord of a small fief in Piedmont offered to him by his nephew Francesco; in the last years of his life, he ingloriously let himself become involved in small local wars and in the smuggling of grain along the border lands with Liguria.

A) The first generation of the Attendolo brothers

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MUZIO ATTENDOLO SFORZA

(1369 May – 1424 January) Born in Cotignola as Giacomo Attendolo, Muzio Attendolo Sforza is the fundamental figure from whom the Sforza house descends. Lived between May 1369 and January 1424, he comes from a family of the wealthy rural bourgeoisie, in perennial rivalry with the Pasolini for local predominance. The sources mention his father, who supported his debut in the military career, but do not report his name. His brothers, companions in the first struggles and enterprises, are explicitly identified as Bosio, Bartolo, and Francesco Attendolo. Two other brothers, Matteo and Tonduzzo, were killed treacherously during the feud with the Pasolini. Muzio is the father of a good 16 children; the biographies clearly distinguish the descent based on the mothers, a determining factor for the status and future trajectories of the children. From Lucia Terzani, he has Francesco, Alessandro, Giovanni, and Leone Sforza. Lucia is also the mother of Corrado da Fogliano, who thus becomes a half-brother on the mother’s side of Muzio’s children. From his first wife, Antonia Salimbeni, he has Bosio Sforza. The adoption of the nickname “Sforza” by Muzio, and its subsequent formalization as a surname by his son Francesco, is not a random event, but a deliberate act of construction of a political identity. This step marks the transition from a family name, “Attendolo”, linked to a geographical origin (Cotignola), to a name based on a personal virtue, “Sforza”, which functions as a powerful and recognizable dynastic brand.

Muzio Attendolo Sforza ties his name to one of the two schools of war into which the Italian militia was divided in the 15th century: the Sforzesca in opposition to the Braccesca school of Braccio di Montone. The Romagnol condottiero is considered as a follower of a prudent strategy, which involves advancing in small steps to aim for the attrition of the opposing forces, while that of his rival develops according to a logic that involves rapid times in search of decisive action. The Sforza prefers large, well-trained ranks, so as to minimize human losses; Braccio di Montone proceeds with an action based on the use of small squads, which alternate during the battle for the purpose of bewildering the enemy and depriving them of valid points of reference. A planner of his actions, the Sforza is generous with enemies, inexorable with traitors, strict in discipline; the accumulation of wealth is not strictly his primary objective. On the contrary, he appears decidedly inferior as a politician, resulting at times as a tool of the ambitions of others, from the claimants to the kingdom of Naples to the court favorites. Despite being a skilled man of war, unlike his son Francesco, he lacks the ability to know how to take advantage of the favorable situations that, from time to time, present themselves to him to build his own autonomous lordship. He marries, in first marriage, Antonia Salimbeni, widow of Francesco Casali, lord of Cortona (dowry of fiefs in Tuscany); in second, Caterina Alopo, sister of the Grand Seneschal of the kingdom of Naples Pandolfello Alopo (5 castles in Calabria); in third, Maria di Marzano, widow of Luigi d’Angiò and of the count of Celano Nicola Berardi (some fiefs in Terra di Lavoro).

B) The brothers of Muzio

Bartolo, Bosio, and Francesco Attendolo. They are the brothers of Muzio who flanked the great condottiero in Umbria in one of his first campaigns. The first is remembered for being the father of Micheletto and of Lorenzo. Their fate is identical. They all die from diseases contracted in the same campaign; they are buried in Marsciano in the Perugian area. Muzio had a tomb built in the locality, placed in a small chapel, in which their ashes are deposited.

Crespolo Attendolo. Brother of Muzio, father of the condottiero Olivo Attendolo.

Elisa Attendolo. Her presence is a clear example of how matrimonial alliances are a pillar of family power. Sister of Muzio, she marries Leonetto da San Severino. From this marriage is born the famous condottiero Roberto da San Severino, nephew of Muzio and first-degree cousin of Francesco Sforza. Roberto’s entire career is built on this kinship.

Margherita Attendolo. Mother of the condottieri Marco and Foschino Attendolo.

C) The progeny of Muzio Attendolo Sforza

The next generation, led by the sons of Muzio Attendolo, is the one that transforms the family name into a symbol of power. Adopting the surname Sforza, these heirs distinguish themselves in separate lineages with differentiated political destinies.

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FRANCESCO SFORZA

(1401 July – 1466 March) Francesco Sforza marries Polissena Ruffo, princess of Rossano in Calabria, Maria Caldora, daughter of the Abruzzese condottiero Jacopo (the marriage is annulled after six years by the pope Martino V) and Bianca Maria Visconti, daughter of the duke of Milan Filippo Maria. Among all the condottieri who reach lordship, Francesco Sforza is the one most kissed by “fortune”, a recognition remembered by several commentators: although what should be highlighted, rather, is his ability to juggle the complex situation in which Italy of the fifteenth century finds itself. Unlike many captains of his time, equally valorous and ambitious, he is not just a man of arms, but a character in whom the gifts of military genius are combined with those of the skilled politician, qualities that allowed him to reach the goals set step by step, to arrive in the end at the conquest of one of the most prestigious Italian states, the duchy of Milan. A skilled warrior, he equals his father Muzio in value and courage; he surpasses him in counsel, bringing the house of the Sforza to its maximum splendor. In this context of glory and power, however, there is in him the presence of all the vices of his time: his “fortune” is connected to a set of perfidies and misdeeds, moreover common in that era, but certainly not disdained by the condottiero. It begins with the episode of the death of Braccio di Montone, which sees him as the protagonist, so says tradition, of an intervention with a gloved hand on the surgeon’s probe who is examining the wound of the Umbrian condottiero. Death is thus instantaneous. Giuseppe Cavalcanti (Istorie fiorentine) reports of the imprisonment, with false letters sent by him to the adversaries, to have the enemy king of Naples Alfonso d’Aragona capture the two condottieri who abandoned him: his brother-in-law Troilo da Rossano and Pietro Brunoro. Other victims of his revenge, always for the same reason, are the Sarpellione and Niccolò da Pisa. Such behavior does not change when he reaches the long-awaited goal. Prison or death now touch Guglielmo di Monferrato, the marquis of Crotone Antonio Ventimiglia, Carlo Gonzaga, Tiberto Brandolini and other captains who are, at times, thrown into the prisons of Pavia without sufficient reasons. He is also co-responsible for the death of Jacopo Piccinino, planned with the king of Naples Ferrante d’Aragona. In agreement with the latter, he convinces his son-in-law (the condottiero had recently married his daughter Drusiana) to reach the Aragonese kingdom where he was appropriately offered a provision of 70,000 ducats in time of peace (90,000 in time of war) and other benefits. The end of Piccinino is known. He is soon arrested, tortured so that he confesses a presumed treason, and strangled in prison. Francesco Sforza is also remembered for his immoderate libertinism. 35 are his children, of whom 26 are illegitimate, had from various lovers during his campaigns in Italy. Long affected by a severe form of dropsy and by gout, he dies at the beginning of March 1466, in the arms of his last lover, Elisabetta da Robere, also called “dalle Grazie”. The death occurs in his Milanese palace, the court of Arengo, in the chamber of the Dog.

ALESSANDRO SFORZA

(1410 October – 1473 April) Natural son of Muzio, he becomes lord of Pesaro giving rise to a branch of the Sforza dynasty that will rule the city for three generations. Alessandro Sforza is the father of Costanzo Sforza and of Battista Sforza, wife of Federico da Montefeltro. He is an expert condottiero who has the opportunity to exercise the profession of arms in many parts of Italy (Umbria, Lazio, Marche, Veneto, Abruzzi, Emilia, Romagna, Lombardy, Campania, and Puglia), as well as in France and Belgium in the service of the King of France Charles VII. Invested with the apostolic vicariate of Pesaro by Pope Niccolò V, he must defend his lordship from the snares constantly set for him by the lord of Rimini Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. After his long military career, he can retire in peace to Pesaro. He collects a splendid library in the city; he spends his time delighting in astrology and reading theological texts such as the works of St. Thomas Aquinas. He marries Costanza da Varano and Sveva da Montefeltro, half-sister of Federico. He has a sexually active life like his brother Francesco; he brings several lovers to court. In particular, from one of his relationships four children were born, two girls and two boys. After a few years he sends the woman back to her husband because he has become infatuated with a cousin of the woman, who was also married. His second wife Sveva da Montefeltro is only 23 years old at the time of his death: she enters the monastery of the Poor Clares of Corpus Domini in Pesaro taking the name of Serafina. In 1754 Pope Benedetto XIV will proclaim her blessed.

LEONE SFORZA

(1406 May – 1440 July) Indivisible companion of his brother Francesco, he fights by his side acquiring the reputation of an expert captain. He faces Niccolò Fortebraccio in the pay of the papal forces. He is taken prisoner by the opposing captain, near Montefalco, while he is playing chess and his guard is found unprepared to react effectively. Wounded in the head, he is locked up in the fortress of Assisi. He dies at only 34 years old at the siege of Caravaggio, mortally hit in the groin by a gunshot or, according to another source, by a bombard shot to a leg. He marries Marsabilia Trinci of the lords of Foligno. He dies without leaving children.

GIOVANNI SFORZA

(1407-1451) He also, like his brother Leone, fights faithfully for his brother Francesco. In 1432 Giovanni Sforza is employed by his relative as governor of his lands in the kingdom of Naples. At the end of his career he lives in Pavia, where he leads a sad life both due to the shaky health that has tormented him for some time, and due to economic hardships. He asks his brother, now duke of Milan, to be given the house in which he lives and some cloth to be able to offer a suit to his servants. Francesco Sforza orders the captain of the park of Pavia to allow his servants to go there to cut firewood. He dies in Pavia two months later in December 1451. He is buried at night in the church of San Francesco with the habit of a minor friar. The inheritance consists of a cloak and an old scarlet suit that go to his two servants. All his other assets were given as collateral to Jewish moneylenders in Novara. He marries Lavinia da Lavello, daughter of the condottiero Tartaglia.

CORRADO DA FOGLIANO/CORRADO SFORZA

(1410-1470 December) Son of Marco da Fogliano and of Lucia Terzani, Corrado is the half-brother of Muzio’s sons on the mother’s side. A condottiero always faithful to the Sforza cause, he receives honors, wealth, and various advantages from it. The bond is so strong that some chroniclers of the time record his deeds no longer as the work of Corrado da Fogliano, but as those of Corrado Sforza. He distinguishes himself, in particular, in the battle of Romagnano where, under the orders of Bartolomeo Colleoni, he faces the Savoy troops commanded by the lord of Gruffy Giovanni di Campeys (6,000 horses and many Picard archers). The clash is terrible. Every soldier who falls into the hands of the French has his helmet removed to be slaughtered. The situation is uncertain, until the arrival of the Sforza cavalry and the Venetian one (at the time Francesco Sforza is allied with the Serenissima) changes the fate of the combat. The enemies suffer the loss of 2,000 horses and the capture of another 1,000. The losses of the allies amount to 600 men. The condottiero is always present where there are adversaries of Sforza, by now duke of Milan. He also signals himself in taming a peasant revolt in the Piacenza area. At its end he accuses Tiberto Brandolini of connivance with the rebels. This captain, already fallen into disgrace for his behavior, is also accused of having had contacts with Jacopo Piccinino and with Giovanni d’Angiò, claimant to the kingdom of Naples. The end can only be decapitation, where Brandolini, among many charges, is considered the author of every type of wickedness. Corrado da Fogliano marries Gabriella Gonzaga.

The line of the Counts of Santa Fiora

BOSIO SFORZA

(1411-1476 March) Son of Muzio and of his first wife, Antonia Salimbeni; half-brother, therefore, of the sons of Lucia Terzani. Bosio Sforza through his marriage with Cecilia Aldobrandeschi, inherits the county of Santa Fiora. He thus becomes the progenitor of the branch of the Sforza family of Santa Fiora (branch extinct in 1712) and of the collateral one of the Sforza-Cesarini, still existing. He spends all his life in the camps, fighting especially in the service of his brother Francesco. His daughter Anastasia marries Braccio Baglioni, lord of Perugia.

BOSIO II SFORZA

† 1535 (August) Eleventh count of Santa Fiora. He benefits from a pact stipulated by his father Federico, which provides for the firstborn male the right to have the county. Father of Sforza, Mario Sforza, Carlo and Paolo. Father-in-law of Sforza Pallavicini and of Girolamo Orsini. He marries Costanza Farnese, daughter of the cardinal Alessandro (future Pope Paolo III), brother of the cardinal Guido Ascanio Sforza of Santa Fiora. His sons, all famous condottieri, are a demonstration of the duration and the capacity for adaptation of the Sforza house. A century after Muzio, his descendants are still protagonists of the military scene even if in a changed political context.

SFORZA SFORZA (1520 – 1575 October) Son of Bosio II and brother of Mario, Carlo and Paolo. Famous captain; one of the most illustrious condottieri of his time, expert in military architecture as regards fortification works. Religious, prudent, liberal are the most frequent terms expressed towards him by the commentators of today and yesterday. Sforza Sforza is awarded the Spanish order of the Golden Fleece. He militates in the pay of papal, imperial forces, of the dukes of Parma and Florence, and of the Spaniards. In the service of the latter, he takes part in the battle of Lepanto against the Turks. He marries Luigia Pallavicini, widow of Cagnino Gonzaga, and in second marriage Caterina de’ Nobili, great-granddaughter of Pope Giulio III.

MARIO SFORZA

(ca. 1531 – 1591 January). Son of Bosio II and brother of Sforza, Carlo and Paolo. Practical, prudent, valorous, of excellent counsel, noble, of great experience are, in his case, the adjectives of the contemporary writers regarding him. His long activity is often marked by the passage (at the end of the stipulated contracts or for private reasons) from one front to the opposite one. Mario Sforza thus militates for the imperials, the papals (at the defense of Parma), the French in the war of Siena. Captured (or having let himself be captured) by the Florentines, he passes to their service to face the French in the same conflict. He returns to the service of the latter (he is granted the collar of the Order of Saint Michael); it is then the turn of the Florentines (he is granted the knighthood of the Order of Saint Stephen) to end with the imperials for the purpose of fighting the Turks. Having retired after so many years to his fiefs, he dies in Rome. He marries Fulvia Conti who brings him as a dowry Segni, Valmontone and other minor castles of Lazio.

PAOLO SFORZA

(1535 – 1597) Son of Bosio II and brother of Sforza, Mario and Carlo. Paolo Sforza repeatedly faces the Turks at the defense of Malta on behalf of the papals; he continues in favor of the imperials in Greece, where he takes part, like his brother Sforza, in the battle of Lepanto. Other deeds see him in Hungary countering once more the troops of the Ottoman Empire.

CARLO SFORZA

(1524 – 1571) Unlike his brothers, his warring activity takes place at sea, mainly in the order of the Knights of Malta, of which for a certain period he has command of the galleys. Forced to leave the order, following a brawl that involved some deaths within the order itself, Carlo Sforza takes refuge in Rome where he obtains command of the papal fleet. His military objective is always the Turks and the Barbary corsairs. He takes part in the undertaking of Algiers. His last service is in favor of the King of France. He is thus involved at their side in the war of Parma and in that of Siena, where he flanks his brother Mario. For his last days, he re-enters the Jerusalemite order. A more complete profile of him can be consulted on the site corsaridelmediterraneo.it

D) The collateral branches: the Attendolo

While the sons of Muzio adopt the surname Sforza and aim for the top of power, their cousins, descendants of the patriarch’s brothers, continue to honor the name Attendolo, establishing themselves as first-rate condottieri. Their careers intertwine, depending on the circumstances, with those of the Sforza in a complex relationship of alliance, service and, sometimes, rivalry.

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MICHELETTO ATTENDOLO

(ca. 1370 – 1463) Son of Bartolo Attendolo, brother of Lorenzo, nephew of Muzio Attendolo and first-degree cousin of Francesco Sforza, father of Perino, Raimondo and Pietro Antonio. His company has a continuous existence from 1425 to 1448. In this time span, 512 condottieri signed a contract to serve under the orders of Micheletto Attendolo. An expert and prudent soldier, for almost three decades he has been considered as one of the captains of greatest fame in the Italian military landscape, so much so as to equal in some circumstances that of his cousin Francesco Sforza.

LORENZO ATTENDOLO

(ca. 1351 – ca. 1442) Son of Bartolo, brother of Micheletto, nephew of Muzio and cousin of Francesco Sforza. In his case too, some children dedicated themselves to the profession of arms, without, however, particular success. After his first experiences in the companies of Alberico da Barbiano and of Brandolino Brandolini, he has the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities as a condottiero of the Sforzesca school in the pay of Angevins, papals, Florentines, Estensi, Venetians. In several circumstances he is found alongside his uncle Muzio. With his brother Micheletto, he cooperates in the liberation of his relative, imprisoned in Benevento by Giacomo di Borbone, husband of the Queen of Naples Giovanna d’Angiò. It is the kingdom of Naples, finally, that sees him as a protagonist, so much so that he manages to acquire his own lordship in Puglia regarding some localities such as Corato, Bisceglie and Ruvo di Puglia.

MARCO ATTENDOLO

(† 1465 ca.) Son of Margherita, sister of Muzio, and of Giovanni de Manegoldi of Cotignola; brother of Foschino. He is considered a valorous, honest and learned captain. Marco Attendolo militates in the ranks of his uncle Muzio and his cousin Micheletto against Aragonese and Visconti. After a few years he abandons the companies of the latter to pass into the pay of another cousin, Francesco Sforza. He faces the Venetians commanded by his relative Micheletto. Author of a life of Muzio, whose only manuscript is kept in the Vatican Apostolic Library.

FOSCHINO ATTENDOLO

(1392 June – 1465 ca.) Son of Margherita, sister of Muzio, and of Giovanni de Manegoldi of Cotignola; brother of Marco. Foschino Attendolo also militates in the companies of his uncle Muzio. He is taken prisoner by adversaries twice in his life, the first of which by the troops of Braccio di Montone. On that occasion he is imprisoned in the fortress of Marta, an island in Lake Bolsena. Unlike his brother, upon the death of his uncle by drowning in the Pescara river, he always flanked his cousin Francesco Sforza in his enterprises, from his beginnings until the conquest of the duchy of Milan. He marries Emilia Attendolo, court lady of the duchess Bianca Maria Visconti.

The parallel careers of the cousins Attendolo and Sforza reveal an asymmetric path. If in the early stages Muzio, Micheletto and Lorenzo act almost as equals, the ambition of Francesco Sforza deeply alters the balance. While the Attendolo establish themselves as elite military commanders in the service of great powers like Venice, Sforza vigorously pursues the goal of his own lordship. The political success of Francesco creates a gravitational pull that acts particularly on the children of Micheletto. Even Micheletto’s career, as anticipated, eventually suffers from this state of subjection.

OLIVO ATTENDOLO

(† 1450 ca.) Son of Crespolo, brother of Muzio. Known simply as Olivo, he militates in the companies first in those of his uncle and, subsequently, until his death in those of his cousin Micheletto. Notable is his contribution, in the pay of the papals, to the struggle against Niccolò Fortebraccio. He always militates alongside his cousin also in the service of the Venetians in struggle with the Visconti. Thanks to the profession of arms, he is invested with two small lordships in Basilicata.

PERINO ATTENDOLO

(† 1421 October) Son of the first marriage of Micheletto. Valorous captain, known above all for his audacity.

RAIMONDO ATTENDOLO

(† 1475) Son of Micheletto and brother of Pietro Antonio. After having flanked his father at the beginning of his own military career, he passes to the service of his cousin Francesco Sforza and his successor, his son Galeazzo Maria. He dies far from Lombardy.

PIETRO ANTONIO ATTENDOLO

(† 1480) Son of Micheletto and brother of Raimondo. His military career is similar to that of his brother. Equally conflictual are his relationships with the Duke Galeazzo Maria (son of Francesco), so much so that his fief of Gropparello is requisitioned from him several times. Burdened by debts contracted with some Jewish moneylenders in Piacenza, he leaves the profession of arms to move away from the duchy and thus be able to escape creditors. Once his problems were resolved, he returned to his lands in the Piacenza area.

In addition to the ducal branch of Milan and the comital one of Santa Fiora, the descent of Muzio Attendolo gives life to two other important dynastic lines, which continue its name and influence for a few decades.

E) The line of Pesaro

The Pesaro branch, founded by one of Muzio’s most brilliant sons, becomes a center of culture and power in the Marche.

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COSTANZO SFORZA

(1447 July – 1483 July) Son of Alessandro, father of Giovanni and of Galeazzo. Valorous soldier, friend of letters, among the best princes of his time, revered by his subjects: there is no lack of appreciation for him by commentators of every age. His intense military life does not prevent him from being a patron of the arts and, at the same time, from enjoying a good reputation as a poet. Despite being among the most famous condottieri of his time, no episodes of gratuitous violence are recorded against him. At war with Estensi and papals, he suddenly feels ill. Transported to Pesaro, he dies in his bed a few days later, watched over by his wife Camilla Marzano d’Aragona. He was, in all probability, poisoned by the enemies of the Serenissima, for whom he is currently serving, perhaps even at the instigation of the treacherous relative, the duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Sforza, advised in this sense by Ludovico Sforza (Ludovico il Moro).

GIOVANNI SFORZA

(1466 July – 1510 July) Valorous in arms, but not as much as his father; very different from him, moreover, regarding his malignant and vengeful character. Giovanni Sforza is known in particular for having been the first husband of Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of the pope Alessandro VI. Forced by the pressure of the papals and the duke of Milan, his relative Ludovico Sforza, after six years of marriage he signs the certificate of his own marital default in the presence of doctors and theologians. To take revenge, he is the author of the insinuation that accuses the father-pope of having abused his daughter, already his wife. He is declared deposed from the lordship of Pesaro for not having paid the tribute due for his vicariate to the state of the Church. Abandoned by all, he must take refuge in Venice. He returns to Pesaro upon the death of Alessandro VI. Thirsty for revenge, he vents his fury against the rebels of the city: confiscations, imprisonments and death sentences (with torture, dismemberment and strangulation in the cells, as in the case of the humanist Pandolfo Collenuccio) are his way of dealing with the opposition. He takes part in the so-called war of the League of Cambrai against the Venetians on behalf of the papals of Giulio II. Struck by fever in Gradara, he has himself taken to Pesaro where he dies, perhaps from a form of plague. He marries Maddalena Gonzaga, sister of the marquis of Mantua Francesco, Lucrezia Borgia and the Venetian Ginevra Tiepolo.

GALEAZZO SFORZA

(1469 – 1515 April) Son of Costanzo, brother of Giovanni. Upon the death of his brother, Galeazzo Sforza assumes power in Pesaro on behalf of his nephew Costanzo II. Pope Giulio II asks him for a considerable sum of money for tributes not paid to the state of the Church; the citizenry no longer wants to accept the presence of the Sforza in the city government. Obliged to leave the locality, he holds for some time, on behalf of the papals, the post of governor of Bologna; finally, he ends up at the court of Massimiliano Sforza, where the Sforza, after some years, managed to recover the duchy of Milan. While he is heading with the duke towards the Sforzesco Castle, he runs into a patrol looking for three miscreants. He does not know how to answer the password; he is seriously wounded in the shoulder by a gunshot. He dies shortly after, perhaps from septicemia.

F) The last condottieri of house Sforza

Even the main ducal branch, with natural sons, continues to produce military figures; a testimony this of the persistence over time of the family’s warring vocation.

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ALESSANDRO SFORZA

(1453-1523) Natural son of the duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza, brother of Caterina Sforza. His career, between abandoned ecclesiastical assignments and military commands, illustrates the role of high-ranking illegitimate sons: strategic resources for the family, whose destiny is linked to the fortunes of the main branch. Alessandro Sforza becomes captain general of the Milanese troops under his nephew, the duke Massimiliano Sforza. Banished from the duchy following the victory of the French in the battle of Melegnano, he moves constantly tormented by gout. He marries Margherita (or Barbara) Barbiano di Belgioioso and, in second marriage, a Brescian noblewoman.

GIAMPAOLO SFORZA

(1497 March – 1535 December) Natural son of the duke Ludovico Sforza (Ludovico il Moro). Being a brave man of arms is the only mention regarding him. The career of Giampaolo Sforza takes place during the tumultuous wars of Italy, fighting the imperials in favor of his brother, the duke Francesco II. Upon the death of his relative, he tries to succeed him at the head of the Milanese duchy: his claim is based on an ancient privilege of the emperor Massimiliano of Austria. The document is made to disappear by courtiers close to the Spaniards, who immediately took possession of the territory. He sets out for Naples to assert his rights before the emperor Charles V. Having arrived in Florence, he dies there from illness or, more probably, from poison made to be administered to him by the governor of the duchy, the Spaniard Antonio de Leyva.

The trajectory of the Attendolo-Sforza is one of the most extraordinary of the Italian Renaissance: from a house of the Romagnol rural bourgeoisie to creator of an Italian political brand, up to the conquest of the duchy of Milan. Success rests on two fundamental pillars: military skill and the ability to find strategic matrimonial alliances. The family’s history branches out into various ramifications: the ducal line destined to rule Milan, the collateral branch that maintains the Attendolo name, the prestigious lordship of Pesaro and the lasting line of the Counts of Santa Fiora, capable of prospering for centuries. Together, these branches compose the complex and fascinating tapestry of one of the best-known Italian dynasties.

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