The biography of a house, especially one that is ancient or far-reaching, always presents a rich gallery of figures whose lives stand out within the broad fresco of Italian history at the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th centuries. The story of the Trivulzio family represents not only the upward trajectory of a Milanese noble house but serves as a prism through which to observe the profound transformations involving first the Duchy of Milan and, subsequently, the entire peninsula. They are one of the greatest houses of Milan and Lombardy, originating from the Pavia area—specifically from the municipality of Trivolzio, a town of 1,100 inhabitants today.

Initially aligned with the Ghibelline faction, the family saw four of its representatives (Ambrogio, Gabriele, Riccardo, and Accomio) allied with other Milanese families—such as the Baggio, Pusterla, Aliprandi, Maino, and Mantegazza (each of whom had a relative victimized by the cruelty of Duke Giovanni Maria Visconti)—determined to suppress the tyrant. In mid-May 1412, a large group of conspirators, all favoring the Ghibelline cause and the ascent of a son of Bernabò Visconti (whether Astorre or Giovanni) to the duchy, went to the church of San Gottardo and stabbed the Duke to death. With the subsequent defeat of their candidate by his cousin Filippo Maria (the second son of Gian Galeazzo Visconti), the final outcome was their exclusion from all amnesties, extending to their descendants up to the fourth degree.

A similar anti-Visconti stance (this time adhering to the Guelph faction) was later taken by Antonio, who became one of the leaders of the Ambrosian Republic. His kinsman Erasmo, conversely, faithfully followed the fate of Duke Filippo Maria as a condottiero and as a ducal commissioner in Parma. Upon the death of the last Duke of the House of Visconti, Erasmo—like the aforementioned Antonio—initially sided with the Ambrosian Republic before aligning himself with the victor, Francesco Sforza. Emerging from the turbulent context of the Duchy of Milan, the Trivulzio family evolved from captains of mercenary militias into protagonists of the Italian scene, eventually becoming privileged interlocutors even for the Kings of France.

The house is the only one on the peninsula to count two Marshals of France in its family records, Gian Giacomo and Teodoro, and to have six of its members honored with the prestigious transalpine chivalric order, the Collar of Saint Michael (in addition to Gian Giacomo and Teodoro, Paolo Camillo, Girolamo, Gianniccolò, and Alessandro are also to be remembered, whose complete biographies can be found on this site). The rise of the Trivulzio is linked to the sunset of the Visconti dynasty and, with the fall of the Ambrosian Republic, to their immediate support for Sforza power: choices that reveal remarkable political navigation and, over time, led the Sforza to recognize in the Trivulzio an unparalleled military expertise.

In this context, members of the house also distinguished themselves through their strategic vision, which transcended the battlefield. The dominion over vital fiefs such as the castle of Mesocco in the Canton of Ticino and that of Vigevano (strongholds for controlling communication routes between the Po Valley and the Alpine passes) were further signs of their ability to foresee the future toward increasingly ambitious goals. A final note: since the 16th century, several branches detached from the main stock, including the Lords of Codogno and Casteldidone (extinct in 1549); the branch of the Marquises of Pizzighettone (extinct in 1532); the branch of the Marquises of Vigevano, Counts of Mesocco and the Rhine Valley (1573); the branch of Borgomanero, Porlezza, and Boiano (1549); the branch of the Counts of Melzo (1622); and the branch of the Counts of Melzo, Princes of the Empire and of Mesocco (1678).

The decline of the Trivulzio’s military fortune coincided with the end of political freedom in Italy and the establishment of Spanish predominance. However, the house’s footprint on the Milanese duchy remained indelible, representing the last example of a lineage of condottieri capable of dreaming big by uniting the audacity of fortune with the legitimacy of the fief. The end of many family members—between diseases contracted during conflict (Francesco and Paolo Camillo), more or less serious wounds in battle (Renato, Gian Giacomo, Alessandro), and deaths in exile (Teodoro)—highlights the precariousness of an existence lived on the blade of a sword, in an era that saw the transformation of knights of fortune into captains of standing armies.

GIOVANNI DA TRIVULZIO †1423

Father of Antonio. He married Antonia Fagnani. He was the first to enter the College of Decurions in Milan.

ANTONIO DA TRIVULZIO † 1454 (January)

Guelph. Lord of Codogno and Pontenure. Son of Giovanni, father of Gian Giacomo and Renato. He married Domenica Aicardi Visconti. A condottiero of clear renown in the service of the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti, and Francesco Sforza, defending the latter’s domains in the Marche region threatened by the Aragonese and Papal forces. He was among the founders of the Ambrosian Republic and took part in the internal struggles between Ghibelline and Guelph factions. Antonio soon joined the cause of Sforza, who was intent on conquering the Milanese duchy. The Milanese chose him along with six other citizens (including Pietro Francesco Visconti and Gaspare da Vimercate) to invest the new Duke (Sforza) with the symbols of power; he was tasked with girding him with the sword at the end of the ceremony. His son, Gian Giacomo, was raised at court with other young Milanese nobles and Sforza’s own children.

ERASMO DA TRIVULZIO 1383–1459 (February)

Marquis of Varzi. Lord of Brescello, Boretto, and Gualtieri. Erasmo da Trivulzio married Caterina Spinola. He had no children. He is considered a captain of mid-tier caliber, so much so that he never held a top-level role in the Milanese army. He fought in the service of the Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti. He was present in numerous battles, sometimes victorious (Zagonara, Gottolengo, Castel Bolognese) and sometimes defeated (San Romano, Maturano, Battle of Mezzano). He was, regardless, an experienced condottiero, especially as a supervisor of the militias in service (in condotta), a position that granted him great authority over the men-at-arms (heavy cavalry), with the power to fine, dismiss, and grant leaves. Specifically, according to the military customs of the time, he had limitless jurisdiction over the troops at his disposal, which included—in cases of disobedience, desertion, or treason—the mutilation or death sentence of the investigated soldier. A notable citizen for his authority and prestige, he also played a significant role in the political life of the Milanese state. A man of solid moral standing, with the end of the Visconti dynasty, he supported the Ambrosian Republic and opposed Francesco Sforza’s ambitious designs on the duchy. Captured by his opponents, he was imprisoned first in the “Forni” of Monza and later in Pavia. Upon release, he was rehabilitated. Following Sforza’s victory, it was the condottiero himself who knighted him in Milan. He was also called to serve on the Ducal Council. Finally, his contribution to Lombard cultural life was noteworthy as a friend and protector of humanists and men of letters.

GIAN GIACOMO DA TRIVULZIO 1442 (June)–1518 (December)

Guelph. Count of Mesocco, Marquis of Vigevano, Baron of Loir in France, Duke of Melfi and Venosa while fighting for the Aragonese of Naples. Lord of Castell’Arquato, Basilicagoiano, Torricella, Vespolate, Trecate, Bassignana, Castelnuovo Scrivia, Chiavenna, Musso, Borgomanero, Mesocco, Garlasco, Gravedona. Son of Antonio; brother of Renato and Gianfermo; father of Gianniccolò (his only legitimate son) and eight other natural children, among whom Gianfermo and Camillo took up the profession of arms (the second in conflict with his father and assassinated in March 1522); cousin of Teodoro. He married the twelve-year-old Margherita Colleoni (dowry of 4000 ducati) and Beatrice d’Avalos (dowry of 10000 ducati). Universally known as “The Great” (il Magno), “he found himself in seventeen feats of arms, and of sixteen he brought back victory” (Morigi). Gian Giacomo is the figure who more than any other marked the destiny of the family and, in many ways, that of the Duchy of Milan. A condottiero of monumental stature, he lived a life of contrasts, moving from the faithful service of the Sforza to the payroll of the King of Naples, and then to the lieutenancy for the French Crown—choices that earned him the hatred of the Milanese Ghibellines and, at the same time, guaranteed him a place of honor in the wars that devastated Italy between the end of the 1400s and the early decades of the 1500s.

After so many successful enterprises that enriched his curriculum, his end was exceedingly sad. Due to his character and the envy inevitable in such circles, he had many detractors in the French court. The apparent cause was represented by his assets in Switzerland, which allowed him to conduct his own independent policy. Indeed, he signed a treaty of alliance with the Grisons for those territories, aimed at defending his interests as a feudal lord in the region. This aroused increasing suspicion. During those same days, the Parliament of Paris began to rule against him in the dispute regarding the possession of Castelnuovo Scrivia, which was contested by Galeazzo da San Severino. Furthermore, he was ordered to pay legal costs. He resigned from the high office of the Royal Hunt in favor of Galeazzo da Birago, only to face a refusal from King Francis I, who assigned the post to someone else. He then traveled to France to plead his case directly. As soon as he crossed the border, he was arrested for fear of rebellion. In Milan, meanwhile, the French governor of the duchy, Lautrec, placed his wife Beatrice and nephew Gianfrancesco under house arrest. His fall from grace was more than evident. Exonerated of the charges and freed, he tried in vain to meet with the sovereign. He renounced the agreement with the Grisons and granted half of his company to his natural son Camillo, who had also accused him at court. He died at night in early December 1518 in Chartres-sous-Monthléry, about twenty miles from Paris. His son Camillo was the first to suspect his father had been poisoned in the house of the Receiver General of Taxes. Until the end, Trivulzio refused to be seen by King Francis I’s physicians. He was accorded a solemn funeral by the sovereign himself. He is buried in Milan in the church of San Nazaro in Brolo (San Nazaro e Celso). Present at the funeral were his cousin Teodoro and Lautrec; the latter was the only one present (along with Ettore Visconti) who did not wear mourning clothes, instead flaunting a garment of a color other than black. “Gian Giacomo Trivulzio was one of those men who do not have friends, but either devoted admirers or bitter accusers” (Ricotti).

RENATO DA TRIVULZIO 1430–1498 (December)

Son of Antonio, father of Francesco, younger brother of Gian Giacomo, cousin of Teodoro. Renato da Trivulzio married Luchina Visconti and Taddea Torelli. His assessment as a man of arms suffers somewhat from the grand role played in the Italian wars by his kinsman, not by chance called “The Great.” Sources describe him as an expert and energetic condottiero, qualities he revealed while in the service of the Venetians at the victorious Battle of Campomorto against the Aragonese militias and, above all, against the Swiss while in the service of the (then) regent of the Milanese duchy, Ludovico Sforza. There were two victories in the 15th century by the ducal forces against the Swiss: the first, at Arbedo, by Carmagnola and Angelo della Pergola; the second occurring at the bridge of Crevola, on the Toce River, under the leadership of Renato da Trivulzio. This was a battle with many casualties on both sides: 2,000 for the Swiss and 4,000 for the Milanese. It is said that at the end of the battle, the river turned red with the blood settled in its bed and that it overflowed due to a sort of dam created by the great number of corpses piled there. Following the defeat of the Swiss invaders, the population of Val d’Ossola began hunting down the fugitives who had taken refuge in the nearby mountains to avenge the numerous lootings and massacres suffered during years of trans-border abuses. “A persistent rumor claims that the women, having disemboweled the Swiss, fed human entrails to the imprisoned brothers so they would remember that they themselves had been put in mortal danger by them so many times” (Madrignano). In addition to his warrior skills, Renato proved to be a skilled administrator, holding the position of Governor of Pavia.

FRANCESCO DA TRIVULZIO †1501

Natural son of Renato, father of Renato. Lord of Formigara. He married Margherita Grassi (widow of Giulio Sforza, natural son of Francesco Sforza) and Bianca Borromeo. In September 1499, he strangled his first wife in her bed at night. The next morning, he pretended to find her dead and went to Milan to apologize to the deceased’s brother, Ludovico Sforza. The Duke of Milan refused to receive him, as he did not believe it was a natural death. Francesco da Trivulzio, accompanied by some crossbowmen, seized his wife’s dowry (50,000 ducats) under the pretext of preserving them for his minor son. His assets were confiscated, and he was forced to flee Lombardy. Entering the service of the French, he supported Gian Giacomo da Trivulzio against Sforza’s troops. With the defeat of Sforza at Novara (April 1500), he pursued the former Duke; with his cousin Gianniccolò, he took possession of Como, Lugano, and Bellinzona in the name of King Louis XII of France. At the end of the month, he tried to enter Milan. The population rang the alarm bells to prevent his entry into the city. During those same days, the French sovereign sent him to Tuscany to aid the Florentines engaged in the war of Pisa. Falling ill the following year, he died during the siege operations of that city.

GIANNICCOLÒ DA TRIVULZIO 1479–1513 (July)

Count of Mesocco, Lord of Castelnuovo Scrivia, Vespolate and San Giovanni in Croce. Son of Gian Giacomo, brother of Gianfermo and Camillo, father of Gianfrancesco. He married Paola Gonzaga (dowry of 25000 ducati). Knight of the Order of Saint Michael. He fought in the service of the French, supporting his father in all his campaigns. He thus took part in the Battle of Fornovo where, alone among all the French-side combatants, he was knighted by King Charles VIII. With the conquest of Milan, he pursued the fleeing former Duke Francesco Sforza toward Germany. It was on this occasion that the new French King Louis XII conferred upon him the Collar of the Order of Saint Michael, to which were added positions then considered prestigious, such as the appointment of Grand Hunter and Falconer of the Duchy of Milan. He also took part in the War of the League of Cambrai against the Venetians. He carried out numerous cattle raids in the areas of Treviso, Padua, and Vicenza; he bought other herds at rock-bottom prices from the French and their Imperial allies. Six thousand head of cattle were driven to the Parma and Cremona areas to be sold. It is said he made a profit of 55,000 ducats from this operation. Later, his presence was noted in the battles of Casalecchio di Reno and, above all, on the victorious day of Ravenna. He died in early July 1513. His rise was prematurely cut short not by enemy weapons, but by the “French disease”—syphilis.

GIANFERMO DA TRIVULZIO †1556 (December)

Count of Mesocco, Marquis of Vigevano. Lord of Codogno and Melzo. Natural son of Gian Giacomo, brother of Gianniccolò, father of Alessandro and Girolamo. He married a daughter of Rodolfo Gonzaga, Margherita Valperga, and Caterina dei Landi. This figure represents the wing of the family that, after long service to the Kingdom of France, chose to defect to the opposing side, the Imperial party. His relationship with King Francis I went into crisis for apparently private reasons: the sovereign opposed his plan to marry the daughter of Girolamo Morone, General Commissioner of the Duke of Milan Francesco II Sforza to the Imperial army. The refusal was interpreted as an affront to his honor and autonomy: with this motivation, his defection to the opposing side was natural. He demonstrated the same character trait years later in the violent feud that pitted him against the Scotti family over the possession of a small village, a hamlet of Fombio in the Lodi area. The affair had a deadly epilogue with the killing of two members of the rival family in Venice by his assassins. The episode demonstrates how, even in the mid-sixteenth century, many condottieri—despite having institutional roles (membership in the Milanese Senate in Gianfermo’s case)—retained a mindset tied to private vendetta.

TEODORO DA TRIVULZIO c. 1458–1532 (October)

Guelph. Count of Lauria, Marquis of Pizzighettone. Lord of Borgomanero, Maccastorna, Melzo, Melegnano, Formigara, Zevio. Cousin of Gian Giacomo, father-in-law of Gianfrancesco, uncle of Renato II and Paolo Camillo. Teodoro da Trivulzio married Bona Bevilacqua. Knight of the Order of Saint Michael and Marshal of France. A cousin of the more famous Gian Giacomo (“the Great”), he was considered by commentators to be a military commander inferior to his kinsman; his loyalty was praised, but his excessive caution was considered a grave flaw. “He is slow and lazy,” for example, was the judgment expressed by the Doge of Venice Andrea Gritti, as reported in Sanudo’s diaries. His career began with the Aragonese of the Kingdom of Naples. He served them for eighteen years; he was called to the Royal Council and was honored by them with the fief of Lauria in Basilicata and another in Abruzzo. With the fall of the kingdom to the French, he entered the service of the latter, fighting against the Venetians and Spanish in major battles such as Agnadello and Ravenna. While serving the Venetians with the title of Governor General, he cooperated with Lautrec in recovering first Brescia and then Verona for the Serenissima. He obtained permission from Venice and returned to fight for King Francis I of France. He was elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France and served as Governor of Milan and Genoa. In both cases, he was forced to abandon the cities and order the retreat of his troops: the defeat of Pavia in the first instance and the uprising of the Genoese population against the French in the second. Finally elected Governor of Lyon, he died in that city in October 1532.

ALESSANDRO DA TRIVULZIO † 1521 (June)

Guelph. From the Melzo and Mesocco branch. Lord of Pontenure. Son of Gianfermo, brother of Girolamo. He married Ludovica da Gallarate. Knight of the Order of Saint Michael. He was unanimously considered an excellent captain by contemporary historians such as Giovio, Sansovino, and Grumello. His military fame is linked in particular to the strenuous defense of Mirandola in 1510–1511. Besieged by the troops of Pope Julius II, who personally led the operations in the snow, he resisted for a long time before surrendering. Despite the surrender, his valor was recognized by all, from the French to his adversaries. He was esteemed by King Francis I of France, who gave him the Collar of the Order of Saint Michael. His end was tragic and sudden. In 1521, he supported Lescun against the Imperials. He arrived near Reggio Emilia. Lescun asked the governor of the city, Francesco Guicciardini (the historian), to hand over some exiles who had found asylum in the city. A meeting was organized near a city gate. During the talks, a brawl broke out between attackers and defenders. Alessandro da Trivulzio was mortally wounded by an arquebus shot, while the French captain escaped death thanks to the presence of mind of Guicciardini, who pulled the captain into the nearby bastion. Trivulzio died a few days later. His company of men-at-arms and his position as Senator of Milan were granted to his brother Girolamo.

GIROLAMO DA TRIVULZIO †1524 (November)

Son of Gianfermo, brother of Alessandro. Knight of the Order of Saint Michael, Senator of Milan. He married Antonia Barbiano da Belgioioso. In his case too, like his brother Alessandro, he was described by commentators as one of the bravest condottieri in French service. Along with his grandfather Gian Giacomo, he was remembered by a 16th-century Spanish historian, Prudencio de Sandoval, as “outlawed Milanese knights, enemies of their duke and captains of men-at-arms for the King of France.” He faced the Imperials in combat multiple times. In November 1524, he was defending Melzo. At dawn, the town was attacked by the troops of the Marquis of Pescara, Ferdinando d’Avalos. Trivulzio went out to meet them without a helmet. He was thrown from his mount by a pike blow to the eye; in the confusion, his right hand was cut off. Taken prisoner, he was brought to Lodi where he died a few days later from his wounds.

GIANFRANCESCO DA TRIVULZIO 1509–1573 (July)

Count of Bassignana, Marquis of Vigevano. Lord of Codogno, Melzo, and Castelnuovo Scrivia. Son of Gianniccolò. He married Giulia da Trivulzio, daughter of Teodoro. He served many “masters”—first France, then the Empire, then several small Italian lordships, and finally the Papal States. His defining characteristic, noted in a study by the Frenchman Picot, was that he betrayed everyone, for which he was condemned to death several times. Litta further wrote of him: “(He served) many princes, indifferent to all, perhaps even unfaithful to all, burdened with private debts, without public virtues, a true portrait of the degradation of the Italian species after the invasions of the ultramontanes.”

PAOLO CAMILLO DA TRIVULZIO †1528

From the Borgomanero branch. Count of Porlezza, Duke of Boiano. Nephew of Teodoro da Trivulzio. He married Barbara Stanga. Knight of the Order of Saint Michael. He fought on the French payroll against the Imperials on various fronts, such as Veneto and Emilia. He served as lieutenant of his uncle Teodoro da Trivulzio’s company. For his warrior actions, the French awarded him the Collar of the Order of Saint Michael. In 1528, he followed Lautrec on his expedition to conquer the Kingdom of Naples. He distinguished himself at the siege of the Neapolitan city. Forced to retreat due to the plague, like other participants in the same venture (Pietro Navarro and Guido Rangoni), he took refuge in Aversa. He died there, a victim of the infectious disease that had struck the French camp.

RENATO DA TRIVULZIO (II) 1495–1543

Guelph. Son of Francesco, nephew of Teodoro. He married Isabella Borromeo. Like all members of his house, he fought for the French against the Imperials. One episode, in particular, reveals his nature—typical of the Trivulzio—of proud independence. For reasons of precedence, he wounded the Ghibelline Giacomo Maria Stampa in the face in the church of San Francesco in Milan, “guilty” of not yielding the way during a ceremony where the governor of the duchy, the Frenchman Lautrec, was also present. The latter considered the incident very serious, not so much because it occurred in a sacred place, but because it happened before his eyes. Captured, Renato was imprisoned in a tower of the Sforzesco Castle; he was released after four months only following a reconciliation with Stampa (to whom he was forced to provide guarantees for 6,000 ducats) and the donation of another 1,000 ducats to the convent of San Francesco. Finally, he had to beg for Lautrec’s pardon on his knees. He performed it all; out of shame, he left Milan and joined his uncle Teodoro to fight by his side against the Imperials. With the defeat of Pavia and the death of his uncle in Lyon, he abandoned the French party; he reconciled with the Duke of Milan Francesco II Sforza; he was reinstated in his possessions by Emperor Charles V. He was thus able to spend his final years in Lombardy occupied with diplomatic tasks. He was then highly honored in the city for his culture and prudence, so much so that he was considered by contemporaries to be a poet of some importance.