Ludovico's portrait in the Pala Sforzesca, 1494–1495 (Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan)[a]
Duke of Milan
Reign
21 October 1494 – 6 September 1499
Predecessor
Gian Galeazzo Sforza
Successor
Louis XII of France
Regent of Milan
Regency
7 October 1480 – 21 October 1494
Monarch
Gian Galeazzo Sforza
Born
3 August 1452 Milan, Duchy of Milan
Died
27 May 1508 (aged 55) Château de Loches, Kingdom of France
Spouse
Beatrice d'Este
Issue Detail
Massimiliano Sforza
Francesco II Sforza
Giovanni Paolo I Sforza (illegitimate)
Bianca Sforza (illegitimate)
House
Sforza
Father
Francesco I Sforza
Mother
Bianca Maria Visconti
Ludovico Maria Sforza (Italian:[ludoˈviːkomaˈriːaˈsfɔrtsa]; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (Italian:[ilˈmɔːro]; "the Moor"),[b] and called the "arbiter of Italy" by historian Francesco Guicciardini,[3] was an Italian nobleman who ruled as the Duke of Milan from 1494 to 1499.
Although he was the fourth son and excluded from his family's succession, Ludovico was ambitious and managed to obtain dominion over Milan. He first assumed the regency from his sister-in-law Bona, then took over from his deceased nephew Gian Galeazzo, whom some say he poisoned. Considered enlightened, generous, and peaceful, he became a patron of artists and writers. His court in Milan became one of the most important in Europe during the Italian Renaissance.[4]
Somewhat contrarily, Ludovico was also considered fearful and of a fickle nature.[5] To face the threats of King Alfonso II of Naples, Ludovico called the French to Italy; when threatened by the French, he could not face the danger, and was saved only thanks to the intervention of his wife, Beatrice.[6] When she died, he went into a depression[7] and the state of his court fell from jubilance to despair.[8] He finally succumbed to King of France Louis XII, who imprisoned him in France where he died.[9]
^Vezzosi, Alessandro (1997). Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Man. New Horizons. Translated by Bonfante-Warren, Alexandra (English translation ed.). London, UK: Thames & Hudson. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-500-30081-7.
^Cf. John E. Morby (1978). "The Sobriquets of Medieval European Princes". Canadian Journal of History. 13 (1): 13.
^Opere inedite di Francesco Guicciardini etc, Storia fiorentina, dai tempi di Cosimo de' Medici a quelli del gonfaloniere Soderini, 3, 1859, p. 217
^Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Silvio Biancardi, La chimera di Carlo VIII, 1492–1495, Interlinea, 2009, p. 57.
^Cite error: The named reference più fonti 12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Gaspare Visconti, Rodolfo Renier, Tip. Bortolotti di Giuseppe Prato, 1886, pp. 6–7.
^Cite error: The named reference Calmeta, p. 25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Ludovico Maria Sforza (Italian: [ludoˈviːko maˈriːa ˈsfɔrtsa]; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (Italian: [il ˈmɔːro]; "the...
the Sforza family were no longer needed. In 1499, in the course of the Italian Wars, the army of Louis XII of France took Milan from LudovicoSforza (known...
succeeded as duke by his son, Galeazzo Maria Sforza. While Sforza was recognized as duke of Milan, his son Ludovico would be the first to have formal investiture...
p. 38. After the assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza in 1476, his brother Ludovico Maria Sforza (nicknamed il Moro) plotted to obtain the regency...
1476 his father, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, was assassinated and he became the Duke of Milan. His uncle, LudovicoSforza, acted as regent to the young duke...
1536) was the favourite and most celebrated of the many mistresses of LudovicoSforza, known as Lodovico il Moro, Duke of Milan. She is best known as the...
Sforza family to rule Milan. He was the second son of LudovicoSforza and Beatrice d'Este. When Ludovico was ousted from Milan in the course of the Italian...
is Cecilia Gallerani, a mistress of LudovicoSforza ("Il Moro"), Duke of Milan; Leonardo was painter to the Sforza court in Milan at the time of its execution...
on 6 October 1499. LudovicoSforza was captured on February 1500, dying in prison in 1508. His son Massimiliano became the Sforza claimant to the Milanese...
Maria Sforza (Italian: Massimiliano Maria Sforza; 25 January 1493 – 25 May 1530) was a Duke of Milan from the Sforza family, the son of LudovicoSforza. He...
his career in the city, but then spent much time in the service of LudovicoSforza in Milan. Later, he worked in Florence and Milan again, as well as...
Crivelli was a mistress of LudovicoSforza "il Moro", Duke of Milan. She was the mother of Sforza's son, Giovanni Paolo I Sforza, Marquess of Caravaggio...
Milan carrying a gift from Lorenzo to the regent ruler, LudovicoSforza. He was employed by Ludovico from 1481 to 1499, during which time his most important...
II of Naples from the House of Trastámara. Her paternal great-uncle LudovicoSforza, known to history as "Il Moro", usurped her father's power and sent...
Bona of Savoy, until his uncle, Ludovico il Moro usurped the throne of the duchy. Ludovico il Moro, son of Francesco Sforza, managed to obtain the guardianship...
the public in Milan, Louis lowered the old Sforza taxes by as much as one-third. Meanwhile, LudovicoSforza had been gathering an army, mainly among the...
by a personal friend. Until the 20th century it was thought to show LudovicoSforza, a Duke of Milan and employer of Leonardo. During a 1904–1905 restoration...
Sforza age. The corner defended by the Torre Ducale is characterized by a loggia bridge, attributed to Bramante, and commissioned by LudovicoSforza in...
of Sforza Maria, perhaps poisoned by Bona herself and Simonetta, Antonio Tassino persuaded his lover to grant his other brother-in-law, Ludovico, the...
for LudovicoSforza. LudovicoSforza (1452–1508), Duke of Milan Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), polymath. He worked in Vigevano for LudovicoSforza. Juan...
architect, Lorenzo de' Medici, in 1492. Combined with the ambition of LudovicoSforza, its collapse allowed Charles VIII of France to invade Naples in 1494...
(1933–1968), Italian sports car driver LudovicoSforza (1452–1508), member of the Sforza dynasty of the Duchy of Milan Ludovico Maria Sinistrari (1622–1701), Italian...
Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, and Bianca Maria Visconti. He was also the brother of two Milanese dukes, Galeazzo Maria Sforza (1466–1476) and Ludovico Sforza...
Muzio Attendolo Sforza (28 May 1369 – 4 January 1424), was an Italian condottiero. Founder of the Sforza dynasty, he led a Bolognese-Florentine army at...
invaded Italy in 1499; after Gian Giacomo Trivulzio had ousted its duke LudovicoSforza, Cesare accompanied the king in his entrance into Milan. At this point...