The Duchy of Milan (1395-1797) was one of the Italian States, formerly a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. It was ruled by the House of Visconti and the House of Sforza in its early stages and fought against the Kingdom of France in the Italian Wars from 1499 to 1521. It gained its independence from France in 1521 and allied with the Austrian Empire in the Italian Campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars, and was occupied again by France in 1797.
History[]
The Duchy of Milan was founded in 1395 by the House of Visconti, who purchased the duchy for 100,000 florins from Wenceslaus III of Bohemia. The Visconti family were Christians, and they were initially on good terms with the Papal States. They allied with the Pope against Aragon in the Aragonese Conquest of Naples (1421-1443), but they were convinced by Alfonso V of Aragon that it was not in their interests to attempt to stop the Aragonese from taking over Naples. The Duchy of Milan was ruled by the Visconti until 1447, when the Ambrosian Republic (a Guelph-Ghibelline effort to rule jointly) was founded. Francesco Sforza defended the republic from the Republic of Venice before seizing power for himself in 1450 and bringing the House of Sforza to power. They ruled Milan until the death of Francesco II of Milan in 1535, having been deposed in 1500 by the Papal States and the Kingdom of France during the Italian Wars - Milan lost their possessions in Romagna to the army of Cesare Borgia.
Milan was conquered by the Spanish Empire during its wars with France, and Milan was the capital of the Province of Lombardy until it was conquered from Spain in 1714 by the Austrian Empire during the War of the Spanish Succession. Milan was semi-independent under Austria and joined the First Coalition (1792-1797) during the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1800), and they fought against General Napoleon Bonaparte when he invaded Italy. France later liberated Milan from Austrian troops and set up the Cisalpine Republic in Austrian Italy's place.
Gallery[]
| Milan | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by: Milan |
1395-1500/1714/1797 | Succeeded by: Spanish Empire Austrian Empire French Empire |