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144-488: On the other hand the Duke of Milan called and gave the general cane to Maria Galeazo, and captain did it of his people on the saddle, who riding then from hand to hand, with the banner in the wind of the snake, honor and glory of Lombardy, with many great gentlemen in company. He was the third son of the famous leader Roberto Sanseverino , first Count of Caiazzo and Giovanna da Correggio. The date of birth

288-461: A bitter plague", and that he had had him summoned to report to Duke Ercole that if what had ever offended her, as he knew he had done, he asks forgiveness from your ex. your and her, finding himself discontented to the soul ", since" in every prayer he had always prayed to our Lord God that she left after him, as the one in whom he had assumed all his rest, and since God did not like it, he prayed to him and would always pray to him continually, that if it

432-745: A certain Francesca Dal Verme, a woman who fiercely hated the Moro for personal reasons. Galeazzo was deeply saddened by it and remained locked up for many days in certain damp rooms of the castle of Milan that harmed his health, already debilitated by a recent illness. Some courtiers of Ludovico, namely the castellan Bernardino da Corte, the first secretary Bartolomeo Calco and the Archbishop of Milan, very worried about his approval, then went to visit him and found him "so shocked and dejected [...] full of tears and sobs so that he could hardly express

576-497: A certain certainty they come from the first marriage with Giovanna da Correggio: In 1473, in his third marriage, he married the Sienese Lucrezia Malavolti, daughter of Angelo. From the latter he certainly had: Although motherhood remains unclear, the following persons must also be considered as legitimate descendants of Roberto Sanseverino: He also had natural children: It is also necessary to calculate

720-486: A dead male child at five hours, and at half past six she gave back the spirit to God, whose bitter and immature mourning we find ourselves in so much bitterness and grief. how much it is possible to feel, and so much so that the more grateful we would have been to die first and not see us lack what was the dearest thing we had in this world» He told the Ferrarese ambassador that "he never thought he could ever tolerate such

864-421: A double Sforza-Este wedding: Ludovico married Beatrice, while Beatrice's brother, Alfonso d'Este, married Anna Sforza , the sister of Gian Galeazzo Sforza . Leonardo da Vinci orchestrated the wedding celebration. In Milan Beatrice will have two people dear in particular: the son-in-law Galeazzo Sanseverino , her faithful companion of adventures, and Bianca Giovanna, illegitimate daughter of Ludovico and wife of

1008-410: A few days he prepared a fairly fine army, with which he entered Novara and took it, and in a few days he also had the castle, which caused great fear to Ludovico Sforza and he was close to despair over his fate, had he not been comforted by his wife Beatrice [...] O little glory of a prince, to whom the virtue of a woman must give him courage and make war, for the salvation of the domain! However, due to

1152-600: A galley arriving in Naples on 1 June 1477. On 19 September, Eleonora gave birth to Ferrante and when less than a month later she had to return to Ferrara, she decided to take her eldest daughter Isabella with her, while King Ferrante convinced her to leave both the newborn and Beatrice in Naples, with whom he had immediately shown himself to be in love. Beatrice thus lived in the Neapolitan city for eight years, entrusted to

1296-457: A glorious death rather than drowning in the river as many did. The episode of the Venetian rout [...] and the death of Roberto Sanseverino is one of the most pitiful and significant in our military history in the fifteenth century. That brave, daring and almost reckless commander perished in a battle not against regular and well-trained troops, but against mountain men [...]; he perished for

1440-416: A greater profit than I, because I believe that the illustrious Lord Ludovico will give him Cusago [...] but I have broken my boots and, as I said above, I have gone mad, and these it is the earnings that are made to serve women [...] nevertheless I will have patience, making it successful for my Duchess, to whom I promised not to lack in anything until death. He also enjoyed the rare privilege of free access to

1584-530: A habit that she seems not to have preserved as an adult. In 1485 Ludovico persuaded his in-laws to return Beatrice to Ferrara so that she could be educated in a court more suited to her role (the Milanese had in fact a very bad opinion of the Neapolitans) and with the excuse of being able to visit her more easily (which she never did). King Ferrante denied her with "good and living reasons", saying that she

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1728-441: A life of violent entertainment mostly in the company of the very elegant Galeazzo Sanseverino, spending February and March in sometimes risky hunts and games in the surrounding castles.» (Achille Dina, Isabella of Aragon Duchess of Milan and Bari.) In his letters Galeazzo used to sign himself with the triple surname Sfortia Vicecomes de Sancto Severino , or because through his marriage with Bianca Giovanna he had been "adopted" within

1872-677: A meeting of the Maggior Consigli, to a sumptuous breakfast at the Doge's Palace, and visited the Arsenal, the island of Murano, St. Mark's Basilica and the Treasury. A curious episode that took place on this occasion is contained in one of her letters to her husband, to whom Beatrice tells how, while walking through Piazza San Marco, some with the excuse of admiring her ruby had lingered too much on her neckline and how she had responded in

2016-563: A memorial, given to her by her husband before her departure, with which he communicated, among other things, his practices with the emperor for obtaining the investiture to the Duchy of Milan. Then she showed a second letter from her husband, just arrived from Belriguardo, saying "this is stronger now": with it she announced the firm intention of Charles VIII to carry out the enterprise against the kingdom of Naples and to appoint Ludovico head and conductor of this enterprise. He therefore wished to know

2160-413: A murder by Beatrice's father, who would have poisoned his stepdaughter in revenge against Galeazzo, who offered his palace to the secret meetings between Ludovico and Lucrezia Crivelli, so that he would have taken revenge in the same way. This seems completely far-fetched, considering the intense affection that bound Beatrice to Bianca Giovanna, who claimed to have next to her at all times. In the same way it

2304-406: A political purpose: to urge the emperor to the enterprise of Pisa in an anti-French function. In recent months, however, relations between the two spouses had become very worn out due to the adulterous relationship that Ludovico had with Lucrezia Crivelli, his wife's lady-in-waiting. Despite the bad moods, Beatrice found herself pregnant for the third time, but the pregnancy was complicated both by

2448-506: A retinue of more than 1 200 people. They sailed first along the Po, then on a dangerously rough sea that aroused many fears among those present, but not in Beatrice, who enjoyed mocking the fearful of the group. On the morning of 27 May the fleet reached the fort of Malamocco, where it was welcomed by a delegation of patricians. Beatrice then landed on the island of San Clemente, where she found

2592-399: A short time, from less than mediocre he made them very rich [...] Already in 1486 King Ferrante of Aragon instructed his Milanese ambassador to greet Galeazzo on his part, telling him that he had heard "of his virtues, of his good bearings, and of the great affection that he brings us" and saying he was willing to gladly give him some benefit, if the opportunity had arisen. In 1488 Galeazzo

2736-563: A shrewd way: "I had a necklace of pearls and a ruby on my chest [...] and there were those who put their eyes almost up to my chest to look at him and I saw so much anxiety I told him we had to come home, since I would have gladly shown it ". Finally, on 30 May, she secretly received in her chamber three oratories deputies from the Signoria and, having let out all her gentlemen and secretaries, she remained alone with them, saying that she wanted everything to remain top secret. She then presented

2880-439: A siege from which he was finally defeated a few months later on the imposition of King Charles who returned to France. Beatrice d'Este managed to expel from Novara the Duke of Orleans, who had seized it, directly threatening Milan over which she boasted rights of possession. Peace was signed, and Charles returned to France, without having drawn any serious fruit from his enterprise. Lodovico Sforza rejoiced in this result. But it

3024-564: A stone, he was wounded in the face. The valiant bearing of Galeazzo during this fateful battle was described by the Venetian Ercole Cinzio Rinucci in one of his compositions in octaves. Marin Sanudo comments in this regard: "Trivulzio, seeing these prisoners, and above all Signor Lodovico, thinks, oh reader, what joy!!" Roberto Sanseverino d%27Aragona Roberto Sanseverino d'Aragona (1418 – 10 August 1487)

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3168-446: A sword wound in the eye, two of schioppetto: one in the arm and the other in the knee; a blow of the sword to the right hand and finally a blow, deadly, of spear to the neck. According to another source, he was pierced to death by a Colleonesco soldier and pushed into the river. Ludovico il Moro , who seemed to take pleasure in the death of his great enemy, painted him instead while several times he tried to escape, without success, towards

3312-864: A te, che gli è gran disonore Morir in su le piume un capitano In 1498, the body was transported at the request of his sons and Ludovico il Moro to Milan to be buried in the church of San Francesco Grande, in a chapel he had built. When the church was demolished in 1809 all traces of his remains were lost. In Venice in the Doge's Palace the following inscription was placed in his memory: Bellorum domitor, Severina stirpe Robertus/ Alter qui nostro tempore Cesar erat,/ Cuius virtutem Feraria ferrea sensit/ Horruit Aemilia celsasque Roma tremit./ Frenavit Janue partes Liguremque superbum/ Italiae terror teutonicusque metus,/ Fortuna invida regat posta fata Tridenti,/ Quod non vita sibi, mors inopina dedit. Roberto Sanseverino married at least twice and had numerous children, at least twenty-five or twenty-six, whose names are not all known. There

3456-467: A torn cloak of a beggar. His only concern became the embellishment of the family mausoleum and the neglected state fell into disrepair. With these few words on that same night, he announced the departure of his wife to the Marquis of Mantua Francesco Gonzaga , husband of his sister-in-law Isabella:[[[46]] ] «Our illustrious bride, since labour pains came to her this night at two hours, gave birth to

3600-590: A woman of strong and valiant soul, chased him up, and made him once think of him as Sovereign. Loys duc d'Orleans [...] en peu de jours mist en point une assez belle armée, avecques la quelle il entra dedans Noarre et icelle print, et en peu de jours pareillement eut le chasteau, laquelle chose donna grant peur à Ludovic Sforce et peu près que desespoir à son affaire, s'il n'eust esté reconforté par Beatrix sa femme [...] O peu de gloire d'un prince, à qui la vertuz d'une femme convient luy donner couraige et faire guerre, à la salvacion de dominer! Louis Duke of Orleans [...] in

3744-602: Is ever possible for a living person to see a dead, grant him the grace that he may see her and speak to her one last time, as the one he loved more than himself ". Even the Sanuto writes that "Whose death the duke could not bear for the great love that brought her, and said that he no longer wanted to take care of either his children, or the state, or worldly things, and just wanted to live [...] and since then this duke began to feel great troubles, while before he had always lived happily". The Emperor Maximilian , in condoning with

3888-452: Is hit in the throat, having preferred to die fighting and showing his face to the enemies, rather than fleeing trying to save himself by swimming in the Adige. Even the date of August 10, which brings our Zambotti back to the battle, is the true one, not that of August 17, reported by others. Bernardino Corio and Marin Sanudo also agree that Roberto died fighting. According to them, however,

4032-588: Is known when in 1466, in the garden of the Duchess of Calabria, he came to seriously insult the prince of Salerno, his namesake, for a dispute over some properties. He was stubborn and impatient, thirsty for honors. Judging by his armor, now on display in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Roberto was of very short stature. Conversely, Aliprando Caprioli describes him as follows: "Roberto

4176-561: Is no reliable genealogy. In addition, the years of birth of children are usually unknown, so it is impossible to determine their order. Particularly controversial is the marriage with Elisabetta da Montefeltro, illegitimate daughter of Duke Federico of Urbino, dating back to 1462, which appears in various genealogies, while no evidence is found in the sources themselves. It can be assumed certain that Roberto married Giovanna da Correggio in 1447. The marriage lasted until her death in 1467 and produced numerous children, some of whom died young. With

4320-547: Is not at all clear, to be placed around 1458-60 and perhaps in Milan, where his mother Giovanna was certainly in the years 1458-59, waiting for the return of her husband from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land .  It is not even known whether his brother Antonio Maria was born before or after, but certainly after his second son Gaspare, known as Fracasso , who was already married in 1475. He made his first military experiences in

4464-498: Is not clear what reason Galeazzo could have had for wanting the death of his duchess, thus seriously damaging his father-in-law and the state. He himself had been ill with fevers in recent months. Significant is finally the great pain that he showed for the loss of Beatrice: the Este ambassador Antonio Costabili, in describing to Duke Ercole the manifestations of mourning at the funeral of his daughter, showed himself particularly struck by

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4608-412: Is not known why, but it was probably out of jealousy of her husband. King Ferrante, informed on the matter, replied that it was impossible that Isabella had tried to poison Galeazzo, who was "loved by them as a son and always proved to be a good servant and relative"; as for Rozone, he said he was surprised that his niece "out of desperation" had not done worse. But Isabella's retaliation against Galeazzo

4752-464: Is not said, being able only to observe, that as a certificate of this Corio had died shortly before Bianca, bastard of this Duke Lodovico, and wife of the aforementioned Galeazzo. But since rumors of the vulgar enter easily into these facts, I do not vouch for any of these secret news. The passage, somewhat vague, received different interpretations over time. According to some, the Muratori overshadowed

4896-637: The Battle of Fornovo (1495), both he and his wife took part in the peace congress of Vercelli between Charles VIII of France and the Italian princes, at which Beatrice showed great political ability. In the summer of 1496 Beatrice and the Moor met Maximilian I of Habsburg in Malles. The emperor was particularly kind to the Duchess, going so far as to personally cut the dishes on her plate, and wanted her to sit in

5040-682: The Bentivoglio , to whom he was linked by friendship: he was present in Bologna when the very young Hannibal was knighted by King Christian I of Denmark in 1474. In the autumn of 1476 he fought in the Duchy of Savoy against the troops commanded by the Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold , sacking Santhià and San Germano Vercellese. But in December he was forced to return quickly to Milan where Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza had been assassinated. During

5184-539: The Emperor-elect Maximilian I . Beatrice's primary concern was from that moment to ensure her son the succession to the Duchy of Milan, which, however, legitimately belonged to the son of her cousin Isabella, for whose purpose she persuaded her husband to appoint the little Maximilian as Count of Pavia, a title belonging exclusively to the heir to the duchy. Isabella, understanding the intentions of

5328-519: The first of the Italian Wars , when her intervention was able to repel the threats of the Duke of Orléans , who was on the verge of conquering Milan. "She [...] showing the courage of a man, and that a stout-hearted one, in face of danger. [...] She was indeed a "virago", in the honourable mediaeval sense of the word. A woman, as Gregorovius defines it, raised by courage and understanding above

5472-586: The Castello Sforzesco, the gifts of the Milanese nobility were exhibited on tables covered with crimson gold velvet, offered to the Moro in view of the imminent birth of his son. Among these were "two beautiful diamonds" worth 18,000 ducats and a beautiful golden cradle, donated by his father-in-law Hercules. On 23 January Beatrice gave birth to her eldest son Hercules Maximilian , baptized after her father Hercules ( Ercole ), to whom she always had unconditional love, and later named Maximilian in honour of

5616-427: The Este ambassador Giacomo Trotti, saying that he had been forced to vent with Cecilia. The ambassador in turn reproached Beatrice for her frigidity and invited her to put "so much shame on the other side", by saying that "men want to be well seen and caressed, as is just and honest, by their wives", but without too much success, as she showed herself to him "a little wild". Not even the continuous pressure exerted by

5760-417: The Este ambassador wrote in 1479 to her mother Eleonora that the father would also return her son, now that he was older, but not Beatrice, because "his majesty wants to give her in marriage and keep her for himself". Formally adopted by her grandfather, the child in those years came to sign herself simply "donna Beatrice de Aragonia" and learned to express herself in a mixture of Catalan, Castilian and Italian,

5904-595: The Este to fight the Venetians. With the Peace of Bagnolo, on August 7, 1484, Venice retained almost all the conquered possessions; Sanseverino was elected captain general of the Italian League for nine years; he was given a conduct of 600 spears and an annual salary of 120,000 ducats (6,000 to be paid by the pontiff, 8,000 by the king of Naples, 50,000 by Venice, 50,000 by the Duke of Milan and 6,000 by Florence). He

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6048-498: The French side. The name appears several times in the chronicles and letters and it is not possible to establish whether it was always the same person or different, nor above all if it corresponds to the homonymous court poet Galeazzo Visconti. The uncertainty lies in the variability of the names with which at the time it was possible to indicate the same person: Ludovico Sforza himself is sometimes mentioned as "Ludovico Vesconte" and it

6192-573: The League, if at some point he invited not too kindly Ludovico to lock his wife "in coffers". Since the Germans wanted to make "cruel revenge" against the Italians, Ludovico begged Francesco to save Beatrice, fearing that she would be raped or killed. The marquis with an intrepid spirit rode among the Germans and not without great effort managed to mediate peace. "Understanding success, Ludovico became

6336-474: The Marquis of Mantua Francesco Gonzaga , always for the same reasons: the Milanese conduct of the Marquis, in fact, ended at the very beginning of 1489, shortly after Galeazzo had obtained the title of captain general. Floriano Dolfo probably alludes to the latter, in a letter full of vulgarity written in 1496, when he tells the Marquis Francesco to praise his decision, taken years earlier, to pass to

6480-429: The Marquis of Mantua, who had been insulted. Mercurio, knowing him as "a young expert and a strong man in arms" and doubting "not to lose his honor to fight with him", preferred to ambush him with 25 stradioti on the road from Melegnano to San Donato Milanese. They gave him more than thirty wounds, "so that the poor young man, as he came to defend the honor of the marquises and so his own, miserably remained dead." Mercury

6624-491: The Moro, who in fact after the death of his wife was no longer able to take care of the state. The mysterious Francesca dal Verme would however be an illegitimate daughter of Count Pietro dal Verme, a man who said he was poisoned by his wife Chiara Sforza on commission of the Moro, who took over the possessions at the expense of the count's children just to make a gift to the favorite Galeazzo. Bianca Giovanna, until then healthy, began to suffer from illness immediately after going to

6768-538: The Neapolitans and fired Sanseverino who, apparently, blackmailed the pontiff, threatening to abandon him if he did not grant one of his sons the title of cardinal. The Sanseverino fled chased by the troops of the enemy daringly towards the borders of Venice and then took refuge in his possessions near Cittadella. He returned to command of the Venetian troops in the war that arose for reasons of duties against Sigismund of Habsburg in 1487; he occupied Rovereto and from

6912-596: The Rocca del Castello in Milan but, not feeling equally safe, he contemplated leaving the duchy to take refuge in Spain. Only the iron opposition of his wife and some members of the council, as Bernardino Corio writes, convinced him to desist from this idea. Lodovico [...] so disheartened that he divided himself to be hospitalized in Arragona, and there he quietly ended his days in a private condition. But Beatrice d'Este, as

7056-641: The Sforza family or because of his descent from Muzio Attendolo . A series of letters written in this period to the Marquise Isabella d'Este contain a curious and interminable dispute about who was the best paladin: Orlando or Rinaldo, as well as the story of a trip made by Beatrice d'Este to Cusago and the many amusements of the new duchess. These letters, however, contain only the signature Galeaz Sfortia Vicecomes armorum capitaneus appears. This generated some confusion among historians, since there

7200-597: The Val Lagarina he focused on Trento. He occupied the Castle of Nomi, Castel Pietra and Castel Beseno, but on August 10 in an ambush in the battle of Calliano the Sanseverino was overwhelmed in the route. Hearing that the Germans were coming down armed from the mountains in large quantities, he with his men went back to the Adige river, but found that the bridge had already been broken by Andrea dal Borgo for fear that

7344-680: The Venetians at Genivolta in July 1452. In 1458 he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and left a detailed diary of the journey. On his return he was sent by the Sforza, in the second fortnight of October 1460 to the aid of the king of the Kingdom of Naples Ferrante d'Aragona and participated until 1464 in the war between the Aragonese and the Angevins for the possession of the Kingdom, following

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7488-477: The aforementioned Galeazzo, at the time of her father's wedding a nine-year-old girl, whom Beatrice immediately loved and wanted with her on every occasion. The marriage was immediately declared consummated, in truth it remained secretly blank for over a month. Ludovico in fact, out of respect for the innocence of the bride, did not want to force her but waited patiently for her to be willing to give herself spontaneously. The Dukes of Ferrara instead pressed to hasten

7632-402: The alliance with Venice proved fruitful, which sent Bernardo Contarini, provveditore of the stratioti , to the rescue, with whom Beatrice became friends. Some severed heads of the French were brought to her by the stratioti, and she rewarded them with a ducat for each. Guicciardini 's opinion is that if Louis d'Orléans had attempted the assault immediately, he would have taken Milan since

7776-483: The attack of the Milanese (1478). The following year he was under the service of Pope Sixtus IV in the war against Florence. While returning from Tuscany he was joined in Lunigiana by Galeazzo Maria Sforza and Ludovico Sforza who fled from exile who with the support of the king of Naples tried to return to Milan still under the regency of Bona of Savoy. Sanseverino was convinced to support the decisive attack and after

7920-403: The ball; Ludovico was not so worried by this as by the enthusiasm of the sire of Beauveau towards his princess wife: Beauvau was the lord of the court of Charles VIII, the most inclined to be quickly loved by women; he had the audacity to want to please the princess. Ludovico, who realized this, seeing that the French had the audacity to attack the glory of a prince who, although he did not yet have

8064-521: The beautiful Cecilia Gallerani . To apologize for the constant postponements, in August 1490 he offered the bride a splendid necklace as a gift. The official nuptials were to have taken place in January 1491 in a double wedding with Beatrice marrying Ludovico and Isabella marrying Francesco at the same time, but the Duke of Bari postponed it more than once. Finally, around a year later, they were wed in

8208-409: The behavior of Galeazzo, who "in demonstrations, words and deeds did wondrous things as testimony to the affection he bore to her, extending himself to make known to everyone the virtues and goodness that reigned in that Most Illustrious Madonna". More likely, the Muratori wanted to imply that if the two young women met such a premature death within a month, evidently someone was looking for the ruin of

8352-515: The best leaders of the peninsula. Galeazzo in particular immediately became the favorite of Ludovico, who certainly had to recognize his excellent courtesan qualities, and from this moment began for him a career in perpetual ascent, as well as to spread his fame. Of southern origins but without a homeland, the chronicler Andrea Prato alludes to him, when he reproaches Ludovico for his bad choices: [...] He favored foreigners far more than his own; and some of those he loved with so much fervor that, in

8496-410: The bridge was not deliberately cut by Andrea dal Borgo, but broke by itself due to the fury of those who crossed it. Andrea dal Borgo was however led in chains to Venice, blamed for having been the cause of the defeat of the leader, for not having wanted to give him help. Ruberto Sanseverino, as abandoned, remained among the enemies, proving an excellent captain and a private soldier; and although he

8640-445: The captains against the French, despite the fact that the Duke of Orleans made raids in that area all day long, while her husband remained in Milan. On this occasion she demonstrated – not unlike her male relatives – a remarkable inclination to war. This is considerable when one considers that the conduct of war operations was at that time the prerogative of men. More than the kinship with her father, whose help she asked for help in vain,

8784-443: The care of the nurse Serena and the cultured and virtuous aunt Ippolita Maria Sforza , and grew up between the ducal residence of Castel Capuano , where she lived with her younger brother and with her three cousins, Ferrandino , Pietro and Isabella , and the royal residence of Castel Nuovo , where the king and queen of Naples resided. Ferrante considered it a "same thing" with the infanta Giovannella his daughter, so much so that

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8928-522: The cavalrymen pursued the fugitives beyond the Taro river in an attempt to prevent them from continuing the march towards Lombardy, while the rest of the soldiers of the Holy League gave themselves to the looting of the camp French. On November 23, 1496, a few months after the transductio ad maritum, the young Bianca Giovanna died of a "stomach disease", or according to some for poisoning perpetrated by

9072-466: The classic one between knight and lady, as his biographer interprets it and as Galeazzo himself declares in one of his letters, referring to his eternal and absolute servitude to Beatrice. He represents in some ways the forerunner of the cavalier servant , a figure that would arise only three centuries later. A sexual metaphor could in fact be read in a passage by Sanudo , who in 1499 wrote: [...] Signor Galeazo di Sanseverino enjoyed little reputation on

9216-486: The coming centuries, Roberto became famous for his high military valor, strategic genius and courage. Together and after Bartolomeo Colleoni was the first and most esteemed leader of the Italian peninsula, so much so that it was said that only after his death Alfonso of Aragon could rise to this podium. He was shrewd, profiteering and proud, as well as - just like her son Fracasso - angry, fiery and impetuous: she often fell subject to violent attacks of anger in public; it

9360-458: The company of his father Roberto and in 1475 he obtained, together with his brothers, his first conduct in the pay of Florence. In June 1483, during the Salt War , Galeazzo and his brother Gian Francesco  [ it ] deserted the Venetian conduct of their father Roberto and entered the service of the Duke of Bari, then Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro , despite the fact that his father

9504-525: The conduct; he then passed into the service of the Republic of Florence against the Republic of Venice and in July 1467 participated in the battle of Riccardina, where he was noted for his valor. In 1471 he again stipulated a four-year conduct with Galeazzo Maria Sforza who also renewed the investiture of Colorno. His company at that time often stayed in Romagna and Roberto frequented the lords of Bologna ,

9648-534: The conquest of Tortona and the capture of various castles and strongholds entered Milan in September 1479, also following the reconciliation of Ludovico Sforza with the Duchess Bona. Roberto was given back his possessions and had Lugano, Balerna and Mendrisio in fief. He was called to be part of the ducal council, until 1481, when he had disagreements with the new duke. In 1482 he was hired by Venice: between

9792-457: The conspiracy of the Barons. Between 1462 and 1463 he distinguished himself in the subjugation of numerous Apulian cities still rebellious: Accadia, Troia, Serracapriola, Manfredonia and Monte Sant'Angelo. He came into conflict with King Ferrante, who would not have granted him what he had been promised, and then also with the Duke of Milan, with whom he did not find an agreement for the renewal of

9936-475: The consummation: only in this way the marriage would be considered valid, and vice versa it was subject to annulment, with serious dishonour to the family. Ludovico had opted for a seductive strategy and combined caresses and kisses with very rich daily gifts. Despite the efforts made to accustom her to love games, however, Beatrice remained "in superlative ashamed" and still in mid-February Ludovico had not been able to conclude anything: he complained about it with

10080-490: The contemporaries insinuated any suspicious behavior between the two, and Beatrice demonstrated on several occasions to be "in superlative shameful" and, if not directly in love, at least fond of her husband, as well as praised for his "modest mind". She was also herself to inform her family of the amusements taken with Galeazzo, and none of this would have been possible without the consent of Ludovico, who had gladly encouraged him. More easily one would look at their relationship as

10224-424: The counties of Bobbio and Voghera, where it was likely that she still lived aforementioned Francesca. In 1498 he married again with Elisabetta Costanza del Carretto, called Madama la Grande, daughter of the Marquis del Finale, who was at the time a child and with whom he had no children. Galeazzo fell prisoner of the French, together with his lord Ludovico Sforza, after the battle of Novara (1500), where, hit by

10368-525: The cowardice of his soldiers, who did not dare to fight against the ferocity of the Germans and only tried to save themselves by throwing themselves into the river. Sigismondo de 'Conti says that "if Roberto perished in the waters or under enemy iron it was not possible to know, since, after searching for a long time, he was not found either alive or dead" but our chronicler (who knows the news from Court of Este, certainly perfectly informed) describes him while, with pride in accordance with his generous nature, he

10512-598: The custom French, to kiss the duchess and all the beautiful bridesmaids of her retie on the mouth. This custom of "kiss and touch" the women of others initially aroused some annoyance in the Italians, who never willingly got used to it. Moreover, as Baldassarre Castiglione would also say years later, Louis of Orleans used to look a little too mischievously at women, "who are said to like them very much". Nevertheless, Beatrice, through Ambassador Capilupi, also invited her sister to come and kiss Count Gilbert of Bourbon and others who would soon arrive. King Charles , in particular,

10656-532: The days of leisure spent in the company of the two sisters d'Este and to the great familiarity with the Duchess Beatrice, as well as to a brother named "Gasparo" who could correspond to Fracasso  [ it ] , led to a belief that the sender was in fact Galeazzo Sanseverino. He tells of having accompanied the Duchess Beatrice on holiday in Cusago and being mounted with her in a cart, where during

10800-420: The defence was inconsistent, but Beatrice's demonstration of strength was perhaps worth confusing him in making him believe the defences superior to what they were so that he did not dare to try his luck and retreated into Novara. The hesitation was fatal to him, as it allowed the army to reorganize and surround him, thus forcing him to a long and exhausting siege that decimated his men due to famine and epidemics,

10944-406: The departure of his niece, he wrote embittered to his daughter Eleonora: "God knows how much we grieved, for the singular love we had for her virtues [...] that seeing her and having her at home it seemed to us that we had you". Given the importance of the groom, the parents tried to bring the wedding forward to 1488, but Louis made his father-in-law understand that he was too busy in the affairs of

11088-573: The doge waiting for her in person. He urged her to board the Bucintoro, which headed for the Grand Canal. During the journey, she was able to attend the representation on a barge of the dispute between Minerva and Neptune that led to the foundation of Athens. That evening the Duchess and her family stayed at the Fondaco dei Turchi, owned by the Este family. In the following days she was invited to

11232-663: The ducal apartments, if at the end of the letter he reminds the Marquise Isabella of those times when, entering Beatrice's private dressing room, he found the ladies still undressed and intent on styling their hair: My Madonna Marquise, I just can't forget our life in the evening, and her sweet company, and so I also go to Madama's dressing room, thinking I will find her combing her hair and next to her His Lordship, Theodora [Angelini] and Beatrice [dei Contrari] in shirt sleeves, and with her Violante [de 'Preti] and Maria also undressed, and when I can't find her, I feel sad. There

11376-404: The enemies would pass, or in an attempt to force the Venetian soldiers to fight. Then, seeing himself trapped, he began to urge the soldiers to turn to the enemies and want to fight and die valiantly, but those preferred to swim in an attempt to cross the river, and for the most part drowned. Robert alone fought with a few brave trusted and was mortally wounded in the throat, saying he preferred

11520-986: The enterprise of Naples, but his identity is not clear: currently it is more plausible the identification with Bertrand de Beauvau, son of Antoine and count of Policastro. Remembered as a "valiant and daring" fighter, he died in Naples in battle in 1495. La Princesse à ses yeux avoit paru fort aimable, il lui donna le bal; Ludovic n'en fut pas si inquiet que des empressemens du Sire de Beauveau au près de la Princesse sa femme: Beauvau étoit le Seigneur de la Cour de Charles VIII, le plus propre à se faire aimer promptement des Dames; il eut la hardiesse de vouloir plaire à la Princesse. Ludovic qui s'en apperçut, voyant que les François étoient assez audacieux pour attaquer la gloire d'un Prince, qui quoiqu'il n'eût pas la qualité de Souverain; en avoit toute l'autorité, prit congé du Roy, & se retira dans un Château à une lieue d'Ast, où le Conseil du Roy alloir le trouver tous les jours. The princess in his [Carlo's] eyes had seemed very lovable, he gave her

11664-432: The exceptional social climb that, from Roberto's unknown son, had led him to be almost a second duke in Milan, Galeazzo was called "the son of Fortune". Philippe de Commines in his Memoirs justifies the fact by saying that Ludovico "kept him as a son, as he did not yet have any adults". On the other hand, a link of a sexual nature should not be excluded, if - as Achille Dina, a twentieth-century historian, recalled - this

11808-720: The existence of at least three other bastard sons with an unknown name, who followed their father to Rome in 1485, as evidenced by the Roman Diary, and two of whom died with him in 1487 in Calliano, as claimed by the Ferrarese chronicler Ugo Caleffini. Since both Giorgio (Faccenda) and Ottaviano had passed into the service of the Moor already in 1484, the two deceased sons and the third surviving - remembered in 1485 in Rome - are not theoretically identifiable with either one. The Faccendino Sanseverino (c. 1486-†1508) who in 1508 challenged

11952-542: The father on his daughter had any effect, indeed the more the insistences, the more Beatrice dodged her husband. The situation was finally resolved spontaneously shortly after, when in March–April Trotti's letters of complaint turned into praise addressed by moro to his wife. Now he declared that he no longer thought of Cecilia, but only of Beatrice, "To whom he wants all his good, and takes great pleasure from her for her customs and good manners", praising her because "she

12096-444: The favor of the new duchess, becoming his most faithful servant in perpetuity. Not infrequently they are found together in the daily entertainment of the court, as well as in matters of greater importance. Thus, for example, in 1491, Beatrice wrote to her sister: "every day the illustrious Messer Galeazzo and I, with some other of these courtiers, take pleasure in the game of ball at the mallet after lunch". «Beatrice immediately began

12240-671: The green light to King Charles VIII of France to go down to Italy to conquer the kingdom of Naples, which he believed to be right, having been taken from the Aragonese from the Anjou. On 23 July 1494, she welcomed duke Louis of Orléans , cousin of the King of France, to Milan, who arrived in Italy with the avant-gardes of the army French, then, on 11 September of the same year, went to Asti to meet Charles VIII in person. The two were greeted with great riots and parties, and both claimed, according to

12384-514: The happiest man in the world, seeming to him that he had recovered the State and his life, and together with honour his wife, for whose safety he feared more than for everything else". Beatrice personally participated in the council of war, as well as in the peace negotiations, as well as having participated in all the meetings held previously with the French, who did not fail to be amazed to see her actively collaborating alongside her husband. After

12528-484: The heavy expenses incurred for the investiture, the state was on the verge of financial collapse, and there was no money to maintain the army; a popular uprising was feared. The Commines writes that, if the Duke of Orleans had advanced only a hundred steps, the Milanese army would have passed the Ticino, and he would have managed to enter Milan, since some noble citizens had offered to introduce it. Ludovico did not resist

12672-541: The journey they sang more than twenty-five songs, "doing a lot of crazy things", then fished, hunted and played ball with many other amusements, returning to Milan after sunset, so much so that - he adds jokingly - in the star behind Beatrice he had almost gone crazy: We returned to Milan an hour after sunset and presented the whole hunt to the illustrious Lord my Duke of Bari, who took so much pleasure in it that more could not be said, much more than if he had been there in person, and I believe that my Duchess will have made

12816-420: The leader Mercurio Bua to a duel and was killed treasonously, it would not seem to be possible to be identified with Giorgio, as he is indicated as "nephew of Mr. Antonio Maria Sanseverino" and "young man of 22 years", therefore son of one of the brothers, and not of Roberto himself. He, according to the chronicler Ambrogio da Paullo, challenged Mercurio Bua to a duel to defend the honor of the Duke of Ferrara and

12960-460: The legitimate Duke Gian Galeazzo died and Ludovico obtained by acclamation of the senate that the ducal title passed to him and his legitimate descendants, thus bypassing in the succession the son that Gian Galeazzo left. Beatrice, who was pregnant at that time, gave birth on 4 February 1495, Sforza Francesco, so named in honour of his late paternal uncle Sforza Maria, to whom Ludovico had been very fond, and of his grandfather Francesco. The newborn

13104-621: The level of her sex". She was born on 29 June 1475 in the Castello Estense of Ferrara , second child of Ercole I d'Este and Eleonora d'Aragona . The Duke of Ferrara longed for a male heir, so her birth was welcomed as a disgrace. Two years later Beatrice was taken to the Aragonese court with her mother and sister on the occasion of the second marriage of King Ferrante with Joanna of Aragon. The procession, escorted by Niccolò da Correggio, arrived in Pisa and from there embarked on

13248-525: The middle between himself and the duke. Sanuto then notes that "a contemplation di la duchessa de Milano", that is, by the will of her, or rather by the desire to see her again, Maximilian passed "that mountain so harsh" and in a completely informal way, without any pomp, came to Como, then stayed for some time in Vigevano in strictly friendly relations with the dukes. He probably admired it for its hunting skills and tenacious character, but his visit also had

13392-415: The neighbor I'm leaving? [...] Perhaps her conduct towards Isabella ? or something in her relations with Bianca's husband, the charming Galeazzo Sanseverino, whose intrinsic nature and continuous sharing of pleasures with her cannot fail to strike? " Although it is true that Beatrice wanted him next to her wherever she went and that, a bit like everyone, she probably suffered the fascination, however, none of

13536-412: The occasion: Bianca Giovanna . The latter was at the time a seven-year-old girl, so the marriage was purely nominal, becoming effective only in 1496, when the girl turned fourteen. With the marriage he was invested with the possessions of the counties of Bobbio, Castel San Giovanni, Val Tidone and Voghera. In the same years he was given the castle of Mirabello. If as a general he then proved unhappy, he

13680-402: The old king Ferrante died, who already foreshadowed the outbreak of a war that he had tried with all his might to avoid. Once ascended to the throne of Naples, his son Alfonso II did not hesitate to rush to the aid of his daughter Isabella, declaring war on his brother-in-law Ludovico and occupying, as the first sign of hostility, the city of Bari . Ludovico responded to the threats by leaving

13824-426: The opinion of the Signoria, asking that it be communicated to his wife before his departure from Venice, otherwise to himself when he arrived in Milan. The Venetians replied that what was reported was very serious and limited themselves to vague reassurances. The mission, however, already started with little hope of success, since from the beginning the Republic did not intend to support Ludovico. On 25 January 1494,

13968-413: The part of the soldiers, nor was he loved because he was not worthy in government, however he was worthy of his spear. Antonio Perria instead hypothesizes a relationship with Duke Gian Galeazzo , because at the end of 1492 a scandal broke out for which Isabella of Aragon had tried to spread poison to this Rozone, favorite and lover of her husband Gian Galeazzo, as well as to Galeazzo Sanseverino himself. It

14112-490: The peninsula. While Charles, after the conquest of Naples, was still in the kingdom, in a situation of serious tension, on 11 June 1495, contravening the orders of the king, Louis of Orléans occupied the city of Novara with his men and went as far as Vigevano , threatening concretely to attack Milan with the intention of usurping the duchy, which he considered his right being a descendant of Valentina Visconti . Ludovico hastened to close himself with his wife and children in

14256-433: The pomp of her court to impress the Venetians. The couple first passed through Ferrara, where they were greeted festively by the dukes. Isabella d'Este, in order not to disfigure in comparison with her sister, left Ferrara before their arrival to go to Venice in advance. On 25 May Beatrice left for Venice accompanied by her mother Eleonora, her brother Alfonso with his wife Anna Maria and various secretaries and advisers, with

14400-463: The regency of the Duchy of Bona of Savoy , mother of Gian Galeazzo Maria, he came into conflict with Cicco Simonetta , advisor to the regent, who did not renew his contract of conduct and who for this reason later became unpopular with the Ghibelline party. Ludovico Sforza, with the help of his brother Sforza Maria, tried to oppose the regency of Bona and tried to defeat Simonetta with weapons, but

14544-868: The river, and died not in battle but on the way to Trento, where he was to be taken prisoner. Among the fallen that day there were also Malatesta Baglioni, Gian Francesco and Antonio da Tolentino. Roberto's corpse was not found so soon, but was finally recovered by the Germans who took him to Trento and buried him with solemn funerals in the crypt of the cathedral. Non potendo per forza ingegno ed arte Spenger il tuo valor constante e forte L'empia fortuna s'accordò con Morte Che te assediaro da ciascuna parte. Ma non fé mai di sé tal prova Marte Qual fatto hai tu con le tue squadre accorte, Ed hai morendo tante genti morte, Che di te sarà scritto in mille carte. Nulla giova acquistare in terra onore Ed ogni nostro affaticare è vano; Quel solo ha gloria eterna che ben more; Morto, Roberto, sei con l'arme in mano: Bel fine

14688-509: The secrets and all the resolutions of Ludovico Sforza were confined Probably Galeazzo was, a bit like most men of his time, bisexual ; in fact, as Sanudo assures us, while he was in Alessandria in 1499 Galeazzo took care, more than the army, of dressing elegantly and having fun with women: "this Signor Galeazzo is in Alessandria, waiting for dresses and ladies, it is said hurt him, and he was at odds with lord Alessandro Sforza". In 1494 he

14832-460: The service of the Lordship of Venice, as a "cerse - that is, a genital organ - of a horse that spurs neither fears, nor lashes" had dissolved the parental bond that bound Francesco al Moro, being in fact the two brothers-in-law. Covered with benefits and often in charge of very delicate missions by the Moro, who trusted him blindly, in 1489 he married Ludovico's illegitimate daughter- legitimized for

14976-468: The son survived. In a letter written hours after her death, Ludovico informed his brother-in-law Francesco Gonzaga that his wife, "gave back her spirit to God" half an hour after midnight. Their child had been born at eleven at night and was a stillborn son. Ludovico went mad with pain and for two weeks remained locked up in the dark in his apartments, after which he shaved his head and let his beard grow, wearing from that moment on only black clothes with

15120-401: The sorrows caused by the discovery that Lucrezia was also expecting a child from Ludovico, something for which she felt deeply humiliated and by the premature and tragic death of the beloved Bianca Giovanna, Ludovico's illegitimate daughter and her dear friend from the first day of arrival in Milan. The birth finally took place on the night between 2 and 3 January 1497, but neither the mother nor

15264-495: The south-east, taking Argenta and going up the Po di Primaro from the mouth. In November the Venetians arrived under the walls of Ferrara which was under siege. The military situation changed radically in December when Pope Sixtus IV, under pressure from Ludovico il Moro , Duke of Milan, who feared that the Serenissima would become too powerful and therefore dangerous for the Duchy of Milan, changed alliance and made peace with

15408-399: The spouses, wrote to her father Alfonso a heartfelt request for help. King Ferrante, however, had no intention of starting a war; on the contrary, he declared that he loved both granddaughters in the same way and invited them to prudence so that the situation remained stable while the king was alive. In May 1493 Ludovico decided to send his wife as his ambassador to Venice, in order to obtain

15552-497: The spring and summer of that year he was engaged in the long and exhausting war against Ferrara instigated by Girolamo Riario , lord of Forlì, with the support of Pope Sixtus IV: in May the Venetian troops, led by Roberto Sanseverino, attacked the Duchy of Ferrara from the north, conquering the territory of Rovigo, sacking Comacchio and besieging Ficarolo (which capitulated on 29 June). In addition, starting from Ravenna , they attacked from

15696-408: The state and that the bride was still too young. The date was set for May 1490 and a dowry of 40,000 ducats was arranged; From May, however, Ludovico postponed to the summer, then cancelled for the umpteenth time, disconcerting the dukes of Ferrara who at this point doubted his real will to marry Beatrice. The reason for this behaviour was attributed to the well-known relationship that Ludovico had with

15840-427: The status of sovereign, had all the authority, took leave of the king, and retired in a castle a stone's throw from Asti, where the King's Council visited him every day. Soon, realizing that his plans had not gone as planned, Ludovico abandoned the alliance with the French and joined the Holy League, expressly formed between the various Italian powers to drive foreigners from the peninsula. Meanwhile, on 21 October 1494,

15984-455: The support of the Serenissima for his legitimacy as Duke of Milan. He thus aimed to test the intentions of the Republic, while concluding the agreements with Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg and granting him in marriage his niece Bianca Maria Sforza, accompanied by a fabulous dowry of 300 000 gold ducats, plus 40 000 in jewels and another 100 000 for the ducal investiture. On the other hand, Beatrice would have exploited her charm, her intelligence and

16128-454: The surname of Aragon by concession of the king of the Kingdom of Naples Ferrante of Aragon . He was a general in the service first of his uncle Francesco Sforza, on whose behalf he defended Arcevia from the attacks of Piccinino (1442-1443) and then in the sieges of Pavia , Cremona , Como and in the battle of Caravaggio (1447-1449). Always in the service of Sforza, who in the meantime became Duke of Milan, with Bartolomeo Colleoni he beat

16272-530: The task of capturing him for "some sceleraggini" committed against the Duke of Milan. The villains believed in Sanseverino and not in Count Borella, who was imprisoned, so that Roberto could safely reach Asti and from here France; sentenced in absentia to beheading, his assets were confiscated in favor of Ercole I d'Este . He then became captain general of the Republic of Genoa which he defended from

16416-561: The tension and was struck, it seems, by a stroke that left him paralyzed for a short time. "The Duke of Milan has lost his feelings," Malipiero writes, "he abandons himself." Beatrice therefore found herself alone to face the difficult situation of war. However, he managed to juggle very well and to ensure the support and loyalty of the Milanese nobles. It was then that her husband officially appointed her governor of Milan together with her brother Alfonso , who soon came to their rescue. The latter, however, soon fell ill with syphilis , also it

16560-468: The tongue on the ground", a blatant act of penance. However, Bernardino da Corte managed to persuade him to leave the room to move to the healthiest country residence in Abbiategrasso so that he would not get sick. The death appeared suspicious, especially since the cause was not known, and that the young woman had been tormented several times in recent months by fevers and stomach pains. Since it

16704-493: The very close relationships existing between the three, consider that, in the period of mourning for the death of her mother, Beatrice used to eat meals with the sole company of her husband and son-in-law Galeazzo, and that the latter was very close to her even when, in 1492, a sudden attack of malarial fevers put her first pregnancy at risk. It seems to me that this Messer Galeazzo is Duke of Milan because he can do what he wants and has what he knows how to ask and desire. For

16848-536: The words of pain". A few days later they returned together with the bishop of Piacenza to convince Galeazzo to join his father-in-law Ludovico in Pavia, who in those days had to go to Parma to welcome the emperor Maximilian, since he had the desire to have his son-in-law with him in order to comfort each other, but Galeazzo refused saying that he was not able to leave the room for the greatness of his pain, and that if Ludovico had ordered it then he would have gone to him "with

16992-483: Was Duchess of Bari and Milan by marriage to Ludovico Sforza (known as "il Moro"). She was known as a woman of culture, an important patron and a leader in fashion: alongside her illustrious husband she made Milan one of the greatest capitals of the European Renaissance . With her own determination and bellicose nature, she was the soul of the Milanese resistance against the enemy French during

17136-543: Was a brief jubilae his. In early August, finally healed, Ludovico went with his wife to the Camp of Novara, where they resided for a few weeks during the siege. On the occasion of their visit was held, for the pleasure of the duchess who greatly appreciated the facts of arms, a memorable parade of the army in full. Beatrice's presence did not have to garbare much to the Marquis of Mantua her brother-in-law, then captain-general of

17280-561: Was an Italian condottiero , count of Colorno from 1458 to 1477 and count of Caiazzo from 1460 until his death in 1487. Highly esteemed man of arms, veteran of numerous battles, he was one of the greatest leaders of the Italian Renaissance. He was Marquis of Castelnuovo Scrivia, Count of Caiazzo and Colorno and Lord of Albanella, Cittadella, Corleto Monforte, Corte Madama, Felitto, Lugano, Mendrisio, Montorio Veronese, Pontecurone, Roscigno, Serre and Solaro. In his time as in

17424-516: Was an esteemed friend of Pacioli , he knew Latin, French and German. Ludovico, at first aligned with the French, later changed alliances, siding with the Holy League that had formed to drive the invaders from the peninsula. During 1495 Galeazzo led the Milanese army - always as captain general of the Sforza armies - against the King of France and the Duke of Orleans, who last in June had seized Novara and threatened to besiege Milan itself. Since Galeazzo

17568-406: Was at least one other Galeazzo Visconti his contemporary, also called "messer Vesconte", also a courtier friend of the dukes, who figures as podestà of Annone in 1484, advisor to Duke Gian Galeazzo , invested by the latter in 1488 of the county of Busto Arsizio , ambassador to Charles VIII in 1492 and military commissar of Duke Ludovico in 1495; after the expulsion of the Moro he also passed to

17712-483: Was baptized by his aunt Isabella d'Este with fifteen names, but was then called simply Francesco. The official investiture by the emperor came on 26 May 1495 and was solemnized by a large public ceremony in the Duomo. Soon, realizing that his plans had not gone as planned, Ludovico abandoned the alliance with the French and joined the Holy League, expressly formed among the various Italian powers to drive foreigners from

17856-494: Was cruelly wounded, nevertheless he fought valiantly with that sword with which not only in all of Italy, but also among the barbarian armies, he had so often won very happy victory, killing many around him. Finally, for the shedding of blood, which he shed due to his wounds, lacking in all human strength, gloriously he was deprived of his life, among the thick ranks of the enemies, being in the age of seventy years. Messer Pedro, his secretary, stated that, before dying, Robert received

18000-507: Was delighted by nature ... and very pleasant and nevertheless modest". After a carefree year spent among many amusements, Beatrice found herself expecting a child. On 20 January 1493, Eleonora of Aragon returned to Milan to assist her daughter during childbirth and brought with her from Ferrara comare Frasina, the midwife of the family. Two days later at the Sala del Tesoro in the Rocchetta of

18144-400: Was due to her deep sorrow for the death of her stepdaughter: She, who was expecting the birth of another child, went every day to the church of S. Maria delle Grazie, staying there for long hours to pray and cry over Bianca's tomb. Pain from the recent loss? or for Ludovico's relationship with Crivelli? asks her biographer. Or some intimate remorse, which would increase her apprehension about

18288-435: Was followed, a little more than a month later, by the death of The Duchess Beatrice herself, the historian Ludovico Antonio Muratori in his Estensi Antiquities, hints at the possibility that Bianca had fallen victim to a court intrigue: Another [rumor] adds, having been Beatrice poisoned by Francesca dal Verme at the request of Galeazzo Sanseverino, just as Francesca after a few years confessed while dying. The reason for this

18432-401: Was forced into exile; even the Sanseverino fled, passing the Ticino with some of its veterans and cutting the rope of the port so that it could not be pursued. Here he showed great cunning when, having learned that Count Borella da Caravaggio by order of Cicco Simonetta was chasing him, he spread the rumor among the villains of the place that it was instead he himself to chase Count Borella with

18576-434: Was greatly fascinated: he wanted to see her dance and requested a portrait of her, personally taking care of procuring the painter ( Jean Perréal ) and about twenty clothes to see which one was better worn by Beatrice, who was "more beautiful than ever". The relations between the Duchess and Louis of Orleans were also extremely gallant at the beginning, and the two frequently exchanged gifts with affectionate cards. Ludovico

18720-413: Was his bitter enemy. Shortly afterwards two of his half-brothers, Giorgio known as Faccenda and Ottaviano, also followed them. Two other brothers, Fracasso  [ it ] and Antonio Maria  [ it ] , remained faithful to their father, and only after Roberto's death, in 1489, they passed to Moro. The latter essentially gained in his service all the sons of the great enemy, esteemed among

18864-483: Was no meeting, public or private, at which Galeazzo was not present. He was a participant in all the secrets of the ducal family and, as long as he lived in Milan, he kept in the castle almost a court of his own. In the regency committee, composed of only three members, which - in the event of Ludovico's sudden death - would take over the government, he was in second place immediately after Duchess Beatrice and immediately before Cardinal Ascanio, Moro's brother. As proof of

19008-459: Was not jealous of her: different was the case of the handsome baron of Beauvau, much loved by women, who showed excessive "enthusiasm" towards Beatrice. According to some historians, it was for this reason that Ludovico, offended by the assiduity of the knight, took advantage of an illness of King Charles to remove his wife from Asti, who in fact retired to Annone , while he continued alone to go to Asti every day. A Beauvau actually participated in

19152-467: Was not mandatory in the letters to sign with the full surname. However, it is clear that Galeazzo Sanseverino and Galeazzo Visconti were not the same person, as they were mentioned separately in the same context. Doubts remain about the identity of the sender of the letters to the Marquise, however it does not appear that this Galeazzo Visconti also bore the surname Sfortia , also the references in them to

19296-429: Was only ten years old, that he had taken her as a daughter and that she was not ready for the wedding. Moreover, if Ludovico had died early, her father would not have been able, like him, to find her a good husband. He even offered to give her the dowry in her place, in order to convince him to desist. Despite the strong protests, he reluctantly had to agree, after months of negotiations, to part with it. Immediately after

19440-540: Was perhaps due to the fact that he favored the duke in his betrayals, as did Ludovico who, rather than expelling Rozone from the state, granted him favors and attributions to please his nephew, in such a way that he had become "the first man he had beside him". [...] the illustrious Galeazzo Sanseverino, the very elegant Sforza captain general and, despite appearances, opposed to Isabella due to his ancient hatred family, as well as for his intimacy with Beatrice and with Moro, so great that, says Guicciardini, "in his bosom all

19584-439: Was personally most valiant and esteemed the most righteous jouster and the most tasky knight of the court: handsome of the person, like his other three brothers in the service of the Moor, he was certainly such as to please the princely bride, even almost a child. When in 1491, after ten years of engagement, Ludovico finally decided to take Beatrice d'Este as his wife, Galeazzo knew with his affability and his natural charm to earn

19728-455: Was referred to by that accusation of Francesco Guicciardini , who said of Ludovico: "he was dishonest in the sin of sodomy and, as many say, still as an old man no less patient than agent". Achille Dina, however, insists on the strong "intimacy" that Galeazzo had rather with the Duchess Beatrice and insinuates - but without adducing any concrete evidence to support this hypothesis - that the two were lovers, arguing that "some intimate remorse"

19872-403: Was reproached for having done so "out of cowardice more than anything else, unde was forced to flee with great scorn and shame [...] and so Facendino lost his life and Mercurio the conduct, as he had with the roy, and the honor". Mariano Welber Mariano Welber Mariano Welber Clifford M. Brown e Paola Tosetti Grandi Beatrice d%27Este Beatrice d'Este (29 June 1475 – 3 January 1497)

20016-547: Was returned the assets confiscated in the Kingdom of Naples and in Milan; his son Giovan Francesco was assigned the county of Caiazzo. In October 1485 Roberto obtained permission from the Venetians to pass to the pay of the Papal States to fight the Aragonese and the Orsini, their allies. The military campaign, however, turned out to be a defeat and Pope Innocent VIII himself, at the appropriate time, found an agreement with

20160-525: Was rumoured that Duke Ercole did not want the recovery of Novara, being in league with the French, and together with the Florentines secretly subveded the Orleans, and that Fracasso  [ it ] , a stronghold of the Sforza army, played a double game with the king of France. Beatrice therefore decided, on 27 June, to go alone to the military camp of Vigevano to supervise the order and animate

20304-514: Was sent by the Moor to Lyon on a diplomatic visit to Charles VIII, to prove the king's intentions in the enterprise of the kingdom of Naples. The latter was greatly fascinated: he gave him his most beautiful lovers and wanted to create him knight of the Order of St. Michael . Unbeatable champion of the rides, he was a perfect courtier, loved by women not only for his charm, elegance and well-groomed physique, but also for his culture and way of speaking, he

20448-458: Was sent to the rescue of Caterina Sforza barricaded in the Rocca di Ravaldino following the conspiracy of the Bears. After liberating the city, returning to Milan, he was appointed captain general of the Sforza army. This prevarication attracted to him and Ludovico the relentless hatred of Gian Giacomo Trivulzio , and more generally the envy of the other brothers. He also had a strong enmity with

20592-425: Was sluggish, and there were rumors that his brother Fracasso was playing a double game with the king of France, Beatrice herself went to the military camp to urge him to move against the enemy. On July 6, 1495, he took part – again as captain general of the Sforza armies – in the epochal battle of Fornovo against the French who had invaded the Italian peninsula and was the only one who together with his brothers with

20736-449: Was tall, and strong; of white face, and of chestnut eyes and hair". Sigismondo de' Conti, who saw him in 1485, uses these words: Roberto was pompously dressed and his advanced age did not deprive him of the strength to handle weapons and stand on the horse; his face presented all the majesty of a great captain. He was born in Naples as the son of Leonetto Sanseverino and Elisa Sforza, sister of Francesco Sforza , Duke of Milan. He assumed

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