Galeazzo Maria Sforza
| Galeazzo Maria Sforza | |
|---|---|
Galeazzo Maria Sforza, by Piero Benci, Uffizi Gallery
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| Duke of Milan | |
| Reign | 20 March 1466 – 26 Dec 1476 |
| Predecessor | Francesco I Sforza |
| Successor | Gian Galeazzo Sforza |
| Spouse(s) |
Dorotea Gonzaga Bona of Savoy |
| Noble family | Sforza |
| Father | Francesco I Sforza |
| Mother | Bianca Maria Visconti |
| Born |
24 January 1444 Fermo |
| Died | 26 December 1476 (aged 32) Milan |
Galeazzo Maria Sforza (24 January 1444 – assassinated, 26 December 1476) was the fifth Duke of Milan from 1466 until his death. He was famous for being lustful, cruel and tyrannical.
He was born to Francesco Sforza, a popular condottiero and ally of Cosimo de' Medici who would gain the Duchy of Milan in 1450, and Bianca Maria Visconti. He married into the Gonzaga family; on the death of his first wife Dorotea Gonzaga, he married Bona of Savoy.
Galeazzo Maria Sforza was born in Fermo, near the family's castle of Girifalco, the first son of Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti. At the death of his father (8 March 1466), Galeazzo was in France at the head of a military expedition to help King Louis XI of France against Charles I of Burgundy. Called back home by his mother, Galeazzo returned to Italy by an adventurous trip under a false name. The false identity was necessary as he had to pass by the territories of the family enemy, the Duke of Savoy, who made an unsuccessful attempt on Galeazzo's life. He entered Milan on 20 March, acclaimed by the populace.
In his first years Galeazzo and his mother ruled jointly, but later his ruthless character pushed him to oust Bianca Maria from Milan.
Sforza was famous as a patron of music. Under his direction, financial backing and encouragement, his chapel grew into one of the most famous and historically significant musical ensembles in Europe. Composers from the north, especially the Franco-Flemish composers from the present-day Low Countries, came to sing in his chapel and write masses, motets and secular music for him. Some of the figures associated with the Sforza chapel include Alexander Agricola, Johannes Martini, Loyset Compère, and Gaspar van Weerbeke. However, most of the singers at the Sforza chapel fled after Galeazzo's murder and took positions elsewhere; as a result, there was soon a rise in musical standards in other cities such as Ferrara.
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