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Gian Maria Visconti

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Gian Maria Visconti
File:Giovanni Maria Visconti - Le vite de i dodeci visconti che signoreggiarono Milano (1645).jpg
Duke of Milan
Reign 3 September 1402 – 16 May 1412
Predecessor Gian Galeazzo
Successor Filippo Maria
Born 7 September 1388
Abbiategrasso
Died 16 May 1412 (aged 23)
Milan
Spouse Antonia Malatesta of Cesena
House Visconti
Father Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Mother Caterina Visconti

Gian Maria Visconti (or Giovanni Maria; 7 September 1388 – 16 May 1412) was the second Visconti Duke of Milan, the son of Gian Galeazzo Visconti and Caterina Visconti. He was viewed as cruel and was eventually assassinated.[1][2] He had no children.

Biography

Born in 1388 in Abbiategrasso at the Visconti castle,[3] Gian Maria was the son of Gian Galeazzo and his wife Caterina, daughter of Bernabò Visconti.[4][5] They had been married since 1380 but had only managed to give birth to one child who had died a month after its birth. Gian's birth was met with celebration as the long-awaited son and heir.

His parents had even made a vow to add the unisex name "Maria" – usually considered a feminine name – to their sons' names if the Virgin Mary would grant them children,[6] hence he was named Gian Maria. The Basilica church (dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary) Santa Maria Nuova in Abbiategrasso, was built to celebrate the birth of Gian Maria.

Gian Maria's birth helped cement his father's rule over Milan. Gian Galeazzo, while admittedly a Visconti - the family who had ruled over Milan since 1277, had gained control over Milan after overthrowing, imprisoning and poisoning his predecessor and uncle, Bernabo Visconti and his two eldest sons.[7][8]

Following his father's death of plague in 1402, the 13-year old Gian Maria assumed the title of duke under his mother's regency. The Duchy of Milan soon disintegrated: among the various parties contending its lands, the condottiero Facino Cane prevailed. In 1408, Gian Maria married Antonia Malatesta of Cesena, daughter of Andrea Malatesta.[9] They had no issue.

A plot by a party of Milanese Ghibellines was raised against the Duke when Facino Cane was terminally ill in Pavia, and Gian Maria was assassinated in front of the church of San Gottardo in Milan. The dying Facino had his officers swear to support Filippo Maria, Gian Maria's brother, who in fact succeeded him.[2][10]

In literature

References

  1. Back to citation Bartlett, Kenneth (15 November 2019). The Renaissance in Italy: A History. Hackett. ISBN 978-1-62466-820-3.
  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 "Italian Republics, or, the Origin, Progress and Fall of Italian Freedom. New ed". 1841.
  3. Back to citation Lubkin 1994, p. 91.
  4. Back to citation Welch 2010, p. 33.
  5. Back to citation Hoeniger 2006, p. 59.
  6. Back to citation Fenlon, Iain (19 March 2009). Early Music History: Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Music. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-10440-1.
  7. Back to citation Pfeffer 2022, p. 83.
  8. Back to citation Bartlett 2019, p. 115. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBartlett2019 (help)
  9. Back to citation Jones 1974, p. 125.
  10. Back to citation "GIOVANNI MARIA Visconti, duca di Milano - Enciclopedia". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  11. Back to citation Sabatini, Raphael (1926). Bellarion the fortunate: a romance. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1170948.

Bibliography

  • Bartlett, Kenneth (2019). The Renaissance in Italy: A History. Hackett Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62466-820-3.
  • Hoeniger, Cathleen (2006). "The Illuminated "Tacuinum sanitatis" Manuscripts from Northern Italy ca. 1380-1400: Sources, Patrons, and the Creation of a New Pictorial Genre". In Givens, Jean Ann; Reeds, Karen; Touwaide, Alain (eds.). Visualizing Medieval Medicine and Natural History, 1200-1550. Ashgate Publishing. pp. 51–82.
  • Jones, P.J. (1974). The Malatesta of Rimini and the Papal State. Cambridge University Press.
  • Lubkin, Gregory (1994). A Renaissance Court: Milan under Galleazzo Maria Sforza. University of California Press.
  • Pfeffer, Wendy, ed. (2022). Blandin de Cornoalha, A Comic Occitan Romance. Translated by Burrell, Margaret; Pfeffer, Wendy. Medieval Institute Publications. ISBN 978-1-58044-525-2.
  • Welch, Evelyn (2010). "Patrons, Artists, and Audiences in Renaissance Milan, 1300-1600". In Rosenberg, Charles M. (ed.). The Court Cities of Northern Italy: Milan, Parma, Piacenza, Mantua, Ferrara, Bologna, Urbino, Pesaro, and Rimini. Cambridge University Press. pp. 21–70.
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