Bianca Maria Visconti, heiress of the Duchy of Milan, with her first-born son Galeazzo as Saint Mary with the child Jesus Christ

Bianca Maria Visconti (born March 31, 1425 near Settimo Pavese, died October 28, 1468 in Melegnano) was the illegitimate daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan and last of the Visconti rulers, and Agnese del Maino, the only person shy, secluded Filippo ever loved. Her father, disappointed at having a daughter and not a male successor, neglected her for all of his life. As a child she was isolated first in the castle at Cusago, then at Abbiategrasso. Her studies were an escape from the isolation. At the age of six she was betrothed to Francesco I Sforza of the House of Sforza, a man twenty-four years older than she, and ten years later on October 24, 1441 they were wed. Bianca bore Francesco eight children, six sons and two daughters: Galeazzo, Duke of Milan from 1466 to 1476 (when he was assassinated); Hippolyta or Ippolita, wife of King Alphonse II of Naples and mother of Isabella of Aragon, the subject of the Mona Lisa; Filippo, Count of Corsica; Sforza, Duke of Bari from 1464 to 1479; Lodovico, Duke of Bari from 1479 to 1494 and Duke of Milan from 1494 to 1499; Ascanio, Abbot of Chiaraville, Bishop of Pavia, Cremona, Pesaro, and Novara and Cardinal; Elisabetta, wife of Guglielmo VIII Paleologo, Margrave of Montferrat; and Ottaviano, Count of Lugano, who drowned while escaping arrest. Image File history File links Bianca_Maria_Visconti. ... Image File history File links Bianca_Maria_Visconti. ... Visconti was a noble family that ruled Milan during the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance period. ... The Duchy of Milan was a state in northern Italy from 1395 to 1797. ... Galeazzo Maria Sforza (January 24, 1444 – December 26, 1476) was Duke of Milan. ... Gabriel delivering the Annunciation to Mary. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Events Foundation of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Births John II, Duke of Lorraine (died 1470) Edmund Sutton, English nobleman (died 1483) Deaths January 18 - Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, English politician (born 1391) March 17 - Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (born 1407) May 24 - Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... Events Baeda Maryam succeeds his father Zara Yaqob as Emperor of Ethiopia Births February 29 - Pope Paul III (died 1549) Juan del Encina, Spanish poet, dramatist and composer William Lilye, English scholar (approximate date; died 1522) Charles I of Savoy John, Elector of Saxony (died 1532) Juan de Zumárraga... Melegnano (formerly Marignano) is a town in Italy, in the province of Milan, region of Lombardy. ... Illegitimacy was a term in common usage for the condition of being born of parents who are not validly married to one another; the legal term is bastardy. ... Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti, (1392–1447), who became nominal ruler of Pavia in 1402, succeeded his assassinated brother Gian Maria Visconti as Duke of Milan. ... The Duchy of Milan was a state in northern Italy from 1395 to 1797. ... Visconti was a noble family that ruled Milan during the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance period. ... Abbiategrasso is a comune and town in the Italian region of Lombardy, situated in the Po valley approximately 22 km from Milan and 38 km from Pavia at an altitude of 120 m. ... Betrothal is a formal state of engagement to be married. ... Portrait of Francesco Sforza, ca 1460, by Bonifazio Bembo: Sforza insisted on being shown in his worn dirty old campaigning hat. ... Map of Italy in 1494. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... This page is about the year 1441. ... Galeazzo Maria Sforza (January 24, 1444 – December 26, 1476) was Duke of Milan. ... It has been suggested that Targeted killing be merged into this article or section. ... Alphonso II of Naples (November 4, 1448 - December 18, 1495) was King of Naples from January 25, 1494 to 1495. ... Isabella di Aragona (1470-1524), was born a Princess of Naples, granddaughter of king Ferrante I of Naples and daughter of the future king Alfonso II of Naples. ... The Mona Lisa is an oil painting on poplar wood by Leonardo da Vinci and is perhaps the most famous painting in art history; few other works of art are as romanticized, celebrated, or reproduced. ... Capital Ajaccio Land area¹ 8,680 km² President of the Executive Council Ange Santini (UMP) (since 2004) Population   - Jan. ... Region Apulia Mayor Michele Emiliano Area  116 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Density 316. ... Ludovico Sforza (Ludovico il Moro, The Moor) (July 27, 1452–May 27, 1508), a member of the Sforza dynasty of Milan, Italy, was the second son of Francesco Sforza, and was famed as patron of Leonardo da Vinci and other artists. ... Region Apulia Mayor Michele Emiliano Area  116 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Density 316. ... Abbots coat of arms The word abbot, meaning father, has been used as a Christian clerical title in various, mainly monastic, meanings. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ... Margrave is the English and French form of the German title Markgraf (from Mark march and Graf count) and certain equivalent nobiliary (princely) titles in other languages. ... Montferrat was a marquisate in Lombardy during the Middle Ages. ... Location within Switzerland Lugano is a city in south-east Switzerland, in the Italian speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy. ...

External links

• Portrait and family tree