SFORZA, a celebrated Italian family, which played a most important part in the affairs of Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries, swayed the destinies of northern Italy for many years, and allied itself with the first sovereign houses is founder was a peasant of Cotignola, in the Romagna, by name Giaromo, or lozio (sometimes combined by historians into Giacomuzzo) Atioulolo (born 1369), who deserted his trade of wood-cutting to become a " condottiere," and by.his intelligence and emirs age rose to a high position in the band to which lie belonged Count Alberigo de Bar biano, the founder of Italian " condottierism," bestowed upon him, on account of his prowess, the name of SFORZA " time forcer"); and such was his reputation among his comrades. that lie speedily found himself the independent leader of a band of con dettieri, and offered his services to the king of Naples. Queen Joanna II. made him con stable of that kingdom, and in exercise of his otlice, he chased away the Aragonese, and others, who attempted to deprive her of her dominions; but dying soon after (Jan. 4, 1424), he left his devoted followers to the chieftainship of his natural son, Fit.A.NeEsco SFouzA, then 23 years of age, who was as brave and enterprising as himself, Fran cesco, as was the custom of the time, sold his sword to the highest bidder, and without the slightest scruple fought for or against the-pope, Milan, Venice, and Florence. He invented an improved system of tactics, and it soon came to be taken for granted that victory was certain for the party which he supported. It was tints no great act of con descension in the duke of Milan, the haughty Visconti, to confer upon hint the hand of his daughter Bianca, with Cremona and Pontremoli as a dowry, and the promise of suc ceeding to the duchy itself. Meantime, Sforza took the march of Ancona from the pOpe (1434), added to it Pesaro (1443), acid by a judicious combination of force and stratagem, obtained his elevation to the dukedom of Milan (Feb. 26, 14:)0), after tLe decease of his father-in-law. He solidly established his authority over all Lombiody, and several dis tricts s. of the Po; acquired the esteem of Louis XI.. who gave up to him Savona and Genoa; and after gaining the universal love of his subjects, died Mar. 8, 1466. uninstructed, be possessed considerable eloquence, and loved and protected letters. The successors to his power possessed few or none of his distingui 1 11 ta.en.s. His son, GALEAZZO MARIA SFORZA (1466-76) was a true tyrant, gloating over the torments of his victims, and it monster of debauchery, prodigality, and ferocity, without a single redeem ing feature in his character. He was assassinated (Dec. 26) at the porch of the cathedral
of Milan. His son GIOVANNI GALEAZZO SFORZA (1476-94) succeeded under the regency of his mother, Bona of Savoy, who held the reins of government with a firm hand. But she was forced to give lip (1480) her able coadjutor, Simonetta, to the vengeance of her brother-in-law, Lodovieo Maria, surnamed "the Moor," from his dark complexion; and three days after Simonetties execution, the ambitious Lodovico banished herself, and assumed the regency. Finding the young duke in his way, Lodovico put hint and his wife, Isabella of Calabria, in prison, and was immediately threatened with attack by the king of Naples, a danger which he attempted to ward off by giving his daughter, Bianca, with a dowry of 400,000 ducats, to the emperor 'Maximilian I., and by stirring up Charles VIII. of France to assert his claims to Naples. Soon afterward, duke Gio vanno Galeazzo died, poisoned as some believe, by his uncle, Oct. 20, 1494, LeDovico MARIA ,(1494-1500) obtained his investiture as duke, and becoming alarmed at the rapid progress of the French in Italy, he joined the league against them, and was rewarded for his perfidy by being driven from his duchy, which was seized by the troops of Louis XII. (1499). The following year he made an ineffectual attempt to regain pos session, was made prisoner, and carried to France, where he died in 1508. He possessed great talents, combined unfortunately with a low morality, which led hint to value astuteness more than everything else; but his encouragement of letters and of the fine arts will preserve his name to posterity. His eldest son, MASSIMILIANO SFOEZA (1512 15), regained the duchy of Milan after the reverses suffered by Louis XII., and with the aid of the Swiss steadily repulsed the various energetic attempts of the French to recover it; but after the battle of Marignan (1515), he abandoned his rights to the French for a pension of 30,000 ducats, glad to be free from the insolence and exactions of his allies, and the attacks of his enemies. • His brother FRANCESCO MARIA SFORZA succeeded nominally to the Milanese after the battle of Pavia, but lie was a mere puppet in the hands of Charles V.. and on his death, Oct. 24, 1535. and the extinction of the main line of the house of Sforza, the duchy was quietly swallowed up by Austria. The hirds of Pesaro (extinct in 1515), the counts of Santa-thorn in Tuscany, still existing, and the dukes of Sforza-Cesarini, descend from collateral branches of the family.