The House Of Sforza In Renaissance Italy

In the late Middle Ages,the wars between city-states in Italy were incessant.The rulers of the city-states employed the mercenaries to fight,which provided an opportunity for the development of mercenaries.Among these mercenaries,the house of Sforza stood out.The house of Sforza was originally a civilian family in Romagna,but this family advocated at force,so many family members engaged in mercenary army.Muzio Attendolo was the first condottiere in his family.When he was thirteen years old,he left his home and began his career as a mercenary.He exercised himself in the war and accumulated strength.Eventually,he became an excellent condottiere and built his own mercenary army.His son,Francesco Sforza,inherited his father's career and became a condottiere,as well.He had served Milan,the Pope,Florence and Venice.Francesco gradually formed his own political opinions and thirsted for political power in the course of contacting with the monarchs of those major city-states.In 1450,with the powerful military strength and the tough political measures,Francesco won the battle for the Duke of Milan and became the ruler of Milan,which opened a new chapter of the rule of Milan's Sforza Dynasty.After the house of Sforza came to power,in politics,in order to consolidate the dominant power,they connected with other powerful families through marriages,served in the churches and established alliances with other city-states in order to consolidating the rule.In economic,they expanded their foreign trades,constructed the banks and established industry.And in the culture,they recruited talents and supported them to create lots of excellent works.Under the rule of the house of Sforza,Milan became one of the most powerful city-states in the north of Italy.So the foreign policy that the house of Sforza took has influenced the whole Italy's development direction.However,Milan ruled by the house of Sforza was constantly involved in the struggle among those city-states.In 1490s,the issue of the succession of the Duke of Sforza caused the disputes between Milan and Naples,which provided an excuse for France to enter Italy.Soon,France,Spain and the Holy Roman Empire were all involved in this war,which eventually led to the decline of Italian city-states and they became dependencies of other European countries.During the Renaissance Italy,it was common to see that those monarchs like the house of Sforza seized the dominion by military means or coups.Although they increased the turbulence of Italian society and persecuted the people,they supported many artists,thinkers,litterateurs and scientists to create and left many treasures.