Short introduction to the Sforza Castle in Milan - English

1. The SFORZA
CASTLE
With the formation of the King-
dom of Lombardy and Venice,
followed by Napoleon’s fall,
Austrian domination returned to
Milan in 1815 and the castle took
the function of a prison for the
citizens arrested by the Austrian
army during the Five Days of
Milan.
In 1859 the citizens of Milan
acquired the control of the Castle
again and put an end to the
Austrian domination of the town.
In 1893 a long process of
restauration of the main rooms of
the Castle began.
A SYMBOL OF IDENTITY
IN MILAN
For many years the Sforza Castle was
considered by the inhabitants of Milan
as a symbol of the long tyranny and
foreign domination on the town .
Frequently attacked, rediscovered and
finally restored, it became an important
cultural centre and a symbol of the
identity of the town after the unification
of Italy.
SHORT HISTORY

2. The castle was founded under the
Viscontis, Dukes of Milan, thanks to
the intervention of Galeazzo Viscon-
ti, who ordered the construction of a
fortress across the medieval wall.
Later, his follower added some
buildings aimed at hosting the
troops.
The two parts of the facility, the
dwelling of the Dukes and the army
lodging, were then separated by the
moat of the medieval wall, also
called the “ Dead moat “, which is
still visible together with the stone
basement of the first fortress.
It is exactly in this period that the Ca-
stle became the official residence of
the Viscontis, until the last descen-
dant of the dynasty, Filippo Motta Vi-
sconti, died without any official heirs.
The Visconti were replaced by the
Sforza after the marriage between
Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria
Visconti, legitimated daughter of the
deceased Duke.
The long history of the Sforza Castle
In 1450 the Sforzas were proclai-
med Lords of the town by its citizens
and under their rule the castle was
rebuilt and made more attractive.
After Galeazzo Maria’s death, his
wife Bona di Savoia, now widowed,
took the regency for her son who
was too young to rule and in 1477
she ordered the construction of the
central tower, which is still known
under her name.
Later, Gian Galeazzo’s brother,
Ludovico Moria, called il Moro,
conquered the power: under his rule
Milan experienced one of the periods
of highest splendour.
In fact, in these years the court of
Milan welcomes many artists such
as Bramante and Leonardo da
Vinci, of whom we still have the
evocative decoration of the Sala
delle Asse, recently restored and
rediscovered in its original beauty.
The works to make the Castle ma-
gnificent had to pause when the
French troops, approached the
town. Ludovico prepared to
withstand their attack in vain.
After he had found refuge at the
court of the Habsburg, in 1499 the
Castle came under French rule.
The rooms of the Sforza complex
underwent a period of decline: the
chambers were damaged, while the
frescos and the decorations deterio-
rated.
In the 19th century Napoleone took
control of the Duke’s Chapel; these
are the years of the unsuccessful
attempt by some citizens of Milan
who attacked the fortress in a simi-
lar way as the inhabitants of Paris
had seized the Bastille, the symbol
of the royal power.
The Duke’s Chapel was therefore
reduced to the role of “stable “.