Ludovico Sforza

Ludovico Sforza (1451-1508), called Il Moro (The Moor), Duke of Milan. He was the son of Francesco Sforza. In 1479 he seized control of the duchy from his nephew, Gian Galeazzo Sforza, but he was not officially acknowledged as Duke until 1494. His rule fostered tremendous accomplishments in the arts and sciences, and he became the patron of such distinguished men as Leonardo da Vinci. His political activities, however, were disastrous to Italy. Under his rule, Naples once again became an enemy of Milan. Ludovico, fearing a threat to his power by the strengthening alliance between his nephew and King Ferdinand I of Naples, the result of Gian Galeazzo's marriage in 1489 to Ferdinand's niece, banished his nephew to Pavia, a province in northern Italy. Gian Galeazzo died there soon afterwards. In 1494 Ludovico abetted King Charles VIII of France in his plans to conquer Naples, and the French invaded Italy. In 1495, realizing the potential power of the invaders, Ludovico rejoined his Italian neighbours and successfully expelled the French troops from Italy. The succeeding French monarch, Louis XII, seeking a stronghold on the Italian peninsula, invaded and conquered Milan in 1499. Ludovico then fled to Germany. He returned to Italy a year later with new troops but was captured and taken as a prisoner to France, where he died.