Estorre Visconti
Estorre Visconti, or Astorre according to other sources (1346 – 7 January 1413), was one of the many illegitimate sons of the famous Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan and already deposed by his nephew Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1385.
Biography
[edit]Estorre who is also known as Ettore or Astore[1] was born 1346 in Milan, son of Bernabò Vidsconti and Beltramola de' Grassi.
Estorre was born while his father lived in exile, until Bernabo was called back to Milan by his uncle Giovanni Visconti sometime around 1347-49. It is likely that on his return or soon thereafter that he brought Beltramola and their children to Milan.
Estorre and his siblings were Bernabos eldest and only children until 1350, when Bernabo married Beatrice Regina della Scala and started to have legitimate children.
Although Estorre was illegitimate, his father Bernabo (who had numerous issues from both his wife and other mistresses) made use of his illegitimate children, the sons serving as loyal captains in his armies and the daughters married off to gain relationship to condottieri.[2] Out of Estorres four sisters, Enrica married the condottiero Lotario III Rusca da Como, Isotta married Carlo da Fogliano and then Ludwig Lutz, graf von Landau while Margherita became the abbess of the Santa Margherita monastery in Castagnedo.
Ambrogio, Estorres oldest brother, was given a military command. Estorre was no exception and entered into a military career where he gained a reputation as "a man without fear".[3]
In 1354, Estorres' father became the co-ruler of Milan together with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II.
In 1385, his father was ambushed by his nephew Gian Galeazzo Visconti who then subsequently imprisoned and murdered him. Many Estorres' siblings where then forced to flee into exile.
Sometime around 1403, Estorre was in the city of Verona, where his half-brother Carlo Visconti ruled[4] after being forced into exile by their cousin Gian Galeazzo who had usurped the title of lord of Milan from their father Bernabo.
In 1407, he claimed himself Lord of Monza and made a mint to mint its own coins with the words Hestor Vicecomes Modoetie.
Giovanni Maria Visconti, son of Gian Galeazzo and Duke of Milan, accused him of conspiracy and had him imprisoned in the Castle of Monza,[5] where Gian Galeazzo had imprisoned and murdered Estorres' father, Bernabo. Eventually, Estorre was freed by his followers of the Ghibelline party.
After the assassination of Giovanni Maria Visconti (16 May 1412), Estorre and his nephew Gian Carlo Visconti were acclaimed as the new rulers by the people of Milan. Estorre was among the few sons of Bernabo (both illegitimate and legitimate) still alive, so his claim joined with that of Gian Carlo who was the son of Bernabos legitimate son Carlo. The pair managed to hold on to control until June of that year when they were defeated by his nephew Filippo Maria Visconti, brother of Gian Maria.
Estorre, his sister Valentina and her husband Giovanni Aliprandi, then fled to Monza where he was besieged by the Count of Carmagnola. Here, in the courtyard of the castle, while he was watering his horse, a stone thrown at random from a catapult of the besiegers broke his leg, which eventually caused his death in Monza a few days later.
In 1711, following renovations in the Duomo of Monza, his mummified body was found and is now preserved in the Museum of the Treasure of the Cathedral of Monza. His sword, a valuable work of an Milanese armourer, is also exhibited.
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Estorre was married to Margherita (also known as Donnina) d'Infrascati[1][6] daughter of Giovanni Infrascati.[7]
Francesco[6] inherited the lordship of Monza after his father's death.[6] Lord of Melenagno
Estore II Visconti, married Francesca Simplatori[8] with issue. Lord of Melinagno.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Simonyi, Ludwig “von” (1846). Geschichte des Lombardisch Venezianischen Königreichs: Geschichte des Lombardisch-Venezianischen Königreichs. Von 1300 vor Ch. Geb. bis 1402 nach Ch. Geb. 1 (in German). Redaelli.
- ^ Leader, John Temple; Marcotti, Giuseppe (1889). Sir John Hawkwood (L'Acuto): Story of a Condottiere. T. F. Unwin [Printed by G. Barbèra].
- ^ Stefanoni, Luigi (1883). Storia d'Italia, narrata al popolo (in Italian). E.Perino.
- ^ Mesquita, Daniel Meredith Bueno de (1941). Giangaleazzo Visconti: Duke of Milan : 1351-1402. CUP Archive.
- ^ Gu, Jenny; Bourne, Philip (June 16, 2009). "Bookcast - Structural Bioinformatics 2nd Edition Gu & Bourne (Eds.)". SciVee. doi:10.4016/11616.01. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c Storia della rigenerazione italiana descritta da centocinquanta rimembranze italiane dallo scorcio del secolo 9. fino alla riscossa italiana del 1860 scritta da illustri penne italiane e diretta da G. B. Sezanne (in Italian). Tip. Fioretti. 1867.
- ^ N.N (1891), Statuti della Società dei Mercanti di Monza, Corbetta, p. 215. The name Infrascati is mentioned as merchants of Monza in the years 1470-1475.
- ^ a b Nantigny, Louis Chasot de (1736). Les genealogies historiques des rois, empereurs, [et]c. et de toutes les maisons souveraines ...: Contenant les maisons souveraines d'Italie, avec les familles papales depuis cent cinquante ans (in French). chez Pierre-François Giffart.