Bernabò Visconti

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Portrait of Bernabò Visconti on an engraving by an unknown engraver from the 18th century
Barnabò Visconti with his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala , detail of a fresco by Andrea di Bonaiuto from the Cappella Spagnuolo , Santa Maria Novella , Florence
Tomb of Bernabò Visconti, created by Bonino da Campione , Castello Sforzesco Milan

Bernabò Visconti (* 1323 ; † December 19, 1385 in Trezzo sull'Adda ) from the Visconti family was the eldest son of Stefano Visconti . During the division of the family's territory after the death of Cardinal Giovanni Visconti in 1354, the city of Milan was awarded to him.

Life

Bernabò was permanently involved in wars. He fought against the Popes Innocent VI. (ruled 1352-1362) and Urban V. (1362-1370), who called against him for a crusade . He also fought against Emperor Charles IV (ruled 1346-1378), who declared him forfeit of his fiefdom . After the death of his brother Galeazzo II Visconti, he sought sole power in the state, but was killed in 1385 by his young nephew and son-in-law Gian Galeazzo Visconti .

Bernabò Visconti was married to Beatrice Regina della Scala († June 18, 1384), daughter of Mastino II. Della Scala of Verona , from 1350 .

Bernabò Visconti was the father of 15 legitimate and 10 illegitimate children. The marriages he made for them give an impression of the power the Visconti represented in Italy at the time . Three Wittelsbach dukes from Germany married daughters of Bernabò, a Duke of Austria from the Habsburg family and a Count of Württemberg . In fact, these daughters of Bernabò Visconti are largely responsible for the fact that the Renaissance spread to Germany. Bernabò Visconti married his illegitimate daughters to successful and powerful Condottieri , so in 1377 his daughter Donnina married the Englishman John Hawkwood .

In “The Culture of the Renaissance in Italy” Jacob Burckhardt describes the character of Bernabò Visconti as follows: “In Bernabò there is an unmistakable family resemblance to the most terrible Roman emperors. The most important state purpose is the prince's boar hunt; whoever grabs it will be tortured to death; the trembling people must feed him 5,000 hounds, with the strictest responsibility for their well-being. The taxes are raised with all conceivable means of coercion, seven daughters are provided with 100,000 gold guilders and an enormous treasure is collected. "

Bernabò commissioned the construction of the largest single arch bridge in the world, the Trezzo Bridge .

progeny

Matrimonial:

  1. Taddea Visconti (* 1352; † September 28, 1381) ⚭ October 13, 1364 Stephan III. , Duke of Bavaria (around 1337–1413); Parents of Queen Isabeau of France (1370–1435)
  2. Marco Visconti (1353–1382) ⚭ after 1367 Elisabeth of Bavaria
  3. Luigi Visconti († 1385) ⚭ 1381 Violante († 1382), daughter of Galeazzo II. Visconti
  4. Rodolfo Visconti (1364 - January 3, 1389)
  5. Giovanni Mastino Visconti ⚭ Antonia della Scala
  6. Carlo Visconti († 1391) ⚭ 1382 Beatrice d'Armagnac; the couple had a son, Gian Carlo Visconti
  7. Ettore Visconti († fallen 1413)
  8. Caterina Visconti (around 1360; † October 17, 1404) ⚭ October 2, 1380 Gian Galeazzo Visconti (1351–1402), Duke of Milan
  9. Viridis Visconti († before March 11, 1414) ⚭ March 22, 1365 Leopold III. , Duke of Austria (1351-1386)
  10. Agnese Visconti († 1391) ⚭ Francesco I. Gonzaga , Margrave of Mantua (1363–1407)
  11. Valentina Visconti († 1393) ⚭ 1378 Peter II , King of Cyprus († 1382)
  12. Antonia Visconti († March 26, 1405) ⚭ 1380 Eberhard III. , Count of Württemberg (1364–1417)
  13. Maddalena Visconti (* 1366; † August 24, 1404) ⚭ September 2, 1381 Friedrich , Duke of Bavaria (around 1339-1393)
  14. Elisabetta Visconti (* 1374; † February 2, 1432) ⚭ February 1396 Ernst , Duke of Bavaria (1373–1438)
  15. Lucia Visconti († 1424) ⚭ Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent († 1407) ( House of Holland )

Illegitimate children:

  • Donnina (mother: Montanina de Lazzari) ∞ John Hawkwood ( Giovanni Acuto ), † 1394, mercenary leader
  • Riccarda (mother: Catarina Freganeschi) ∞ Bernardon de la Salle , † 1391, mercenary leader

—With Donnina del Porri, legitimized in a ceremony after the death of his wife in 1384:

  1. Palamede (d.1402)
  2. Lancelloto
  3. Sovrana ⚭ Giovanni da Prato
  4. Ginevra ⚭ Leonardo Malaspina († 1441)
  5. Enrica (* 1344) ⚭ Loterio Rusca († 1399), mayor (Podestà) of Milan and councilor of the Duke of Milan, son of Francesco Rusca, imperial vicar of Como.

With other mistresses:

- With Beltramola Grassi:

  1. Ambrogio (1343 - killed in the battle of Caprino Bergamasco, August 17, 1373), mercenary leader and governor of Pavia
  2. Isotta († 1388), ⚭ 1378 Lutz Graf von Landau, mercenary leader under the name Lucio Land († 1398)
  3. Ettore († 1413), Lord of Milan (May 16 - June 12, 1412) ⚭ Margherita Infrascati

- With Beltramola Grassi or Catarina Freganeschi:

  1. Riccarda ∞ Bernardon de la Salle † 1391, mercenary leader

—With Montanina de Lazzari:

  1. Sagramoro († 1385), Lord of Brignano, ⚭ Achiletta Marliani
  2. Donnina ∞ John Hawkwood ( Giovanni Acuto ), † 1394, mercenary leader

- With Giovanolla Montebretto:

  1. Bernarda († 1376), ⚭ Giovanni Suardi
  2. Valentia, ⚭ Antonio Gentile Visconti, Lord of Belgioioso

literature

Web links

Commons : Bernabò Visconti  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Bernabò Visconti seems to have gone through some sort of marriage ceremony to legitimate his children by Donnina del Porri" (HS Ettlinger, "Visibilis et Invisibilis: The Mistress in Italian Renaissance Court Society", Renaissance Quarterly , 1994.)
  2. ^ Miroslav Marek: Complete Genealogy of the House of Visconti . Genealogy.EU.
personal data
SURNAME Visconti, Bernabò
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Visconti, Barnabò; Visconti, Barnabas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lord of Milan
DATE OF BIRTH 1323
DATE OF DEATH December 19, 1385
Place of death Trezzo sull'Adda