Marco I. Visconti

Marco Visconti (* around 1280; † September 5, 1329 in Milan ) was an Italian politician and military leader.

Life

Marco Visconti was expelled from Milan together with his father Matteo Visconti in 1302 . In 1310 he conquered the city of Alessandria , whose Podestà he became. A year later he attacked Milan and sent the local Archbishop Cassono della Torre into exile.

In 1314 he was excommunicated by the Holy See after conquering cities dominated by Guelfs . The following years were marked by clashes with the troops loyal to the Pope of Robert von Anjou and Raimondo Folch de Cordona , whom Marco Visconti was able to defeat in 1324 with the support of German troops from the ranks of Ludwig of Bavaria .

In 1327 he turned against his brother Galeazzo , whom he had imprisoned for treason because he was a supporter of the Pope. Marco hoped to be appointed imperial vicar , but this did not materialize. During his campaigns in Tuscany in 1328 he conquered Pisa and Lucca on behalf of Louis , which he sold to the rulers of Florence a year later .

In 1329 he tried to stand against his nephew Azzo Visconti , who had become ruler of Milan the previous year after the death of his father Galeazzo. However, Marco was ambushed and presumably by Azzo himself, possibly together with Luchino , strangled and thrown out the window. The motive for this act was probably revenge for the arrest of Galeazzo two years earlier.

reception

The writer Tommaso Grossi dealt with the events in the years shortly before Visconti's death in his novel of the same name (1834). He combines historical facts with fictitious episodes.

literature

• F. Cognasso, I Visconti , Milan: Dall'Oglio, 1972.
• T. Grossi, Marco Visconti , Milan: Arcipelago, 1994.