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Overview of the Visconti Family History
The Visconti Family acquired the signoria of Milan in 1277, when Archbishop Ottone Visconti defeated the Guelfs at Desio, usurping their power. Otto took the title of signore from Martino della Torre. Prior to this, the family had been growing ever more powerful. By the early 12th century, the Visconti family had extended their control over two-thirds of the island of Sardinia, though the family is most commonly known for its dominance in the Italian city of Milan. Ottone Visconti (1277–1295) and his successor Matteo Visconti (1287–1302, 1317–1322) had several political disagreements with other prominent families. The Visconti family was expelled by their rivals in 1302, the della Torre’s, but was restored to power in 1311 by Matteo. The Visconti’s were restored by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII, who also made Matteo the military vicar of Lombardy at this time. In his time, Matteo also made several territorial gains, as he was able to take control of Pavia, Vercelli, Novara and Como. Following Matteo, there was a long line of powerful successors in the Visconti family, who created a stable state in Milan. This line started with Galeazzo I (1322–1327), Azzone (1329–1339), Giovanni (1339–1354) and Archbishop of Milan starting in 1342, Luchio (1339–1349), Matteo II (1354–1355), Galeazzo II (1354–1378), and ended with Barnabó (1354–1385), who was the father of Lucia.

These strong rulers demonstrated several noteworthy accomplishments. Galeazzo I was excommunicated in 1323, and went on to defeat a Papal army at Vaprio in 1324, but soon afterwards he was imprisoned by Emperor Louis IV. His successor, Azzone, fortified the Visconti state by buying the title of the vicariate, and by murdering his uncle and rival Marco. The Visconti state now expanded to include the cities of Como, Bergamo, Crema, Cremona, Pavia, Piacenza, Novara, and Vercelli. Luchio went on to accqire the city of Parma, and the dependency of the city of Pisa. He also made peace with the church, as there was still tension from Galeazzo’s conflict with the Papal army. In agreement with Pope Benedict XII, by 1341 all sentences of excommunication had been eradicated, and in return the Viscontis would obey and acknowledge Papal power over them. Giovanni proceeded to acquire the cities of Bobbio, Tortona, and Asti, and also gained the position of Lord of Genoa, and eventually he captured Bologna against the church in 1350. The next ruler, the oppressive and harsh ruler Barnabó ended this streak of powerful rulers. During his time in power, he near constantly was a war with the church, notably with Popes Innocent VI and Urban V, who led a crusade against him in an attempt to quell him. Charles IV even rescinded the imperial vicariate that the Visconti’s held in 1372, and as Pope Gregory XI got ready to fight the Visconti, it was imperative that peace was made. He was eventually murdered, and left several children including Lucia behind. Barnabó was known to be a very harsh and cruel in his rule, and was not a popular ruler due to his policies such as heavy taxation for fighting wars. The family rose to princely status in 1395 when the family, namely Giovanni Galeazzo, received the Emperor Wenceslas’s ducal title, and was now recognized as the Duke of Milan.

However, at the turn of the 15th Century, there were a series of political crises, starting with the ruler Giovanni Maria (1402-1412), who was eventually assassinated. These issues eventually waned when Giovanni’s brother, Filippo Maria (1412-1447) took the throne, and he again began to build on the achievements of the Visconti family. Following Filippo’s reign, there was a short republican era from 1447 to 1450, and Francesco Sforza reasserted the Visconti government. The Visconti’s depended on a mercenary army, and with this power they dominated Lombardy, suppressing the local rulers there, and advancing as far as Venetian territory, and also even invading parts of the area of Genoa.

The Visconti family gained effective control of the institutions of the Lombardy during their time in power, and their power extended into many realms besides that of politics. During the Avignon Papacy and the Great Schism, when the Papacy was weakened by internal struggles, the Visconti family was able to control several important religious positions in the city of Milan, especially the position of the Archbishop of Milan. The Visconti family also paid a lot of attention to moral and cultural conditions of the clergy and of society. Ottone, the first Visconti signore in 1277, founded a school of theology adjacent to a cathedral, and Galeazzo II founded a university in Pisa after he came to acquire lordship there, and even Petrarch visited the university that he had established. The family as a whole founded and funded many churches, they donated to hospitals and supported mendicant orders, such as the Dominicans and the Franciscans, and they also created public works in efforts to stimulate the economy.