House of Sforza

Country	Italy
Ancestral house	House of Visconti (through Bianca Maria Visconti)
Titles	Duke of Milan Lord of Pesaro Marquess of Caravaggio Count of Cotignola Lord of Castell'Arquato
Founder	Muzio Attendolo
Final sovereign	Milan: Francesco II (1535) Pesaro: Galeazzo (1519)
Founding	1447
Deposition	Milan: 1500: Italian Wars Pesaro: 1519: Death of Galeazzo Two Sicilies: 1624
Cadet branches	Illegitimate House of Sforza-Pesaro (extinct in 1519) House of Sforza-Cotignola (extinct in 1624) House of Sforza-Cesarini

Sforza was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan.

History[link]

A miniature of Muzio Attendolo

The dynasty was founded by Muzio Attendolo (1369–1424), called Sforza (from sforzare, to exert or force), a condottiero from Romagna serving the Angevin kings of Naples. He was the most successful dynast of the condottieri.

His son Francesco I Sforza ruled Milan for the first half of the Renaissance era, acquiring the title of Duke of Milan from the extinct Visconti family in 1447.

Rising from peasant origins, the Sforzas became condottieri and used this military position to become rulers in Milan. The family governed by force, ruse, and power politics, similar to the Medici in Florence. Under their rule the city-state flourished and expanded. The family also held the seigniory of Pesaro, starting from Muzio Attendolo's second son, Alessandro (1409–1473). The Sforza held Pesaro until 1519, with the death of Galeazzo. Muzio's third son, Bosio (1411–1476), founded the branch of Santa Fiora, who held the title of count of Cotignola; the Sforza ruled the small county of Santa Fiora in southern Tuscany until 1624. Members of this family also held important ecclesiastical and political position in the Papal States, and moved to Rome in 1674.

A family tree of the House of Sforza

The Sforza would later join with the Borgia Family, through the arranged marriage of Lucrezia Borgia to Giovanni (the illegitimate son of Costanzo I of Pesaro[1]).

Ludovico Sforza (also known as Ludovico il Moro, famous also for taking Leonardo da Vinci at his service) was defeated in 1500 by the French army of Louis XII of France - see also Italian Wars.

After the French were driven out by Imperial German troops, Maximilian Sforza, son of Ludovico, became Duke of Milan, until the French returned under Francis I of France and imprisoned him.

Sforza rulers of Duchy of Milan[link]

Map of Italy in 1494. Insert shows the Duchy of Milan ruled by the Visconti family and inherited by the Sforzas.

• Francesco I 1450–1466
• Galeazzo Maria 1466–1476
• Gian Galeazzo 1476–1494
• Ludovico 1494–1499
• Ludovico (restored) 1500
• Massimiliano 1512–1515
• Francesco II 1521–1535

Sforza rulers of Pesaro and Gradara[link]

• Alessandro
• Costanzo I
• Giovanni
• Costanzo II
• Galeazzo

Sforza family tree[link]

• Muzio Sforza with mistress Lucia da Torsano had 7 illegitimate sons
  • son Francesco I Sforza married Bianca Maria Visconti
    • son Galeazzo Maria Sforza mistress Lucrezia Landriani
      • daughter Bianca Maria (1472–1510), second wife of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I
      • son Gian Galeazzo(1469–1494), married Isabella of Naples
        • son Francesco (II), nominally duke under the regency of Ludovico Maria
        • daughter Bona (1494–1557), second wife of King Sigismund I of Poland
      • illegitimate daughter Caterina Sforza married Giovanni de' Medici il Popolano
        • son Giovanni dalle Bande Nere married Maria Salviati
          • son Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany married Eleanor of Toledo
            • son Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany married Archduchess Joanna of Austria (1547–1578)
              • daughter Marie de' Medici married Henry IV of France
                • daughter Henrietta Maria of France married Charles I of England
                  • son Charles II of England mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth
                    • son Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond married Anne Brudenell
                      • son Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond married Sarah Lennox, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox
                        • son General Lord George Lennox married Lady Louisa Kerr
                          • son Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond married Lady Charlotte Gordon
                            • son Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond married Lady Caroline Paget
                              • daughter Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox married Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan
                                • daughter Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham (1869–1958) married James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn
                                  • daughter Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer married Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer
                                    • son John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer married Frances Shand Kydd
                                      • daughter Diana, Princess of Wales married Charles, Prince of Wales
                                        • son Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
                                        • son Prince Harry of Wales
    • son Ludovico il Moro (the Moor) (1451–1508)
      • son Ercole Massimiliano
      • son Francesco II (III) Maria
      • illegitimate son Giovanni Paolo I (1497–1535), marquess of Caravaggio
    • son Ascanio (1444–1505), Cardinal
    • daughter Ippolita Maria (1446–1484), married king of Alfonso II d'Aragon of Naples
  • son Alessandro, first lord of Pesaro
    • son Costanzo I
    • son Galeazzo, last Sforza ruler of Pesaro
    • son Giovanni (1466–1510), first husband of Lucrezia Borgia
      • son Costanzo II (Giovanni Maria)
  • Bosio (count of Cotignola, lord of Castell'Arquato)

Notable members[link]

Name	Portrait	Relationship to the House of Sforza
Muzio Attendolo		Founder of the House of Sforza
Francesco Sforza	100px	Son of Muzio Attendolo, first Sforza ruler of Milan
Bianca Maria Visconti	100px	Wife of Francesco I Sforza
Galeazzo Maria Sforza	100px	Son of Francesco I Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan
Gian Galeazzo Sforza	100px	Son of Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland	100px	Daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza
Bianca Maria Sforza		Daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza and Holy Roman Empress, as the wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Anna Sforza		Daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza and wife of Alfonso I d'Este Her successor would be the infamous Lucrezia Borgia
Caterina Sforza	100px	Illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan
Ludovico Sforza	100px	Son of Francesco I Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan
Beatrice d'Este	100px	Wife of Ludovico Sforza
Maximilian Sforza		Son of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan
Francesco II Sforza		Son of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan
Giovanni Paolo I Sforza		Illegitimate son of Ludovico Sforza, first Marquess of Caravaggio

In popular culture[link]

• One of the cursed artifacts from Friday the 13th: The Series was the "Sforza Glove", attributed to the original family's possession.
• Thomas Harris's character Hannibal Lecter is a descendant of the House of Sforza.
• In the anime, manga and book series Trinity Blood, one of the Cardinals and Duchess of Milan is named Caterina Sforza.
• Caterina Sforza appears as a non-playable character in the video game Assassin's Creed 2 and its sequel, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
• The Sforza figure prominently in the Showtime series on the Borgia family

See also[link]

• List of rulers of Milan
• Italian Wars
• House of Visconti
• Pesaro
• Gradara

References[link]

Ciriaco Sforza (born 2 March 1970) is a Swiss former professional football player and is the coach of Grasshopper-Club Zürich.

Biography[link]

He most notably played for 1. FC Kaiserslautern and FC Bayern Munich in Germany. Ciriaco Sforza represented the Swiss national team 79 times, and represented his country at the international 1994 World Cup and Euro 96 tournaments.

According to his website, he is married and has two children.

Career[link]

Born in Swiss town Wohlen, Sforza started his career in his hometown club FC Wohlen. He was signed by FC Aarau in 1989, where he impressed commentators and fans alike. Sforza was signed by Swiss giants Grasshoppers Zurich one year later and he represented Grasshoppers during three successful seasons. He won the 1991 Swiss Super League championship with the club, and made his national team debut in August 1991. In 1993, he moved abroad to Germany to play for 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

Sforza became the general of the Kaiserslautern midfield and was recognised as one of the best midfielders in the German Bundesliga championship. After two seasons at Kaiserslautern, he was bought by German giants FC Bayern Munich in 1995. Sforza was signed at the same time as German superstar Jürgen Klinsmann, compared to the homely smalltown club Kaiserslautern, FC Bayern was a team with many stars. Conflicts between Klinsmann and team captain Lothar Matthäus poisoned the atmosphere and many scandals underlined why FC Bayern is nicknamed FC Hollywood. Bayern also missed out on the German championship for the second season in a row, though Sforza was a part of the 1996 UEFA Cup winning FC Bayern team.

Sforza had trouble settling in at FC Bayern, and after one season at the club he moved to Italy. He signed for Internazionale, where he was united with former Swiss national team manager Roy Hodgson. Sforza also had problems performing at Internazionale, and he spent a lot of time on the bench. After a single season he moved again – but this time to known territory. In time for the 1997–98 season, Sforza moved back to Kaiserslautern where he immediately made an impression. Even though Kaiserslautern had just been promoted from the German second division, Kaiserslautern became German champions, beating FC Bayern to the title. Sforza spent two more seasons at Kaiserslautern, impressing commentators and fans alike.

In 2000, he decided to give FC Bayern Munich another try. Once again, he failed to perform and spent a lot of time on the sidelines. FC Bayern had many star players competing for places, and the team won both the 2001 Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League titles. After two seasons at FC Bayern, he returned to Kaiserslautern in 2002, joining Kaiserslautern for a third time, Sforza's "double return" is unique in the German Bundesliga. The aging and now somewhat injury-prone Sforza helped FCK avoid relegation, however, in October 2005, he had a public falling-out with the club and was blackballed. He retired at the end of the season, in summer 2006.

International career[link]

Sforza was selected to play for Switzerland at the 1994 World Cup by national manager Roy Hodgson. Despite the missing success at FC Bayern, Sforza represented Switzerland at the Euro 96 tournament in England.

International goals[link]

Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	16 August 1992	Kadrioru Stadium, Tallinn	Estonia	6–0	6–0	1994 World Cup qualifier
2.	18 November 1992	Wankdorf Stadium, Bern	Malta	3–0	3–0	1994 World Cup qualifier
3.	9 March 1994	Népstadion, Budapest	Hungary	1–0	2–1	Friendly
4.	12 October 1994	Wankdorf Stadium, Bern	Sweden	3–2	4–2	Euro 1996 qualifier
5.	11 October 1995	Hardturm, Zurich	Hungary	2–0	3–0	Euro 1996 qualifier
6.	13 March 1996	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg	Luxembourg	1–1	1–1	Friendly
7.	6 October 1996	Olympiastadion, Helsinki	Finland	2–0	3–2	1998 World Cup qualifier

Coaching career[link]

Sforza went on to become manager of Swiss team FC Luzern, and was sacked after 2 more or less successful years training luzern. On 9 June 2009 was named as the new Head Coach of Grasshopper-Club Zürich^[1] and signed a contract between 30 June 2011.^[2]

Honours[link]

Grasshopper-Club Zürich

• Swiss Super League: 1991

Internazionale

• UEFA Cup: 1997 runner-up

1. FC Kaiserslautern

• Bundesliga: 1998

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2001
• UEFA Cup: 1996
• UEFA Champions League: 2001
• Intercontinental Cup: 2001

References[link]

External links[link]

• Personal Website (German)
• Career statistics (German)

v t e Switzerland squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Pascolo 2 Hottiger 3 Quentin 4 Herr 5 Geiger 6 Bregy 7 Sutter 8 Ohrel 9 Knup 10 Sforza 11 Chapuisat 12 Lehmann 13 Egli 14 Subiat 15 Grassi 16 Bickel 17 Fournier 18 Rueda 19 Studer 20 Sylvestre 21 Wyss 22 Brunner Coach: Hodgson

Ciriaco Sforza international tournaments v t e Switzerland squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Pascolo 2 Hottiger 3 Quentin 4 Herr 5 Geiger 6 Bregy 7 Sutter 8 Ohrel 9 Knup 10 Sforza 11 Chapuisat 12 Lehmann 13 Egli 14 Subiat 15 Grassi 16 Bickel 17 Fournier 18 Rueda 19 Studer 20 Sylvestre 21 Wyss 22 Brunner Coach: Hodgson v t e Switzerland squad – UEFA Euro 1996 1 Pascolo 2 Hottiger 3 Quentin 4 Henchoz 5 Geiger (c) 6 Wicky 7 Fournier 8 Sylvestre 9 Grassi 10 Sforza 11 Chapuisat 12 Lehmann 13 Jeanneret 14 Türkyilmaz 15 Vega 16 Koller 17 Vogel 18 Rothenbühler 19 Sesa 20 Comisetti 21 Bonvin 22 Corminbœuf Coach: Artur Jorge