Savoy Truffle
Hello Goodbye
From "A History of Savoy" by J. P. Lerrier
The declaration of the Ambrosian Republic at first seemed like a great blow to Savoy's ambitions with regards to Milan. With the Visconti line deposed, Savoy's claim on the city were very thin, and rested entirely with the claimant Roberto Visconti, who sought refuge in Ludovico's court at Chambery.
The Duke had many audiences with his nephew, and was sympathetic to Roberto's desire to return to Milan to rule, but made sure to procrastinate at everyu turn and to ignore Roberto's pleading and whining. Ludovico, unlike his relative, was a shrewd and intelligent man, who wanted to see what form this Republic took before taking any decisive action.
The Ambrosian Republic, once proper governance had been restored to the city, was to be ruled by a Senate of "elected" nobility, who would collectively make decisions on behalf of the city. They set about promoting the arts and restoring the rights of the
comune, to make Milan a free city. Many artists and writers initially flocked to the liberated city, and for a brief, shining moment, the Ambrosian Republic became the hub of the early renaissance.
Adoration of the Magi, a typical work of the Ambrosian Renaissance*
Francesco Sforza was of course one of the most prominent politicians in the Senate, and was able to acquire through various shady dealings large estates in Pavia and Lodi, but after a year he quit the Senate in 1448 and raised a force of his own, in anger and defiance at the attitudes of the
grandi (Milanese noble families), who treated him without the respect he felt he deserved as he was not of noble birth and was himself illegitimate (a point very often raised by Roberto when protesting his rights to the Duchy of Milan). Francesco Sforza had been one of the prime movers behind the Republic, but now he was himself instigating a civil war.
The Republic was corrupt and rotten to the core, and infighting and feuding was to bring it crashing down in 1450. Between 1448 and 1450 Francesco Sforza had gained more and more power and a larger and larger force, and soon he was attacking Milan itself. The Senate, faced with the inevitable, sent out envoys to ask what it was that Sforza exactly wanted. The answer that came back was pretty straightforward; he wanted to be crowned Duke of Milan. The
grandi had little choice but to accept, and the Ambrosian Republic was brought to an end, a noble experiment that had gone badly wrong.
There was considerable disquiet in Chambery when this news arrived. On one hand, it was good that the title of Duke of Milan was back in use, as it would easier get hold of it, but on the other, the Duke was Francesco Sforza. Roberto, more determined than ever, petitioned his uncle to invade Milan, and as it seems that plans for an invasion were actually made. However, these were distracted by other international matters, as in October of 1450 Austria attacked Bohemia. No Savoyard troops fought in the war, and it was a success for the alliance as Bavaria gained control of the Sudetenland.
Ludovico decided against direct intervention in Milan, not wishing to incur Austria and Venice's wrath, and so opted for more clandestine methods. The exact order of events of the night of August 22nd 1452 are not known, but a rough attempt to guess can be made. Some time before Roberto and a loyal servant of Ludovico, an aging Pierre de Megeve had travelled to Milan, presumably in disguise so as to avoid recognition. They somehow gained entry to the castle, possibly by bribing a guard, or maybe using the tunnel Roberto had used when he had fled the city five years previous. But anyhow, one of them murdered Francesco in his bed, and Roberto made himself Duke of Milan.
But that was not to last, for only hours after his proclamation, he abdicated, his heir of course being the Duke of Savoy, Ludovico, who now also became Duke of Milan. It may seem surprising that after all those many years pleading for Ludovico to take action that he should give up the Duchy so quickly and willingly, but Roberto was a greedy, weak man, and very likely had accepted a large bribe of gold and land in exchange for his actions. Before anyone knew what was happening, the flag of Milan was gone, and from the castle flew the red and white cross of Savoy.
*not really of course, as Botticelli was only 2 years old in 1447.
