Ludovico Il Moro, Duke of Milan, and the Sforziada by Giovanni Simonetta in Warsaw, by D. R
LUDOVICO IL MORO, DUKE OF MILAN, AND THE SFORZIADA BY GIOVANNI SIMONETTA IN WARSAW D. R. Edward Wright I. PURPOSE OF SFORZIAD: SFORZA POLITICAL PROPAGANDA 1 The text of the book from which Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait came is known as the Sforziad or Commentaries on the Deeds of Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. Its author, Giovanni Simonetta, served as secretary in the ducal chancery (1450 – 79), a position which allowed him access to state papers as a source for his biography. Written in humanist Latin from 1473 to 1476, at a time when Simonetta was trying to bring a Venetian printer to Milan, it “may have been the first work of history written for the press”. 2 In light of the research, done by Gary Ianziti, it appears to have been meant as a further shoring up of the Sforza political position. 3 Given the unwillingness of the Holy Roman Emperor to legitimize his rule by granting a formal imperial investiture with the duchy, Francesco advanced his claim on the basis of his marriage to a Visconti heir, Bianca Maria, his election as duke by the people, and the recognition of his status by other powers. According to Ianziti’s investigations this was not enough. It was deemed necessary to publicize his virtus, his capabilities as a strong military and political leader, to learned diplomats and humanist curial officials. Simonetta dedicated the first printing to Francesco’s grandson, Gian Galeazzo Sforza. Later editions commissioned by Ludovico Sforza had a similar purpose, that is to show Il Moro’s superior capacity for rule according to a “like father, like son” theory of inherited natural abilities first formulated by Aristotle in the Politics (I, vi, 1255 b): “they distinguish…noble and humble birth…they think that as men and animals beget men and animals, so from good men a good man springs.” The idea took root and was developed further in the Middle Ages, and the Italian Renaissance.
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