Visconti
Dukes and rulers of Milan 1277–1447. They originated as north Italian feudal lords who attained dominance over the city as a result of alliance with the Holy Roman Emperors. Despite papal opposition, by the mid-14th century they ruled 15 other major towns in northern Italy. The duchy was claimed by the Sforzas in 1450.
They had no formal title until Giangaleazzo bought the title of duke from Emperor Wenceslas IV (1361–1419). On the death of the last male Visconti, Filippo Maria, 1447, the duchy passed into the hands of the Sforzas in 1450, after the short-lived Ambrosian Republic.
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