Milan: Power and Magnificence

It is often forgotten that the wealthiest and most powerful territory in medieval and Renaissance Italy was the Duchy of Milan, and it was probably the largest metropolis in Europe. A telling indication of the esteem that Milan enjoyed is that Leonardo da Vinci chose to spend much of his working life there rather than in other Italian cities more commonly associated with artistic splendor.  The ruling dynasties in Milan were the Visconti and after their extinction in 1450, the Sforza. They produced a succession of the most feared tyrants in Italy – but also created around them the most glittering court in the peninsula, the rival of any in Europe. Artists, musicians, and men of letters flocked here to participate in the unending spectacle of court life, and to compete for the unparalleled opportunities for the exercise of their genius.