Gian Galeazzo Sforza (20 June 1469-21 October 1494) was Duke of Milan from 1476 to 1494, succeeding Galeazzo Maria Sforza and preceding Ludovico Sforza.
Biography[]
Gian Galeazzo Sforza was born in Abbiategrasso, Lombardy in 1469, the son of Galeazzo Maria Sforza. He became Duke of Milan at the age of seven when his father was assassinated, and his uncle Ludovico Sforza became his regent before wresting all power from him and becoming the de facto Duke of Milan. Ludovico had Gian Galeazzo thrown into a caged pit in his dining room for years, throwing him food and urinating on him; Gian Galeazzo still refused to acknowledge his uncle as Duke. When Cardinal Ascanio Sforza visited Ludovico in Milan with the goal of dissuading him from allying with France, Ludovico had Gian Galeazzo released, and Gian Galeazzo began to demand several pheasants to eat, as he was starving. Ludovico gave him a poisoned one and restrained Ascanio as Gian Galeazzo died, and Ludovico was amused by how he was "Duke for an hour" and how he was "undone by his table manners".