This video has accurate SUBTITLES. please visualize them.
The video covers the long history of the Milan Castle, also known as “Castello Sforzesco”, (i.e. the Castle of the Sforzas). An Italian edition of this video is also available on the YouTube channel of Andrea Rui and on the website yesmilano.com.
The English text and narrating voice are that of Carlo Rolle, whose YouTube channel deals with medieval history.
LONG DESCRIPTION:
In 1360, the Visconti family decided to build a fortress next to Milan’s walls. They ordered the construction of a citadel next to the Castle, and surrounded by a moat. The fortress was completed with ducal apartments. After the death of Filippo Maria Visconti in 1447, a power void led to the creation of the Ambrosian Republic, during which the Castle was demolished.
In 1450, Francesco Sforza became the new Duke of Milan. He reconstructed the fortress, starting with the part facing the city. Two projecting round towers were cladded by diamond-shaped stones that could withstand artillery fire. Their walls were nearly 7 m thick. In 1451 the Duke commissioned to “the Filarete" the design of a great tower on the gateway towards the city.
Under Galeazzo Maria Sforza, a staircase was built in the courtyard, which could be climbed on horseback and gave access to residence of the Duke. In 1472, the Ducal Chapel was completed with richly decorated interiors.
When Galeazzo Maria was killed, his widow, Bona of Savoy, decided to reinforce the Castle to protect her son Gian Galeazzo Sforza. The core of the fortification was the Torre Castellana, or Treasure Tower. Another tower was erected in order to gain better control of the access to the Piazza d’Armi.
In 1480, with the exile of Bona to the town of Abbiate, Ludovico il Moro, another son of Francesco Sforza, assumed the role of Governor of the Duchy and of guardian of the young Gian Galeazzo, his nephew. The Moro invited to Milan great artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Bramantino.
Several drawings of the Castle by Leonardo da Vinci exist. One of them is a study of a huge lighthouse tower that should have replaced the Tower of Filarete. He had planned a large square in front of the castle, with a gigantic equestrian monument of Francesco Sforza in the centre, but Leonardo never managed to realize this statue.
In 1499, the Milan Castle, was handed over to the Frenchand Ludovico il Moro was finally defeated in 1500 by the French army, under the command of Gian Giacomo Trivulzio.
In 1521, lightning struck the Tower of Filarete and provoked an explosion that completely destroyed the tower and part of the Castle.
Upon the death of the last of the Sforzas, in 1535, the Duchy of Milan was annexed to the Empire of Charles V. In the following years, the city walls were enlarged. Straight ramparts were built and connected by huge bastions.
The Spanish governors were aware of the need to surround the Castle with bastions in accordance with modern fortification techniques, transformed by the development of artillery. Six huge bastions were constructed. These fortifications are described in the video. Milan eventually passed under the control of the House of Habsburg of Austria.
In 1796, with the arrival of Napoleon’s armies, the dismantling of the bastions began. The two round towers of the Castle were lowered and the ditches facing the city were filled up. A project foresaw the demolition of the Castle, and the erection of a large column celebrating Napoleon. The project was never completed and the Castle remained for decades an area of military barracks. In 1803, the Castle became the headquarter for the troops in Milan. Architect Luigi Canonica redesigned the square in front of the fortress and planned the perspective towards the park.
After the unification of Italy, the value of the location occupied by the Castle had increased and it was initially decided to demolish most of it. However, architect Luca Beltrami fought to save the Castle and bring it back to its ancient splendour. He convinced the city administration to undertake its restoration. The look of the Castle under the Sforzas was restored and original interior decorations were discovered. Beltrami brought the mutilated towers facing the city back to their original height and rebuilt the Filarete Tower, solemnly inaugurated in 1905.
Today, in every part of the Castle you can find masterpieces and manufacts recovered from ancient buildings. For centuries, the Castle had been a symbol of oppression. The two great towers of the Sforzas and the first bastions built by the Spaniards faced the city, as if the enemy had been inside it. However, today, the Castle has become the most beloved building in Milan, the historical and artistic memory of the city and a favourite destination for the walks of the Milanese and the tourists.
