Polity Duchy of Milan (Habsburg Military Occupation)

This article is about the specific polity Duchy of Milan (Habsburg Military Occupation) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here: All Statistics

During the Italian Wars Milan was again occupied by Habsburg Austria (it had already been occupied in the period 1526-1529). From 1556 the Duchy of Milan was ruled by Habsburg Spain and factually ceased its existence.

Establishment

  • October 1535: Francesco II Sforza, the duke of Milan had no children and died of a long and painful illness in 1535. Because he had no heirs, Francesco’s dynasty was brought to an end by Holy Roman emperor Charles V, whose niece, Christina of Denmark, was Francesco’s wife. There were no protests when Charles V took over the Duchy of Milan from either the people or other Italian states.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Italian Wars

Were a series of conflicts covering the period between 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the Valois kings of France, and their Habsburg opponents in the Holy Roman Empire and Spain.

1.1. Italian War of 1536-1538

Was one of the so-called Italian Wars. It was a conflict between King Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. The objective was to achieve control over territories in Northern Italy, in particular the Duchy of Milan.

  • October 1535: Francesco II Sforza, the duke of Milan had no children and died of a long and painful illness in 1535. Because he had no heirs, Francesco’s dynasty was brought to an end by Holy Roman emperor Charles V, whose niece, Christina of Denmark, was Francesco’s wife. There were no protests when Charles V took over the Duchy of Milan from either the people or other Italian states.

Disestablishment

  • January 1557: In 1556, Milan became a subsidiary country of the Spanish crown as a result of the Habsburg division of inheritance.