Visconty Family

The House of Visconti was an Italian noble family the High and Late Middle Ages (14th and 15th centuries). Their origins are found in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century. They achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia, where they became rulers of Gallura, and finally in Milan, where they made their most permanent mark.
Originating in the minor nobility, the family probably obtained the hereditary office of viscount of Milan early in the 11th century, transforming the title into a surname.



The effectual founder of the Visconti of Milan, Ottone, wrested control of the city from the rival Della Torre family in 1277. The Visconti ruled Milan until the early Renaissance, first as Lords, then, from 1395, as Dukes. Visconti rule in Milan ended with the death of Filippo Maria Visconti in 1447. He was succeeded, after a short-lived republic, by his son-in-law Francesco I Sforza, beginning the reign of the House of Sforza। (The parental link to the pisan and sardinian branch is not historically proved).




Visconti rulers of Milan


Ottone Visconti, Archbishop of Milan (1277 – 1294)
Matteo I Visconti (1294 – 1302; 1311 – 1322)
Galeazzo I Visconti (1322 – 1327)
Azzone Visconti (1329 – 1339)
Luchino I Visconti (1339 – 1349)
Bernabò Visconti (1349 – 1385)
Galeazzo II Visconti (1349 – 1378)
Matteo II Visconti (1349 – 1355)
Gian Galeazzo Visconti (1378 – 1402) {1st Duke of Milan & nephew of Bernabò Visconti}
Giovanni Maria Visconti (1402 – 1412)
Filippo Maria Visconti (1412 – 1447)
Bianca Maria Visconti (1425 - 1468 )

Visconti Family tree


















The Bisconte - the symbol of Milan



The Biscione (‘large snake’), also known as the Vipera (‘viper’ or in Milanese as the Bissa), is a heraldic charge showing in Argent an Azure serpent in the act of swallowing a human: usually a child and sometimes described as a Moor. It has been the emblem of the Italian Visconti family for around a thousand years. Its origins are unknown. However it has been claimed that it was taken from the coat of arms of a Saracen killed by Ottone Visconti during the crusades.

The biscione appears also in the coats of arms of the House of Sforza, the city of Milan, the historical Duchy of Milan and Insubria। It is also used as a symbol or logo by the football club Inter Milan, by Alfa Romeo and, in a version where a flower replaces the child, by Fininvest.