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Sforza, Ludovico, also known as the Moor 1452-1508
Duke of Milan and patron of Leonardo da Vinci

The son of Francesco Sforza, he was born near Milan and acted as regent for his nephew Gian Galeazzo (1469-94) from 1476, but expelled him (1481) and gained the dukedom for himself. His usurpation was legitimized on his nephew's death (1494) by Emperor Maximilian I. He made an alliance with Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence, and under his rule Milan underwent extensive civil and military engineering work and became the most glittering court in Europe. He helped to defeat the attempts of Charles VIII of France to secure Naples, but was expelled by Louis XII (1499) and imprisoned in France, where he died.