Gian Maria Visconti, the son of Gian…
1402 CE
Gian Maria Visconti, the son of Gian Galeazzo and Caterina Visconti, succeedd to the state formed by his father, assuming the title of Duke of Milan at thirteen, under his mother's regency.
Facino Cane, who had trained in the military arts by fighting under Otto of Brunswick against Charles of Durazzo, in 1382, had at age twenty-six become a condottiere for the Scaliger and, later, Carraresi families.
In 1387 he had been hired by Theodore II, Marquess of Montferrat, with four hundred knights, in the war against the House of Savoy.
Facino's aim in wars has almost exclusively been the enrichment of himself and his soldiers, resulting in savage acts of ruthlessness and cruelties against the population.
This had led Theodore to dismiss Facino in 1397, and the condottiere had moved first back to the da Carrara and, in 1401, to the Visconti.
In 1400 he had also created the small seigniory for himself in Borgo San Martino.
He now assumes the effective control of the rapidly disintegrating Duchy of Milan, having gained ascendancy among the various parties contending its lands.