Caterina Sforza (1463 – May 28, 1509), is an Italian noblewoman and Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola firstly with her husband Girolamo Riario, and after his death as a regent of her son Ottaviano.
The illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan and Lucrezia, the wife of the courtier Gian Piero Landriani, a close friend of the Duke, she is raised in the refined Milanese court, which in the fifteenth century is admired by all of Europe.
The descendant of a dynasty of noted condottieri, Caterina, from an early age, distinguishes herself by her bold and impetuous actions taken to safeguard her possessions from possible usurpers, and to defend her dominions from attack, when they are involved in political intrigues.
In her private life Caterina is devoted to various activities, among which are experiments in alchemy and a love of hunting and dancing.
She has a large number of children, of whom only the youngest, Captain Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, inherits the forceful, militant character of his mother.
Following Caterina's resistance to Cesare Borgia, she has to face his fury and he takes her prisoner.
Upon regaining her liberty following her imprisonment in Rome, she leas a quiet life in Florence.
In the final years of her life, she confides to a monk: "Se io potessi scrivere tutto, farei stupire il mondo" (If I could write everything, I would shock the world).
