GEnealology of the house of visconti

Genealogy of the House of Visconti

The biscione associated with the city after the Visconti family

The biscione associated with the city after the Visconti family

The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family, who intermarried with the houses of Savoy, Sforza, Medici and Monteferrat to produce the lineage of the purported Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as lords then as dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the Visconti lordship of Milan was the archbishop Ottone, who wrested control of the city from the rival Della Torre family in 1277. Francesco I Sforza and his father-in-law Filipo Maria Visconti, commissioned the Visconti-Sforza tarot decks, the oldest surviving tarot cards, later adapted and popularized by the Golden Dawn.

The biscione (“grass snake”), also less commonly known as the vipera (“viper”), is a heraldic charge associated with the Visconti family, showing on argent an azure serpent in the act of consuming a human, usually a child and sometimes described as a Moor or an Ottoman Turk. It became the historic symbol of the city of Milan. Motto of the House of Visconti is Vipereos mores non violabo, Latin for “I will not violate the customs of the serpent.”

  • Stefano Visconti + Valentina Doria

    • Galeazzo II Visconti + Bianca of Savoy

      • Gian Galeazzo Visconti + Isabelle of Valois (daughter of John II of France + Bonne of Bohemia)

        • Valentina Visconti + Louis I, Duke of Orléans (brother of Charles VI of France)

          • Charles, Duke of Orléans + Marie of Cleves (d. of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves, raised by EMPEROR SIGISMUND, founder of the ORDER OF THE DRAGON, as duke and a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1417. Dukes of Cleve trace their descent to the legend with the Knight of the Swan, and reigned from Grail castle Schwanenburg Castle, where Wolfram von Eschenbach wrote Parzival, immortalized in Wagner's Lohengrin. Married Mary of Burgundy, sister of PHILIP THE GOOD, founder of the ORDER OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE)

            • Louis XII of France + Anne, Duchess of Brittany

              • Claude of France + Francis I of France (Order of the Golden Fleece, sponsor of Guillaume Postel and Leonardo da Vinci)

                • Henry II of France + Catherine de Medici (practitioner of the Black Mass)

                  • Elisabeth, Queen of Spain + Philip II of Spain (Order of the Golden Fleece)

                • Margaret II, Duchess of Berry + Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (called upon Nostradamus for an heir)

                  • Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (prophesied by Nostradamus)

              • Renée of France + Ercole II d'Este

          • Charles, Duke of Orléans + Isabella of Valois (see below)

      • Gian Galeazzo Visconti + Caterina Visconti

        • Gian Maria Visconti

        • Filippo Maria Visconti (commissioned first Tarot deck with Francesco I Sforza) + Marie of Savoy (daughter of Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy and Mary of Burgundy, daughter of Philip the Bold)

        • Filippo Maria Visconti + Agnese del Maino

          • Bianca Maria Visconti + Francesco I Sforza (Order of the Crescent founded by René of Anjou)

            • Galeazzo Maria Sforza + Lucrezia Landriani

              • Giovanni delle Bande Nere + Maria Salviati

                • Cosimo I de' Medici (Order of the Golden Fleece) + Eleanor of Toledo

                  • Lucrezia, Duchess of Modena + Alfonso II d'Este (ally of Rudolf II)

              • Carlo Sforza + Bianca Simonetta

                • Ippolita Sforza + Alessandro Bentivoglio

                  • Violante Bentivoglio + Giovanni Paolo I Sforza (see below)

            • Galeazzo Maria Sforza + Bona of Savoy (d. of Louis, Duke of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus)

              • Gian Galeazzo Sforza + Isabella of Naples (great-granddaughter of Alfonso V of Aragon, member of Order of the Dragon)

                • Bona Sforza + Sigismund I the Old (Order of the Golden Fleece)

                  • Sigismund II (employed jester Jan Stanczyk) + Barbara Radziwiłł (accused of promiscuity and witchcraft)

                    • Sigismund II Augustus

                  • Anna Jagiellon + Stephen Báthory (sponsor of John Dee and uncle of Elizabeth Báthory, the “Blood Countess”)

                  • Catherine Jagiellon + John III of Sweden

                    • Sigismund III Vasa (from whom the Vasa kings of Poland were descended. Raised by Jesuits, sponsored alchemist Sendivogius)

              • Anna Sforza + Alfonso I d’Este

            • Ludovico Sforza (commissioned The Last Supper, Grand Master of the Order of the Fleur de Lys) + Beatrice d’Este (double-wedding with Anna Sforza + Alfonso I d’Este orchestrated by Leonardo da Vinci)

            • Ludovico Sforza + Lucrezia Crivelli

              • Giovanni Paolo I Sforza + Violante Bentivoglio (see above)

                • Muzio I Sforza di Caravaggio + Faustina Sforza di Santa Fiora

                  • Francesco I Sforza di Caravaggio + Colonna Sforza (patrons of artist Caravaggio)

      • Violante Visconti

  • Stefano Visconti + Valentina Doria

    • Bernabò Visconti + Beatrice Regina della Scala

      • Taddea Visconti + Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria

        • Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen + Charles VI of France

          • Charles VII of France + Marie of Anjou (sister of René of Anjou)

            • Louis XI of France + Charlotte of Savoy

              • Charles VIII of France (last of the elder branch of the House of Valois. Succeeded by Louis XII of France) + Anne of Brittany

          • Catherine of Valois + Henry V of England

            • Henry VI of England + Margaret of Anjou (daughter of René of Anjou)

            • Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond + Lady Margaret Beaufort

              • Henry VII of England + Elizabeth of York (daughter of Edward IV of England + Elizabeth Woodville, accused of witchcraft)

                • Henry VIII, King of England

          • Charles, Duke of Orléans + Isabella of Valois (see above)

            • Joan of Valois, Duchess of Alençon

      • Viridis Visconti + Leopold III, Duke of Inner Austria

        • Ernest the Iron (Order of the Dragon. See the Genealogy of the House of Habsburg) + Cymburgis of Masovia

          • Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (successor of Emperor Sigismund) + Eleanor of Portugal (d. of Edward, King of Portugal, brother of Prince Henry the Navigator, Grand Master of the Order of Christ)

            • Maximilian I (Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece) + Mary of Burgundy (granddaughter of Philip the Good)

              • Philip I of Castile + Joanna of Castile (daughter of Ferdinand, knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and Queen Isabella)

                • Eleanor + Manuel I of Portugal (Order of the Golden Fleece, Grand Master of the Order of Christ)

                • Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece) + Isabella of Portugal (d. of Manuel I, King of Portugal, Grand Master of the Order of Christ)

                • Isabella of Austria + Christian II of Denmark (see below)

          • Margaret of Austria + Frederick II, Elector of Saxony (son of Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, who received the Saxon Electorate from Emperor Sigismund)

            • Elector Ernst of Saxony + Elisabeth of Bavaria (see below)

            • Albert III, Duke of Saxony (ORDER OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE, founder of the Albertine line of the House of Wettin) + Sidonie Podiebrad of Bohemia

              • George, Duke of Saxony (ORDER OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE) + Barbara Jagiellon

                • Christine of Saxony + Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (supporter of Marin Luther, founded the Schmalkaldic League with John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, who commissioned Luther Rose)

      • Agnese Visconti + Francesco I Gonzaga (no issue)

      • Maddalena Visconti + Frederick, Duke of Bavaria

        • Elisabeth of Bavaria + Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg

          • John “the Alchemist” + Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg

            • Barbara of Brandenburg + Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua

              • Federico I Gonzaga + Margaret of Bavaria (see below)

            • Elisabeth of Brandenburg

            • Dorothea of Brandenburg + Christian I of Denmark (first king of the House of Oldenburg, descended from Elimar I, Count of Oldenburg, the son of the Swan Knight Helyas and Elsa of Brabant, who married Rikissa or Richenza, the heiress of Oldenburg)

              • John I of Denmark + Christina of Saxony (see below)

              • Margaret of Denmark + James III of Scotland

                • James IV of Scotland + Margaret Tudor (d. Of Henry VII, Golden Fleece + Elizabeth of York, daughter of Elizabeth Woodville)

                  • James V of Scotland (Order of the Golden Fleece) + MARIE DE GUISE

          • Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg (founder of the Order of the Swan) + Catherine of Saxony (daughter of Frederick I, Elector of Saxony)

      • Elisabetta Visconti + Ernest, Duke of Bavaria (as ally of the House of Luxembourg, backed Emperor Sigismund in his wars against the supporters of Jan Hus)

        • Albert III, Duke of Bavaria + Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck

          • Margaret of Bavaria + Federico I Gonzaga (see above)

            • Clara Gonzaga + Gilbert, Count of Montpensier

              • CHARLES III, DUKE OF BOURBON (Grand Master of the PRIORY OF SION, ORDER OF THE FLEUR DE LYS)

              • Renée de Bourbon + Antoine, Duke of Lorraine (see below)

              • Louise de Bourbon + Louis, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon

                • Louis, Duke of Montpensier + Jacqueline de Longwy

                  • Charlotte of Bourbon + William the Silent of Orange

                    • Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau + Frederick IV, Elector Palatine

                      • Frederick V of the Palatinate + (see below)

            • Francesco II Gonzaga + Isabella d’Este

              • Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua + (see below)

                • LUDOVICO GONZAGA, DUKE OF NEVERS (Grand Master of the PRIORY OF SION)

                  • Charles I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua + Catherine of Lorraine-Mayenne (see below)

                • Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua + (see below)

              • FERRANTE GONZAGA (Grand Master of the PRIORY OF SION, ORDER OF THE FLEUR DE LYS)

          • Elisabeth of Bavaria + Elector Ernst of Saxony (founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes. See Genealogy of the House of Romanov)

            • Christina of Saxony + John I of Denmark

              • Christian II of Denmark + Isabella of Austria (see above)

                • John of Denmark

                • Christina of Denmark + Francesco II Sforza (last member of the Sforza family to rule Milan)

                • Christina of Denmark + Francis I, Duke of Lorraine (grandson of René II of Lorraine)

                  • Charles III, Duke of Lorraine + Claude of France (see above)

                    • Henry II, Duke of Lorraine + Margherita Gonzaga (see below)

                    • Christina of Lorraine (patron of Galileo)

                  • Renata of Lorraine + William V, Duke of Bavaria

                    • Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria + Maria Anna of Austria

                      • Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria + Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy

                    • Maria Anna of Bavaria + Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor

                • Dorothea of Denmark + Frederick II, Elector Palatine (no issue)

              • Elizabeth of Denmark + Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg

                • Margaret of Brandenburg + John V, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst

                  • Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt + Eleonore of Württemberg

                    • Rudolph, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst + Dorothea Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (see below)

                      • Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst + Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (friend of Johann Valentin Andreae, purported author of the Rosicrucian manifestos, and Rabbi Templo)

            • Frederick III the Wise, Elector of Saxony (one of the most powerful early defenders of Martin Luther, hiding him at Wartburg Castle)

            • Elector John (1468 – 1532, known for organizing the Lutheran Church in the Electorate of Saxony with the help of Martin Luther, helped Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, found the League of Gotha) + Sophie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

              • John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (friend of Martin Luther, founder of Schmalkaldic League with Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, and ordered creation of Luther Rose) + Sibylle of Cleves

    • Lucia Visconti + Frederick I, Elector of Saxony

      • no issue