thumb|250px|muzio attendolo sforza. muzio attendolo sforza (28 may 1369 &ndash; 4 january 1424) was an italian condottiero. founder of the sforza dynasty, he led a bolognese-florentine army at the battle of casalecchio. he was the father of francesco sforza, who ruled milan for 16 years. ==biography== he was born as giacomo or jacopo attendolo in cotignola (romagna) to a rich family of rural nobility. muzzo or muzio was the short form of the nickname of giacomuzzo. according to tradition, young giacomo was plowing a field when a platoon of mercenaries led by boldrino da panicale passed nearby in search of recruits. he then stole one his father's horses and followed the soldiers to follow the same career. later, together with three brothers and two cousins, he joined the company of alberico da barbiano, who nicknamed him "sforza" ("strong") for his staunchness and his abilities to suddenly reverse the fortunes of battles. in 1398 he was at the service of perugia against the milanese troops of gian galeazzo visconti, to whom muzio soon switched his loyalty following the typical behavior of mercenary chieftains of the time. later he fought for florence against visconti but in 1402, at the battle of casalecchio, was defeated by his former master alberico da barbiano. in 1406 he captured pisa and was subsequently hired by niccolÃ² iii d'este of ferrara, who was being menaced by ottobono terzi of parma. left|220px|thumb|muzio attendolo in a 15th-century miniature. king ladislaus of naples named him gran connestabile of his kingdom. sforza's military qualities were mostly needed against florence and the pope. he remained for the rest of his life in the kingdom of naples, after the king's death (1414), at the service of queen joan ii. however, he attracted the jealousy of joan's favorite, pandolfello alopo, who had him arrested and imprisoned. however, when sforza's troops intervened, alopo freed him and joan gave him the fiefdoms of benevento and manfredonia. on this occasion sforza married caterina alopo, pandolfello's sister. a few months later sforza was again arrested after a quarrel with james of bourbon. he was freed only in 1416, after james' fall from power, and joan gave him back the title of conestabile. in 1417 sforza was sent by joan to help the pope against braccio da montone, together with his son francesco. later he returned briefly to naples, but here he was opposed by giovanni (sergianni) caracciolo, joan's new lover. in the following, confused, events that led to the arrival of louis iii of anjou in naples in opposition to alfonso v of aragon, sforza helped joan and sergianni to flee to aversa. in 1423, the city of
1369_births 1424_deaths 14th-century_Italian_people 15th-century_Italian_people Condottieri Deaths_by_drowning House_of_Sforza People_from_the_Province_of_Ravenna