The Count Of Virtue

An exceptional biography of the late-medieval ruler who brought Milan to the height of its power, dominating Northern Italy and threatening to conquer the entire peninsula, until he was struck down by the plague. Ideal for readers who love the works of Dan Jones, Paul Strathern and Barbara W. Tuchman. Fourteenth century Italy was chaotic: mercenaries swarmed across the land as competing city states attempted to vie with each other for power, while pestilence and famine decimated populations. Into this cauldron was born Giangalezzo Visconti, a man who perfectly exemplified all the contradictions of his age. Viscous, covetous, and with loose morals, he has been portrayed as one of the most criminal men in history, yet he was also a man of remarkable gifts as a brilliant administrator, a shrewd ruler who was able to command the loyalty of his men, and a patron of beautiful art and architecture at the dawn of the Renaissance. Visconti as a young boy had been taught by Petrarch, yet he was