or the duchy of the Milanese, a country of Italy, bounded on the west by Savoy, Piedmont, and Montferrat; by Switzerland on the north; by the territories of Venice, the duchies of Mantua, Parma, and Placentia on the east; and by the territories of Genoa on the south. It is 150 miles long, and 78 broad.

Anciently this duchy, containing the north part of the old Liguria, was called Insubria, from its inhabitants the Insubres; who were conquered by the Romans, as these were by the Goths; who in their turn were subdued by the Lombards. Didier, the last king of the Lombards, was taken prisoner by Charlemagne, who put an end to the Longobardic empire, and appointed governors of Milan. These governors being at a distance from their masters, soon began to assume an independency, which brought a dreadful calamity on the country; for, in 1152, the capital itself was levelled with the ground by the emperor Frederic Barbarossa, who committed great devastations otherwise throughout the duchy. Under this emperor lived one Galvian, a nobleman who was descended from Otho a Milanese. Galvian, along with William prince of Montferrat, served in the crusade, when Godfrey of Boulogne took Jerusalem; he killed in single combat the Saracen general, whom he stripped of his helmet, which was adorned with the image of a serpent swallowing a youth; and this ever afterwards was the badge of that family. His grandson Galvian, having opposed the emperor, was taken prisoner, and carried in irons into Germany, from whence he made his escape, and returning to Milan, died in the service of his country. From him descended another Otho, at the time that Otho IV. was emperor of Germany, and who soon distinguished himself by the accomplishments both of his mind and body. When he grew up, he was received into the family of Cardinal Octavian Ubaldini at Rome. This prelate, who was himself aspiring at the pedepom, was in a short time greatly taken with the address and accomplishments of young Otho, and predicted his future greatness. In the mean time, one Torres, or Torriano, a Milanese nobleman of unbounded ambition, was attempting to make himself master of Milan. The popular faction had some time before been caballing against the nobility; and at last, Torriano putting himself at their head, expelled the bishop, and put to death or banished all the nobility; by which means the popular government was fully established; and Torriano, under this pretence, ruled everything as he pleased. He was, however, soon opposed by one Francisco Sepri, who formed a great party, pretending to deliver the city from Torriano's haughtiness and cruelty. But while the two parties were collecting their forces against each other, Cardinal Ubaldini was projecting the destruction of both, by means of his favourite Otho. This prelate had for some time borne an implacable hatred to Torriano, because he had been by him prevented from carrying out of the treasury of St Ambrose's church at Milan, a carbuncle or jewel of great value, which he pretended to reserve for adorning the papal tiara; for which reason he now determined to oppose his ambition.

Ubaldini began with naming Otho archbishop of Milan; which, as the pope's legate, he had a right to do. This nomination was confirmed by Pope Urban IV.; and the party of the nobility having now got a head from the pope himself, began to gather strength. Otho in the mean time employed himself in collecting troops; and had no sooner procured a show of an army than he advanced towards Lago Maggiore, and took possession of Arona, a strong post near that lake: but Torriano, marching immediately against him with all his troops, obliged him to abandon the place, and leave his party to make the best terms they could with the conqueror. This was followed by the destruction of the castles of Arona, Angiari, and Brebia: soon after which Torriano died, and was succeeded by his brother Philip, who had sufficient interest to get himself elected podesta, or prætor of Milan, for ten years. During his lifetime, however, the party of the nobility increased considerably under Otho, notwithstanding the check they had received. Philip died in 1265, having lost ground considerably in the affections of the people, though he obtained a great reputation for his courage and conduct. His successor Napi rendered himself terrible to the nobility, whom he proscribed, and put to death as often as he could get them into his power. He proceeded such lengths, and acted with such fury against that unfortunate party, that Pope Clement IV. who had succeeded Urban, at last interdicted Milan, and excommunicated Napi and all his party. By this Napi began to lose his popularity, and the public disaffection towards him was much heightened by the natural cruelty of his temper. But in the mean time, the party of the nobility was in the utmost distress. Otho himself and his friends, having spent all their substance, wandered about from place to place; the pope not being in a capacity of giving them any assistance. Otho, however, was not discouraged by his bad success, but found means still to keep up the spirits of his party, who now chose for their general Squarcini Burn, a man of great eminence and courage, whose daughter was married to Matthew Visconti, afterwards called Matthew the Great. At the same time they renewed their confederacy with the marquis of Montferrat, who was son-in-law to the king of Spain. The marquis agreed to this confederacy chiefly with a view to become master of the Milanese.

The nobility now again began to make head; and having collected an army, which was joined by 600 Spanish Spanish cavalry and a body of foot, gained some advantages. But in the mean time Napi, having gathered together a superior army, suddenly attacked Otho and Burri, and defeated them. After this disaster Otho applied to the pope; from whom, however, he did not obtain the assistance he desired; and in the mean time Napi invited the emperor Rodolph into Italy, with the promise of being crowned at Milan. This invitation was accepted of with great readiness by Rodolph; who constituted Napi his governor and vicar-general in Lombardy, sending him at the same time a fine body of German horse, the command of which was given to Cassoni, Napi's nephew. On this Otho again applied to the pope (Gregory X.); but he was so far from granting him any assistance, that he is said to have entered into a scheme of assassinating him privately; but Otho escaped the danger, and in 1276 began to recover his affairs. The reason of Pope Gregory's enmity to him was, that he and his party were thought to be Gibelins, and were opposed by great numbers of the nobility themselves; but after that pope's death, the Milanese exiles being united under one head, soon became formidable. They now chose for their general Godfrey count of Languisio, a noble Pavia, and an inveterate enemy of the Torriano family. This nobleman being rich and powerful, enlisted many Germans and other mercenaries, at whose head he marched towards the Lago Maggiore. All the towns in that country opened their gates to him, through the interest of the Visconti family, who resided in these parts. But this success soon met with a severe check in an unfortunate engagement, where Godfrey was defeated and taken prisoner; after which he and 34 nobles had their heads struck off, and sent from the field of battle piled up in a common waggon.

This defeat greatly affected Otho; but having in a short time recovered himself, he again attacked his enemies, and defeated them; but, suffering his troops to grow remiss after their victory, the fugitives rallied, and entirely defeated him. The next year, however, Otho had better success, and totally defeated and took prisoner Napi himself. After this victory Cassoni was obliged to abandon Milan to his competitor, who kept possession of it till his death, which happened in 1295, in the 87th year of his age.

Otho was succeeded by Matthew Visconti above mentioned; and Milan continued in subjection to that family without any very memorable occurrence till the year 1378, when, by the death of Galeazzo II., his brother Barnabo became sovereign of Milan. He was of a brave and active disposition; but excessively profuse in his expenses, as his brother Galeazzo had also been; and to procure money to supply his extravagancies, was obliged to oppress his subjects. Galeazzo had engaged in an enterprise against Bologna, and the siege of it was continued by Barnabo. It lasted for nine years; and during this time is said to have cost 300 millions of gold, a prodigious sum in those days, near 40 millions sterling, the lowest gold coin being in value somewhat more than half a crown English. Both the brothers were excessively fond of building. Barnabo erected a bridge over the Adda, consisting of three stories; the lowest for chariots and heavy carriages, the middle for horses, and the uppermost for foot passengers. He built also another bridge which was carried over houses without touching them. To accomplish these, and many other expensive schemes, he became one of the greatest tyrants imaginable, and every day produced fresh instances of his rapacity and cruelty. He instituted a chamber of inquiry, for punishing all those who had for five years before been guilty of killing boars, or even of eating them at the table of another. They who could not redeem themselves by money were hanged, and above 100 wretches perished in that manner. Those who had any thing to lose were stripped of all their substance, and obliged to labour at the fortifications and other public works. He obliged his subjects to maintain a great many hunting dogs, and each district was taxed a certain number. The overseers of his dogs were at the same time the instruments of his rapacity. When the dogs were poor and slender, the owners were always fined; but when the dogs were fat, the owners were also fined for suffering them to live without exercise.

The extravagant behaviour of Barnabo soon rendered public affairs ready for a revolution, which was at last accomplished by his nephew John Galeazzo. He affected a solitary life, void of ambition, and even inclining to devotion; but at the same time took care to have his uncle's court filled with spies, who gave him information of all that passed. He reduced his table and manner of living, pretending that he took these steps as preparations to a retirement from the world, which was soon to take place after he had paid a religious vow. In short, he acted his part so well, that even Barnabo, though abundantly cautious, had no suspicion of his having any designs against him; and so entirely did he conceal his ambition, that he several times made application to his uncle for his interest to procure him a quiet retreat as soon as his religious vows were performed. One of these was to pay a visit to the church of the blessed Virgin upon Mount Varcezzo. This was to be done with so much secrecy that all kinds of eye-witnesses were to be excluded; and it was with difficulty that Barnabo himself and two of his sons were allowed to accompany our devotee. But, in the mean time, the hypocritical Galeazzo had soldiers advancing from all quarters; so that Barnabo and his sons were immediately seized, and the houses of those who had sided with them given up to be plundered. The booty in plate, money, and all kinds of rich furniture, was immense. The ministers of the late government were dragged from their hiding places, and put to death; and at last the citadel itself fell into the hands of Galeazzo, who found in it an immense sum of money. Barnabo was carried prisoner to Triticci, a castle of his own building, where he had the happiness to find one person still faithful to him. This was his mistress, named Domina Porra; who, when he was abandoned by all the world, shut herself up a voluntary prisoner in his chamber, and remained with him as long as he lived, which was only seven months after his degradation.

John Galeazzo was the first who took upon him the title of the Duke of Milan, and was a prince of great policy and no less ambition. He made war with the Florentines, became master of Pisa and Bologna, and entirely defeated the emperor in 1401, so that he entertained hopes of becoming master of all Lombardy, and cutting off all possibility of invading it either from France. Milan. France or Germany; but his designs were frustrated by death, which happened in 1402, in the 53rd year of his age. After his decease the Milanese government fell into the most violent distractions, so that it could not be supported, even in time of peace, without an army of 20,000 foot and as many horse. In the year 1421, however, Philip duke of Milan became master of Genoa; but though he gained great advantages in all parts of Italy, the different states still found means to counterbalance his successes, and prevent him from enslaving them; so that Milan never became the capital of any extensive empire; and in 1437 Genoa revolted, and was never afterwards reduced.

Philip died in 1448, and by his death the male line of the Visconti family was at an end. The next lawful heir was Valentina his sister, who had married the duke of Orleans, son to Charles V. of France. By the contract of that marriage, the lawful progeny of it was to succeed to the duchy of Milan in failure of the heirs male of the Visconti family; but this succession was disputed by Sforza, who had married Philip's natural daughter. It is certain, however, that the rightful succession was vested in the house of Orleans and the kings of France; and therefore though the Sforza family got possession of the duchy for the present, Louis XII. afterwards put in his claim, being a grandson to John Galeazzo. For some time he was successful; but the French behaved in such an insolent manner, that they were driven out of the Milanese by the Swiss and Maximilian Sforza. The Swiss and Milanese were in their turn expelled by Francis I., who obliged the Sforza family to relinquish the government for a pension of 30,000 ducats a-year. Francis Sforza, the son of Maximilian, however, being assisted by the emperor and the pope, regained the possession of the Milanese about the year 1521; and, eight years after, the French king, by the treaty of Cambrai, gave up his claim on the duchy.

But, in fact, the emperors of Germany seem to have had the fairest title to the Milanese in right of their being for a long time sovereigns of Italy. On the death of Francis Sforza, therefore, in the year 1536, the emperor Charles V. declared the Milanese to be an imperial fief, and granted the investiture of it to his son Philip II. king of Spain. In his family it continued till the year 1706, when the French and Spaniards were driven out by the Imperialists, and the emperor again took possession of it as a fief. It was confirmed to his house by the treaty of Baden in 1714, by the quadruple alliance in 1718, and by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.

The duchy of Milan is one of the finest provinces in Italy. It is bounded on the south by the Apennine mountains, and the territory of Genoa; on the north by Switzerland; on the east by the Venetian territories, and the duchies of Mantua, Parma, and Placentia; and on the west by Savoy, Piedmont, and Montferrat; extending from north to south about 100 miles, and from east to west about 108. It is well watered by the Tessino, the Sesia, the Adda, the Po, the Oglio, the Lombro, Serio, &c. and also by several canals and lakes. Of the latter, the Lago Maggiore is between 30 and 40 miles in length, and in some places six or seven miles broad. In it lie the Boromean islands, as they are called, viz. Isola Bella and Isola Madre, the beauty of which almost exceeds imagination; art and nature seem to have vied with one another in embellishing them. In each of them is a palace with delicious gardens, belonging to the Borromeo family. The water of the lake is clear and of a greenish colour, and abounds with fish. The hills with which it is surrounded present a most charming landscape, being planted with vines and chestnut trees, interspersed with summer houses. There is a canal running from it towards Switzerland, with which the city of Milan has a communication. It was anciently called Lacus Verbanus. The Lago de Como, which was called by the Latin poets Lacus Larius, but had its modern name from the city near which it lies, extends itself about 30 miles northward from Como, but its greatest breadth is not above five miles. From the Lago Maggiore issues the Tessino; and from that of Como the Adda. Of the other lakes, that of Lugano and Guarda are the chief; that of Guarda was anciently called Benacus.

The trade and manufactures of this duchy consist principally in silk stuffs, stockings, gloves, and handkerchiefs, linen and woollen cloth, hardware, curious works of crystal, agate, hyacinths, and other gems; but their exports are usually far short of their imports. It produces also abundance of rice, corn, fruit, wine, and hemp. Great quantities of cheese are also made here.

In the year 1767, the Austrian government of Milan published a law, by which all the rights which the pope or the bishops had till then exercised over ecclesiastics, either with regard to their effects or persons, was transferred to a council established for that purpose at Milan. By the same edict, all ecclesiastics were obliged to sell the estates which they had become possessed of since the year 1722; and no subject, whether ecclesiastic or secular, was to go to Rome to solicit any favour, except letters of indulgence, without the consent of the said council.

This duchy was subdued by the French in the year 1796, when it formed a part of the Cisalpine republic. When hostilities recommenced in 1799, it was again taken by the allies, but afterwards reconquered by Bonaparte in 1800. From this period it formed a part of the kingdom of Italy, till the overthrow of Bonaparte's government in 1814, when it was restored to Austria with the rest of Lombardy.

capital of the duchy of that name, in Latin Mediolanum, is a large city, and has a wall and rampart round it, with a citadel; yet is thought to be incapable of making any great resistance. The gardens within the city take up a great deal of ground. In the citadel is a foundery for cannon, and an arsenal furnished with arms for 12,000 men. Milan hath experienced a great variety of fortune, having been subject sometimes to the French, sometimes to the Spaniards, and sometimes to the Germans. A great number of persons of rank and fortune live in it, especially during the winter. The ladies in France are not allowed more liberty than those of this city; even the austerities of the monastic life are so far mitigated here, that gentlemen have not only the liberty of talking with the nuns, and of rallying and laughing at the grate, but also of joining with them in concerts of music, and of spending whole afternoons Milan, in their company. The place where the beau monde take the air, either in their coaches or on foot, is the rampart betwixt the Porta Orientale and the Porta Tosa, where it is straight and broad, and extremely pleasant, being planted with white mulberry trees, and commanding a prospect on one side of the open country, and on the other of the gardens and vineyards between the ramparts and the city. Milan, which is said to have been built by the Gauls about 200 years after the foundation of Rome, contains a great number of stately edifices, as churches, convents, palaces, and hospitals. The cathedral is a vast pile, all of marble; and is the largest in Italy, except that of St Peters at Rome. It is 449 feet in length, 275 in breadth, and 238 in height, under the cupola. Though founded in 1386, the façade was only completed a few years ago by order of Bonaparte. Of the great number of statues about it, that of St Bartholomew, just flead alive, with his skin hanging over his shoulders; and of Adam and Eve, over the main portal, are the finest. The pillars supporting the roof of the church are all of marble, and the windows finely painted. This church contains a treasure of great value, particularly a shrine of rock crystal, in which the body of St Charles Borromeo is deposited. The other churches most worthy a stranger's notice are those of St Alexander, St Jerome, St Giovanni di Casarotti della Passione, that of the Jesuits, and of St Ambrose, in which lie the bodies of the saint and of the kings Pepin and Bernard. In the Ambrosian college, founded by Frederic Borromeo, 16 professors teach gratis. In the same college is also an academy of painting, with a museum, and a library containing about 45,000 printed books and manuscripts; among the last of which is a translation of Josephus's History of the Jews, done by Rufinus about 1200 years ago, and written on the bark of a tree; St Ambrose's works on vellum, finely illuminated; the orations of Gregory Nazianzen, and the works of Virgil, in folio, with Petrarch's notes. In the museum are Leonard da Vinci's mathematical and mechanical drawings, in 12 large volumes. The seminary for sciences, the college of the nobles, the Helvetian college, and the mathematical academy, are noble foundations, and stately buildings. Of the hospitals, the most remarkable are the Lazaretto, and that called the great hospital; the latter of which receives sick persons, foundlings, and lunatics, and has six smaller hospitals depending on it, with a revenue of 100,000 rix dollars.

The number of the inhabitants of this city is said to be about 130,000. It has been 40 times besieged, taken 20 times, and four times almost entirely demolished; yet it hath always recovered itself. It is said that gunpowder is sold here only by one person, and in one place. The houses of entertainment, and the ordinaries here, are represented as very indifferent.—Mr Keysler says, it is not unusual for young travellers, when they go to any of the taverns in Milan, to be asked, "whether they choose a letto fornito," or female bedfellow," who continues masked till she enters the bedchamber. Milan is described as inferior to Turin both in beauty and conveniency, many of the streets being crooked and narrow, and paper windows much more frequent than in that city; even in grand palaces, the windows are often composed promiscuously of glass and paper. There are four theatres in the city: the great theatre Della Scala, built in 1778; that of the Canobiana, the theatre Re; and the Carcano. On the right of the Place d'Armes is a magnificent amphitheatre, appropriated to horsemanship and games, erected during the French rule. Two large canals extend from hence, the one to the Tessino, and the other to the Adda; the Tessino having a communication with the Lago Maggiore, and, by a canal, with the Sesia; and the Adda issuing from the Lago di Como, and having a communication by canals with the Lombro and Serio. In a void space in one of the streets of Milan, where stood the house of a barber who had conspired with the commissary of health to poison his fellow citizens, is erected a pillar called Colonna Informe, with an inscription to perpetuate the memory of the execrable design. The environs of this city are very pleasant, being adorned with beautiful seats, gardens, orchards, &c. About two Italian miles from it, at the seat of the Simonetti family, is a building, that would have been a masterpiece of its kind had the architect designed it for an artificial echo. It will return or repeat the report of a pistol above 60 times; and any single musical instrument well touched will have the same effect as a great number of instruments, and produce a most surprising and delightful concert.

Bonaparte was crowned king of Italy in this city in May 1805, and it was visited by the emperor of Austria in 1816. It is now the capital of the kingdom of Venetian Lombardy.

According to Dr Moore, "there is no place in Italy, perhaps in Europe, where strangers are received in such an easy hospitable manner as at Milan. Formerly the Milanese nobility displayed a degree of splendour and magnificence, not only in their entertainments, but in their usual style of living, unknown in any other country of Europe. They are under a necessity at present of living at less expense, but they still show the same obliging and hospitable disposition. This country having, not very long since, been possessed by the French, from whom it devolved to the Spaniards, and from them to the Germans, the troops of those nations have, at different periods, had their residence here, and in the course of these vicissitudes, produced a style of manners, and stamped a character on the inhabitants of this duchy, different from what prevails in any other part of Italy; and nice observers imagine they perceive in Milanese manners, the politeness, formality, and honesty imputed to those three nations, blended with the ingenuity natural to Italians. In Italy, the ladies have no notion of quitting their carriages at the public walks, and using their own legs as in England and France. On seeing the number of servants, and the splendour of the equipages which appear every evening at the Corso on the ramparts, one would not suspect that degree of depopulation, and diminution of wealth, which we are assured has taken place within these few years all over the Milanese; and which proceeds from the burdensome nature of some late taxes, and the insolent and oppressive manner in which they are gathered."—Milan is situated 29 leagues N. E. of Turin, 110 N. W. of Rome, and 143 S. E. of Paris.—E. Long. 9° 11'. N. Lat. 45° 28'.