The first king of the House of Oldenburg, Christian I’s reign as king of Denmark, began in 1448. At the time of his visit to Italy, he was also the king of Norway. In 1469, three years into the reign of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, he received a message from King Christian requesting a suit of armor for his own person. Galeazzo ordered one from Milan’s best armorer, Antonio Missaglia, paid for it himself and sent it to the king. Galeazzo did not receive many guests in Milan whose rank was superior to his own, and Christian I was the first reigning sovereign to visit.

In February 1474, Galeazzo received a second message. King Christian, brother-in-law to Barbara Hohenzollern of Brandenburg, marchioness of Mantua, planned a trip to Mantua and Rome and asked if he could stop in Milan. Galeazzo leapt into action, assembling all the newly made gentlemen, chamberlains, and most honorable feudatories to honor His Majesty. He volunteered the services of his brothers and half-brothers Ascanio, Filippo, Sforza Maria, Polidoro, and Tristano to be directed wherever the seneschals needed help.

On March 14, Galeazzo received Christian with a splendidly staged entry, honoring the king and also the native elites. Gregory Lubkin says during the course of this visit, Galeazzo gave more, displayed more and did more to honor Christian than to any other person who visited during his reign. Four councilors, ten gentlemen and two ducal brothers escorted Christian on his route from the Venetian border to a town near Milan. Galeazzo, arriving nearby, accompanied by the most valuable of his feudatories and his chamberlains, dismounted and embraced the king. Then, through an interpreter, spoke to him in ‘beautiful words’.

The two rulers rode to Milan accompanied by all the court, impressing everyone who saw them. The order of the procession began with the servants of gentlemen, the chamberlains, more servants with the trumpeters alongside the horses, the Privy Council, ducal brothers, king and duke, king’s retinue, and one hundred of Galeazzo’s mounted crossbowmen. As they made their way to the city gate, they passed by the ducal falconers with falcons in hand and a panther attended by its ducal keeper.

All along the road, there were onlookers, councilors, gentlemen, feudatories, and other courtiers. Outside the gate, Ascanio and Sforza Maria awaited the procession with a crowd of gentlemen. They presented Christian with the keys to the city and offered him their persons, the state and all rights, in effect, as an act of courtesy, making their home symbolically his home and recognizing his superiority.

The princely hospitality then turned to the sacred. Only the innermost circles of the princely households actually accompanied the king and duke into the city. These included Christian’s retinue and twelve to sixteen ducal chamberlains. At the gate, a canopy greeted these few, and before stepping under it, the king and duke knelt and kissed the Cross.

Following behind them were the regular clergy, with all the relics available as groups of prestigious Milanese laymen bore the canopy in relay. At the Duomo, they left the canopy, and the king and duke entered the cathedral, genuflecting at the altar. Officials performed the solemnities and delivered the oration, and they sang the Te Deum, seeking divine sanction for the king’s visit.

The king and duke crossed the piazza to the Corte Arengo, where the duke’s wife Bona welcomed the king inside the palace. Her three children and 150 ladies from the court and the city accompanied the duchess. The duke and his retinue escorted the king to his chambers, which they had richly furnished for the occasion. The duke even had an altar installed for the king’s use. Galeazzo then left his guest and returned to Porta Giovia castle.

The next day, Galeazzo went to Christian’s lodgings and brought him to Porta Giovia, where they dined and exchanged gifts. The duke provided two mules and a sapphire worth over 1,200 ducats, among other gifts. Galeazzo showed off his chapel and choir at mass. The following day, Galeazzo staged an exhibition of hunting with hounds, falcons and a female panther, which Christian enjoyed immensely.

In the afternoon, Galeazzo guided the king on a tour throughout the city with a stop at Antonio Missaglia’s shop. The following day, the king went to Porta Giovia with Galeazzo’s brothers and other courtiers. The duke took him on a tour of his premier hunting venue, the Giardino. Later, the retinues, the king, the duke and his brothers traveled by boat to Pavia, where a tennis display took place. The duke then showed the king his ducal treasury, library and reliquary.

The ceremonious departure of the king emphasized the duke’s lavish generosity. The king and his retinue of 141 people took their leave on March 18, with the duke escorting them from Pavia to the landing, where they would embark on a galley on the Mincio River to Mantua. Galeazzo bestowed gifts on everyone in the party of gold, velvet, and brocade, with the amounts corresponding to their rank. The two princes departed on excellent terms and Galeazzo sent the king on his way, attended by some of his worthy Milanese feudatories.

In the autumn, Christian traveled to Rome and met with Pope Sixtus IV, improving papal relations with the Danish church. Following this visit, he received a papal bull for a university which he founded in Copenhagen in 1479. He would later visit Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in the Netherlands on his journey home. As an aside, Christian was the father of Margaret of Denmark who married James III, King of Scots.

Further reading: “A Renaissance Court: Milan Under Galeazzo Maria Sforza” by Gregory Lubkin