Lord of Milan
The Lord of Milan was a medieval noble title for the dynastic head of state of the city of Milan and surrounding countryside in northern Italy. From 1277 to 1395, Visconti of Milan family held the title, after which they were elevated to Duke of Milan.

Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that elected its own podestà. The Torriani family gained sustained power in 1240, when  was elected podestà. After Pagano's death, Baldo Ghiringhelli was elected podestà in 1259, but at the end of his tenure Martino della Torre, Pagano's nephew, perpetrated a coup d'état, seizing of power of his family over the commune, establishing the first Signoria (Italian for "Lordship") of Milan.

During their tenure, the Torriani family, aligned with French Charles of Anjou, started a strong rivality with Visconti family, loyal to the German Hohenstaufen. In 1262, Pope Urban IV appointed Ottone Visconti as Archbishop of Milan, to Martino della Torre's disappointment. In 1273, a civil war started between the two families, ended with Torriani's defeat in the Battle of Desio of 1277.

On June 1302, Guido della Torre forged a coalition with anti-Visconti cities and marched on Milan, deposing Visconti. However, in 1308 Guido started a quarrel with his cousin, the Archbishop Cassone della Torre. After an assault on Milan Cathedral, Cassone fled to Bologna and solicited an imperial intervention. Taking advantage of a chaotic situation in Northern Italy, King Henry VII of Germany descended into Italy with an army, and in Autumn 1310 he marched on Milan to restore both Cassone and the Visconti. After the fall of Milan, he was crowned King of Italy in the city's Cathedral.

References 

 
Lords in Italy