After Filippo Maria's death in 1447, Aurea Republica Ambrosiana (Golden Ambrosian Republic) was established by a group of noblemen. During this time Venice took advantage of the city's weakness and attacked. Francesco Sforza, husband of Filippo's daughter fought against them and won back the cities but then made a secret deal with Venetians to give them Brescia and other territories on condition that he would be the duke of Lombardy. After his death, his younger son Ludovico Mauro became a good ruler just like his father. The French King Louis XII in 1499 invaded Italy to claim his rights over Milan and took Ludovico prisoner and he dies in 1508 in France.
In 1508 French-ruled Milan joined the League of Cambrai and had victories against the Venetians at Agnadello in 1509. In 1513 the papal armies, Venice and Spain fought against French and they were expelled from Lombardy. Ludovico's son Massimiliano became the ruler. After him his brother Francesco ruled under the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and after Francesco dies in 1535, Charles gained power over the area and 170 years of Spanish domination began. It was when Milan lost its wealth and power. The plague of 1630 devastated Milan.
In the 18th Century the War of Spanish Succession began and in 1706 Milan was occupied by Eugenio von Savoy on behalf of the emperor Joseph I of Austria with signing the Peace of Utrecht in 1713 and the Treaty of Rastadt in 1714. This started the enlightenment in Milan with the reforms made the Austrians. In 1796 Milan became the capital of Napoleon's Cisalpine Republic. After his fall in 1814, the Congress of Vienna restored Lombardy to Austria but after a five days of street fight in 1848 Milanese threw the Austrians out of the city which did not last long because of the military forces of Austria and the region was the under the control of Count Joseph Radetzky.
After the Second Independence War:
During this time the Austrians had to leave the area to Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy who became the first king of united Italy. This is when Rome became the capital city and Milan became the cultural and financial capital in Italy.
After World War-I the Fascist party began its activities such as the attack at the socialist newspaper in Milan. In July 1943 Milanese workers protested against the Mussolini's regime. Mussolini and his mistress Claretta Petacci were executed in Milan piazzale Loreto.
After the World War II Milan and other major cities in Lombardy had many immigrants from other cities of Italy as the area was open to opportunities for the ones with good ideas. Milan has developed very rapidly and started to play a great role in Italy's economy.
