This occurred in Milan, possibly the most heavily populated city on the Italian peninsula.
Milan proved to be one of the most successful of the domains ruled by despots. The duke of Milan held judicial, legislative, and, after 1385, financial control of the city, though he ruled with the aid of a private council and a public council. The duke was also the city's richest citizen, and his home reflected his wealth. In 1499 the Duke of Milan lived in a walled-in castle in the middle of the city that featured moats, sixty-two drawbridges, and about one thousand mercenaries (hired soldiers). Such a fortress was deemed necessary because of the number of citizens who were jockeying for power, scheming to place dukedoms in various hands.
A duke of the 1300s or 1400s operated as an all-powerful leader. His courtiers devoted themselves to carrying out the duke's every wish, and many of the rulers exercised authority at whim. One of the dukes of Milan, for example, is known to have ordered a tailor thrown into prison for a small mistake-he had "spoiled the doublet [jacket] of crimson silk" belonging to one of the duke's courtiers (Martines, p.
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