Sforza probably also accepted because of the rich dowry, which included territories in the areas of Cremona, Castellazzo di Bollate and Bosco Frugarolo.

In the following years, the suspicious Filippo Maria tried twice to dissolve the betrothal with the ambitious Sforza: in 1434, after the latter had sided with Pope Eugene IV, who sent him to fight Milan, Carlo Gonzaga, the son of the Marquis of Mantua, was contacted.

[3] The later project of betrothing Visconti to Leonello d'Este, marquis of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio,[3] was only a political move to pressure Sforza to leave the alliance formed by the Republic of Venice against Milan.

On 24 October 1441 Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti were wed in the Abbey of San Sigismondo in Cremona, preferring that city's Cathedral for security reasons.

[4] In the typical Italian Renaissance manner, feasts lasted for several days and included a sumptuous banquet, tournaments, a palio, allegorical carts and a huge cake reproduction of the Torrazzo, the city's main tower.

Francesco Sforza gave back to the pope the town of Jesi in exchange for 35,000 florins, and moved towards Milan along with his wife.

According to the chronicles, Visconti donned a suit of parade armor and, along with some troops and the populace, hurried to defend wards the city.

Her good relationships with her Visconti relatives gained popular support, as well as loans and funds, for the fragile new state created by her husband.

Sforza and Visconti refused the triumphal wagon (they called it superstizione da re, "kings' superstition"), instead reaching the Duomo riding on a couple of horses.

Remaining alone in Milan, Visconti devoted herself to the administration of the Duchy, as attested by the correspondence with her husband, which gives precious insights on the education of their children, state affairs, the financial difficulties, and details of her daily life.

The ducal couple had a large hospital built in Milan, the Ospedale Maggiore,[6] and often Visconti offered direct help to numerous poor women.

The crusade never materialized, but Sforza and Visconti's support of the papacy gained them bulls of indulgence for the Duomo and the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

In 1462 Francesco Sforza, who suffered from gout and dropsy, fell ill. During his absence from the government, Visconti's political and administrative capabilities prevented the state from crumbling after some rebellions spurred by Venice.

The main problems for Visconti in this period came from their eldest son, Galeazzo Maria, whose unstable and treacherous character created numerous troubles for her.

Visconti quickly took the reins of the duchy as regent and called back Galeazzo Maria, who was fighting alongside the king of France, to succeed as duke.

The latter's behavior was initially one of gratitude and deference towards his mother, but soon greed and ruthlessness led him to act independently against Visconti's advice.

As time passed, the Duke relegated his mother to an increasingly secondary role and in the end forced her to leave Milan.

According to some sources, she was thinking of giving the control of the city to Venice, and she had frequent contacts with Ferdinand I of Naples, who was aiming to overthrow Galeazzo.

Her death raised suspicions; Galeazzo Maria Sforza was accused by various men, including Bartolomeo Colleoni, of having poisoned her.