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Lordship of Pesaro

1285 CE – 1512 CE (approx.) · capital Pesaro

An Adriatic lordship held by the Malatesta and then the Sforza, before passing to the della Rovere dukes of Urbino in 1512.

Origins

A branch of the Malatesta of Rimini took control of Pesaro in 1285 and ruled it as lords and papal vicars. In 1445 Galeazzo Malatesta sold Pesaro to Alessandro Sforza, brother of Francesco Sforza, who had married his granddaughter Costanza da Varano.

Rule and society

Under the Malatesta and then the Sforza, Pesaro was a small Adriatic court state living from farming, fishing and maiolica pottery. Alessandro Sforza patronised artists, and his son Costanzo began the Rocca Costanza fortress. Giovanni Sforza, Costanzo's son, married Lucrezia Borgia, but the marriage was annulled and Cesare Borgia expelled him in 1500. He returned after Pope Alexander VI's death in 1503.

Decline and legacy

After Giovanni's son died young, Pope Julius II granted Pesaro in 1512 to his nephew Francesco Maria I della Rovere, joining it to the Duchy of Urbino.

Lineage

Lordship of PesaroDuchy of Urbino 1213 CE – 1631 CE

Connections (1)

  • Lordship of Pesaro was a vassal of Papal States1285 CE – 1512 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Pesaro. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-pesaro
MLA
“Lordship of Pesaro.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-pesaro. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Pesaro.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-pesaro.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Pesaro’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-pesaro (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻