In Renaissance Italy, where women rarely stepped beyond the boudoir, one woman led defenses, negotiated with popes, and earned titles previously reserved for men. Caterina Sforza has gone down in history as the Tiger of Forlì, though her life was more a walk on the edge of a precipice.
Daughter of a Duke and Mercenaries
She was born in 1463, the child of an affair between Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, and the married Lucrezia Landriani. Her illegitimate birth was no obstacle to a future career, as the Sforza dynasty itself had risen from bastards and mercenaries.
Caterina’s great-grandfather, Muzio Attendolo, started as a simple soldier and only gained fortune after the widow of the King of Naples took him as her husband. Her grandfather Francesco went further still, marrying the sole heiress of the powerful Visconti family, paving his way to Milan’s throne.
Caterina was raised first by her grandmother, Bianca Maria Visconti, and then by her stepmother, Bona of Savoy. From the former, she learned pride in her warrior ancestors and a taste for political intrigue; the latter instilled in her an appreciation for humanist erudition and courtly etiquette.
The girl read Latin classics, rode alongside her father during hunts, and accompanied him on visits to the Medici court in Florence. These connections would later translate into marriages and alliances that would withstand her toughest years.
Bona of Savoy brought her own apothecary to Milan, possibly sparking Caterina’s lifelong fascination with alchemy and cosmetic recipes. This passion would remain with Caterina throughout her life and bring her fame not only as a warrior but also as an amateur chemist experimenting with substances nearly considered magical at the time.
Three Marriages and a Breastplate
As a teenager, Caterina married Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. Rumor had it he was the Pope’s own son, which made the union even more politically advantageous for both sides. It soon became clear the young wife outshone her husband both in education and diplomatic skill. Girolamo preferred scheming over ruling, while Caterina learned the art of power on the job.
After Riario was murdered by local conspirators, Caterina found comfort with Giacomo Feo, a handsome military commander. That relationship ended just as abruptly, as Feo fell victim to an assassination.
Only her third marriage, to Giovanni de’ Medici, brought Caterina more than a political arrangement. Though Giovanni died just a year after their wedding, they managed to have a son, Ludovico—later known as Giovanni delle Bande Nere. From his line descends Cosimo I de’ Medici, founder of the famous Uffizi Gallery and ancestor to many European dynasties.
Caterina commissioned a steel cuirass adorned with the image of St. Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of philosophers and scholars. This armor symbolized her dual identity: intellectual and warrior. Sandro Botticelli was so fascinated by her personality that he immortalized her features in several paintings—though art historians still debate which canvases depict the Tiger of Forlì.
Night Assault on the Fortress
The year 1488 brought Caterina her greatest trial. After her husband’s murder, conspirators kidnapped her and her six children, demanding the surrender of the Ravaldino fortress. The countess managed to secretly send an unambiguous order to the commander: do not open the gates under any circumstances. When the kidnappers forced her to call for the garrison’s surrender, the commander refused, following her earlier instructions.
Caterina convinced the conspirators that only she could persuade the soldiers to lay down their arms. Once inside the fortress walls, she never returned.
When the rebels threatened to kill her children, she calmly replied she could bear more. She knew her relatives in Milan and Bologna would never allow harm to the Sforza offspring. Days later reinforcements arrived, the conspirators were defeated, and Caterina earned the reputation of a ruler capable of anything.
This episode became legend, shaping her image for centuries. Pope Alexander VI called her a daughter of iniquity; others spoke of diabolical lineage. To modern historians, she is an example of a woman who, in a male-dominated world, played by their rules—and often won.
The Final Years of Caterina Sforza
For twelve years, Caterina ruled as regent for her underage sons, deftly combining diplomacy and military firmness. The end came in 1499, when Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, invaded with a sixteen-thousand-strong army. The Tiger of Forlì had only nine hundred defenders, but refused to surrender without a fight.
For several days, her garrison repaired nightly what artillery destroyed by day. Borgia changed tactics, ordering relentless bombardment from all sides. After six days, the fortress fell, and Caterina fought to the last, weapon in hand. She was imprisoned first in Rome’s Belvedere Palace, then in the grim Castel Sant’Angelo. She spent over a year there until a failed escape attempt prompted the papacy to release her in exchange for relinquishing all rule.
She returned to Florence, her health broken by imprisonment, and died in 1509 at the age of forty-six. Her descendants spread across European thrones. Her granddaughter Bona became Queen of Poland; her great-granddaughter Marie de’ Medici sat on the French throne; and Henrietta Maria married Charles I of England.
The Tiger of Forlì did not live to see these triumphs, but her blood runs in the veins of many contemporary dynasties. History has remembered her as a woman who refused to be anyone’s pawn—and moved her own pieces on the chessboard of Renaissance politics.
Margot Cleverly
Margot's journey into women's history began with a box of forgotten letters in a Cambridge archive – suffragettes whose voices had been silenced for over a century. Since then, she's been on a mission to uncover the stories history overlooked.
What she writes about: Queens who ruled from the shadows. Scientists whose male colleagues took credit. Revolutionaries who risked everything. But also ordinary women – those who survived wars, raised families through upheaval, and shaped their communities in ways no one bothered to record.
Margot turns historical figures into real people. She writes with warmth and detail, making centuries-old stories feel surprisingly relevant. Rigorous research meets accessible storytelling – no dusty academic jargon, just compelling narratives backed by solid facts.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in regional archives, collecting oral histories, or visiting sites connected to the women she writes about.