Una fortezza da espugnare

The attack of the napoleonic armies

The advance of Napoleon Bonaparte on Milan caused the flight of Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria. As recorded on the 9th May 1796, he left only 2000 soldiers to guard the castle, supplied with 152 cannons, 300.000 kilos of gunpowder, 11.000 rifles and 100 head of cattle. A group of local supporters of republican France attempted to storm the despised fortress, which they saw as their Bastille, however the attack was repulsed by general Lamy and the garrison under his command. By the end of June notwithstanding the defensive force, the castle was under French control and was destined to garrison 4000 troops. Despite the retreat of Austrian forces and Napoleon's subsequent victory at Marengo on 14th June 1800, the complex continued to be used as a barracks. Sadly, the Ducal Chapel was converted into a stable.

Napoleonic alterations

The demolition of the star fort surrounding the castle in 1801 left a large empty space around the building, leading to proposals for its use by architects such as Luigi Canonica and Giovanni Antolini. The latter developed the idea of an enormous semicircular square delimited by public buildings in the classical style: what is today Foro Bonaparte. The castle, which was destined to become a seat of government, was also to have a classical overhaul, complete with a colonnaded atrium. The first stone was laid in April of 1801, but construction was halted immediately.

An enemy fortress

The foundation of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia following the fall of Napoleon, brought the Austrians back to Milan in 1815. The castle continued to serve as a barracks, while the empty square behind the castle, Piazza d'Armi, became the setting for military parades.

During the uprising of the Five Days of Milan (18th - 22nd March 1848) the castle functioned as a prison for Milanese arrested by the Austrians and housed the canons that Radetzky used to bombard the city. After the retreat of the Habsburg troops piles of bodies of both men and women were discovered in different parts of the castle. In the following four months of provisional Milanese government the round corner towers were lowered. In 1859, when the Austrian army definitively capitulated, the castle was sacked by the local population, who looted weapons, furnishings and money destined for the troops.

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