La cancelleria segreta sforzesca al tempo del duca Francesco II (1522-1535): contributo a una storia documentaria del ducato di Milano durante le Guerre d’Italia

The Sforza secret chancery is one of the most investigated case studies in the context of the “documentary history of the institutions”. The chancery’s history, however, has remained incomplete: scholars have neglected the years of Francesco II (1522-1535). This article aims to fill this gap, offering broader considerations on the complexity of the second Sforza “restoration”. The perspective of documentary history highlights the strong political agency underlying Francesco II’s governance. Despite his predicaments, Francesco proved to be able to actively design important elements of what would become the institutional framework of the State of Milan in the early modern period.