On the other hand the Duke of Milan called and gave the general cane to Maria Galeazo, and captain did it of his people on the saddle, who riding then from hand to hand, with the banner in the wind of the snake, honor and glory of Lombardy, with many great gentlemen in company.
The date of birth is not at all clear, to be placed around and perhaps in Milan, where his mother Giovanna was certainly in the years , waiting for the return of her husband from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It is not even known whether his brother Antonio Maria was born before or after, but certainly after his second son Gaspare, known as Fracasso , who was already married in He made his first military experiences in the company of his father Roberto and in he obtained, together with his brothers, his first conduct in the pay of Florence.
In June , during the Salt War , Galeazzo and his brother Gian Francesco [ it ] deserted the Venetian conduct of their father Roberto and entered the service of the Duke of Bari, then Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro , despite the fact that his father was his bitter enemy. Shortly afterwards two of his half-brothers, Giorgio known as Faccenda and Ottaviano, also followed them. Two other brothers, Fracasso [ it ] and Antonio Maria [ it ] , remained faithful to their father, and only after Roberto's death, in , they passed to Moro.
The latter essentially gained in his service all the sons of the great enemy, esteemed among the best leaders of the peninsula. Galeazzo in particular immediately became the favorite of Ludovico, who certainly had to recognize his excellent courtesan qualities, and from this moment began for him a career in perpetual ascent, as well as to spread his fame. Of southern origins but without a homeland, the chronicler Andrea Prato alludes to him, when he reproaches Ludovico for his bad choices: [ 7 ].
Already in King Ferrante of Aragon instructed his Milanese ambassador to greet Galeazzo on his part, telling him that he had heard "of his virtues, of his good bearings, and of the great affection that he brings us" and saying he was willing to gladly give him some benefit, if the opportunity had arisen.
