When Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, styled himself as «lord of news», he was probably referring not only to those about Italian events, but he intended to present himself as an expert on European affairs. It is therefore not surprising the presence of Milanese ambassadors at the most important European courts of the 15th century. The Sforza diplomacy active in France, England and Burgundy gave a great impulse to the spreading of the news from England as far as the Milanese court. These included those relating to the Wars of the Roses, which broke out in England in 1455: thanks to the testimonies of the Sforza agents in France and overseas, the news on this conflict crossed the borders of the country, landed on the continent and reached Milan. This allowed its Duke to follow the steps that led Edward, Earl of March, to become king of England in 1461. The aim of this work is to describe the times, the actors and the ways in which Sforza’s diplomacy of the mid-15th century contributed to the spreading news in the North of Italy, crossing state boundaries and linking very far courts.
