The Visconti

This is the sarcophagus of Bernabò Visconti, the wacky, madcap ruler of Lombardy for a substantial chunk of the 14th century. And when I say whacky, I mean whacky. Bernabò and his only slightly less unsavory younger brother, Galeazzo, were co-rulers of a substantial chunk of northern Italy. Bernabò was based in Milan; Galeazzo ruled the city of Pavia. They picked fights, brutalized their subjects, muscled in on their neighbors, disregarded the Church ... In general, they were malignant rabble-rousers and horrible human beings. They were also, paradoxically, patrons of the arts who sort of helped usher in the Renaissance. And they were also related by marriage (for a brief time) to Edward III, King of England. It only followed Bernabò would be the primary foil for Angelo Anchioni and Stuart Heton. In many ways, writing his POV is far easier than other characters. He just wanted to dominate Italy, screw the French, confound the Church, do whatever he wanted, and kill whoever crossed him. Not too complicated. Horrible. But not too complicated.

My point is, some writers struggle to invent complex villains. That wasn't necessary with the Visconti, as some of they things they got away with are the stuff of nightmares. Plague victims walled into their homes. People fed to their hunting dogs. Oppression. Brutality. Assassinations. And of course, they didn't keep crocodiles in the dungeon of Visconti Castle in Milan. But there's certainly room for crocodiles in that castle; it's enormous. And if anyone in the mid-to-late 14th century would have kept crocodiles and fed people to them, it sure would have been Bernabò.

Nightmare ...