Urbino History

History

By the mid-16th century, central Italy was ruled by the pope; only the duchy of Urbino remained autonomous. The city and its territories were reigned over by the Della Rovere family, since the Montefeltro family had been left without heirs. The Della Rovere family was, however, linked to the papacy. Two of its members were elected popes (Sisto IV and Giulio II), and Francesco Maria I Della Rovere became commander of the pontifical army.