The long succession of Montefeltro and Della Rovere rulers, Vicars of the Church in temporalibus, was a feature of the history of the State of Urbino for over two and a half centuries. Two hundred and fifty-six years went by from the time when Count Antonio da Montefeltro took possession of the territory (1375) and was given papal recognition, until the devolution of the Dukedom to the Papal State, following the death of the last Della Rovere, Francesco Maria II (1631): for one hundred and thirty-three of those years it was governed by Montefeltro overlords (1375-1508) with five lords (Antonio, Guidantonio, Oddantonio, Federico and Guidubaldo I) and one hundred and twenty-three when it was under the rule of the Della Rovere family (1508-1631) with three dukes (Francesco Maria I, Guidubaldo II and Francesco Maria II).All Vicars of the Holy Roman Church, and all Condottieri (military captains commanding their own troops): the land of the Dukedom belonged to the Papal State and the lords of Urbinowere delegated to govern and defend it.

The Albornoz Fort and the ancient Palace of the Montefeltro family, situated on the tops of two hills, viewed the relationships between papal power and the power of the overlords. The massive fort, built in the middle of the 14th century, is the symbol that will not allow the lords of Urbino to forget the legal status of the area. The response to this, just as visible, is the residence of Count Antonio (today the headquarters of the University), on the top of the other hill – the manifestation of a power that “is its own justification”, since it was acquired by force of arms and, by force of arms, was deployed to defend it from all interference. 1375-1631: a period in which local and general history go side by side, seeking to reinforce the small states (otherwise destined to disappear) with more and more important territorial conquests, protected by international alliances. Thus the Terra del Duca assumed a role in European politics, while political coalitions were also the route which brought in cultural influences: first of all, Milan and Florence with Montefeltro and then, with Della Rovere, Venice, Rome and finally, Spain.