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89-554: It has been the location of the Pontida's Oath on 7 April 1167. Pontida received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on 11 July 2006. The municipality of Pontida contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Boffuro, Buttarello, Cà Barile, Cà Frosco, Cà Pietaglio, Canto, Cerchiera, Costa, Gaggio Sopra, Gaggio Sotto, Ghiringhello, Grombosco, Gromfaleggio, Massera, Metà Ripa di Sotto, Odiago, Roncallo, Sotto i Ronchi, Torchio, Valmora Pontida borders

178-577: A Celtic spring festival celebrated on 24 March, while the heliacal rising of Antares corresponded with 11 November, which opened and closed the Celtic year and which coincided with the point where the Sun rose on the winter solstice . About two centuries after the creation of the Celtic sanctuary, the first residential settlements began to be built around it. Medhelanon then transformed from a simple religious center to an urban and then military centre, thus becoming

267-521: A centre of lyric opera. Here in the 1770s Mozart had premiered three operas at the Teatro Regio Ducale . Later La Scala became the reference theatre in the world, with its premieres of Bellini , Donizetti , Rossini and Verdi. Verdi himself is interred in the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti , which he initially founded. In the 19th century, other important theatres were La Cannobiana and

356-605: A ceremony that would have sanctioned on 7 April 1167, in the abbey of Pontida , near Bergamo , in Italy , the birth of the Lombard League , or of a military alliance between the municipalities of Milan , Lodi , Ferrara , Piacenza and Parma aimed at the armed struggle against the Holy Roman Empire by Frederick Barbarossa . The oath of Pontida does not appear on contemporary documents, being mentioned for

445-573: A decade. Ottone Visconti unsuccessfully led a group of exiles against the city in 1263, but after years of escalating violence on all sides, in the Battle of Desio (1277) he won the city for his family. The Visconti succeeded in ousting the della Torre permanently, and proceeded to rule Milan and its possessions until the 15th century. Milan is home to the oldest restaurant in Italy and the second in Europe,

534-566: A fortified building with military functions was built which was surrounded by a defensive moat. At the current Biblioteca Ambrosiana , in Piazza San Sepolcro, archaeological excavations have revealed the presence, under the stone floor dating back to the 1st century AD. of the Roman forum of Milan, of a neighborhood of wooden houses dating back to the Celtic settlement of the 5th century BC. Other important findings attributable to

623-502: A real village. The first homes were built just south of the Celtic sanctuary, near the modern Royal Palace of Milan . Subsequently, with the growth of the town centre, other important buildings for the Medhelanon community were built. First, a temple dedicated to the goddess Belisama was built, which was located near the modern Milan Cathedral . Then, near the modern Via Moneta, which is located near today's Piazza San Sepolcro ,

712-514: Is an ancient city in northern Italy first settled under the name Medhelanon in about 590 BC by a Celtic tribe belonging to the Insubres group and belonging to the Golasecca culture . It was conquered by the ancient Romans in 222 BC, who latinized the name of the city into Mediolanum . The city's role as a major political centre dates back to the late antiquity , when it served as

801-400: Is connected to the etymology of the ancient name of Milan, "Mediolanum", and this is still occasionally mentioned in modern sources, although this interpretation has long been dismissed by scholars. Nonetheless, wool production became a key industry in this area, as recorded during the early Middle Ages. Medhelanon, in particular, was developed around a sanctuary , which was the oldest area of

890-818: The Ambrosian Republic was enacted. The Ambrosian Republic took its name from St. Ambrose , popular patron saint of the city of Milan. Both the Guelph and the Ghibelline factions worked together to bring about the Ambrosian Republic in Milan. Nonetheless, the Republic collapsed when, in 1450, Milan was conquered by Francesco Sforza , of the House of Sforza , who made Milan one of the leading cities of

979-701: The Antica trattoria Bagutto  [ it ] , which has existed since at least 1284. Much of the prior history of Milan was the tale of the struggle between two political factions: the Guelphs and the Ghibellines . Most of the time the Guelphs were successful in the city of Milan. Eventually, however, the Visconti family were able to seize power (signoria) in Milan, based on their "Ghibelline" friendship with

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1068-588: The Battle of Legnano . The "Oath of Pontida" often inspired Italian nationalists during the 19th century Risorgimento , struggling against the Austrian occupation, and seeing this historical event as a precedent and inspiration for their own struggle. Pontida%27s Oath The oath of Pontida ( Giurament de Pontida in Lombard , Giuramento di Pontida in Italian ), according to tradition, would have been

1157-691: The Iron Crown . He conceived the completion of the Sforza Castle with the Foro Buonaparte  [ it ] , a project he later rejected due to the excessive cost, but which generated the current road semicircle, which was envisaged around the surviving nucleus of the Sforza Castle (not yet renovated at the time) a new seat of the republican government formed by an imposing Doric colonnade and some buildings that would become

1246-599: The Italian Ostrogoths ) carried out attacks in Milan, with losses, according to Procopius , being about 300,000 men. The Lombards took Ticinum as their capital in 572 (renaming it Papia – the modern Pavia ), and left early-medieval Milan to the governance of its archbishops . During the Roman imperial era and the Lombard Kingdom , the civic and social center of Milan was the Cordusio area. In

1335-675: The Lombard Renaissance . The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States , the Republic of Venice , and later most of the major states of Western Europe. Milan's last independent ruler, Lodovico Sforza , called French king Charles VIII into Italy with the expectation that France might be an ally in inter-Italian wars. The future King of France , Louis of Orléans , took part in

1424-579: The Lombards (from which the name of the Italian region Lombardy derives), conquered Milan, overpowering the small Byzantine army left for its defense. Some Roman structures remained in use in Milan under Lombard rule, but the city was eclipsed by the nearby Lombard capital of Pavia during the next two centuries. Milan surrendered to Charlemagne and the Franks in 774. The aristocracy and majority of

1513-477: The Ospedale Maggiore were completed. The Sforzas also managed to attract to Milan personalities such as Leonardo da Vinci , who redesigned and improved the function of the navigli and painted The Last Supper , and Bramante , who worked on the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro , on the basilica of Sant'Ambrogio and to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie , influencing the development of

1602-512: The Peace of Constance in 1183, Milan returned to the commune form of local government first established in the 11th century. In 1208 Rambertino Buvalelli served a term as podestà of the city, in 1242 Luca Grimaldi , and in 1282 Luchetto Gattilusio . The position was a dangerous one: in 1252 Milanese heretics assassinated the Church's Inquisitor, later known as Saint Peter Martyr , at a ford in

1691-863: The Teatro Carcano . The new territorial structure of Italy was decided at the Congress of Vienna. On 7 April 1815, the constitution of the Austrian States in Italy was announced. Milan became the capital of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia , formally independent, but in reality subject to the Austrian Empire . Administratively the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia comprised two independent governments ( Gubernien ) in its two parts, which officially were declared separate crown lands in 1851. Each part

1780-572: The "court of the Lombard dukes"), to Cortedoxi , then Corduce and finally Corduso or Cordusio . The Cordusio began to lose this primacy after the year 1000 when it was joined, as a reference area, by other districts of Milan. In 539, the Ostrogoths conquered and destroyed Milan during the Gothic War against Byzantine Emperor Justinian I . In the summer of 569, a Germanic tribe ,

1869-644: The Arians, and emperor Theodosius I , Mediolanum reached the height of its ancient power. The city also possessed a number of basilicas, added in the late fourth century AD. These are San Simpliciano , San Nazaro , San Lorenzo and the chapel of San Vittore , located in the basilica of Sant'Ambrogio . In general, the Late Empire encouraged the development of the applied arts in Mediolanum, with ivory and silver work being common in public building projects. In

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1958-463: The Bergamasco to favor the rebuilding of the city of Milan, happily completed his desired initiative; but when death came, he could not fulfill his longed-for desire. [...] In Archiepiscoporum Mediolanensium series historico-chronologica , which was compiled by Giuseppe Antonio Sassi in 1755 and which is linked to the aforementioned text of 1584, it can instead be read: [...] The Galesini, in

2047-624: The Celtic era were found along the south-west side of the Royal Palace, where, five meters below the modern road surface, remains of houses and a furnace were discovered which date back to a period between 5th and 4th centuries BC. Among the remains of the Basilica of Santa Tecla , which are located under the Milen Cathedral, there is what remains of a square-based building with a side of 17 m (56 ft) perhaps associated with

2136-441: The Celtic era, in correspondence with the modern Piazza Cordusio , the castrum , or rather the Roman military camp (placed there to attack the Celtic center of Medhelanon) which then gave rise to Mediolanum, while in the Lombard era there was a presence in the Cordusio the palace of the Lombard duke , was located near the modern square of the same name, hence the origin of this toponym: from De curte ducis (or Curia ducis , i.e.

2225-662: The French king. When the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V defeated Francis I at the Battle of Pavia in 1525, northern Italy , including Milan, returned to Francesco II Sforza , passing to the Emperor 10 years later when he died. In 1556, Charles V abdicated in favour of his son Philip II and his brother Ferdinand I . Charles's Italian possessions, including Milan, passed to Philip II and remained with

2314-488: The Holy Roman Emperors. In 1395, one of these emperors, Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (1378–1400), raised Milan to the dignity of a duchy. Also in 1395, Gian Galeazzo Visconti became Duke of Milan . The Ghibelline Visconti family was to retain power in Milan for a century and a half from the early 14th century until the middle of the 15th century. In the place where the modern Milan Cathedral stands, there

2403-575: The Italian Renaissance . Under the House of Sforza, Milan experienced a period of great prosperity, which in particular saw the development of mulberry cultivation and silk processing. Following this economic growth, works such as the Sforza Castle (already existing in the Visconti era under the name of Porta Giovia Castle, but re-adapted, enlarged and completed by the Sforza family) and

2492-615: The Low Countries against the Dutch States Army. The Great Plague of Milan in 1629–31 killed an estimated 60,000 people out of a population of 130,000. This episode is considered one of the last outbreaks of the centuries-long pandemic of plague that began with the Black Death . There was then a profound demographic and economic crisis around 1630 due to the plague (the same one described by Alessandro Manzoni in

2581-630: The Romans control of the settlement. The Romans eventually conquered the entirety of the region , calling the new province " Cisalpine Gaul " ( Latin : Gallia Cisalpina )—"Gaul this side of the Alps"—and may have given the city its Latinized name of Mediolanum : in Gaulish *medio- meant "middle, centre" and the name element -lanon is the Celtic equivalent of Latin -planum "plain", thus *Mediolanon (Latinized as Mediolānum ) meant "(settlement) in

2670-524: The Spanish line of Habsburgs, while Ferdinand's Austrian line of Habsburgs ruled the Holy Roman Empire. A 150-year period of Spanish domination then began. These years saw the rather oppressive ideological and fiscal control of the Spanish governors. There was a revival of the economy until the beginning of the 16th century, also as a consequence of the end of a long period of turbulence. Under

2759-422: The Spanish viceroys from 1535, Milan became one of the contributors to the Spanish king's army. At the time, Lombardy was a valuable tool for the Spanish military; an armory of paramount strategic importance. In addition to resources, Milan also provided soldiers. During the 1635–1659 Franco-Spanish War, Milan sent and paid for on average 4,000 soldiers per year to the Spanish crown, with many of these men serving in

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2848-558: The Synod Series, reports that this archbishop has been busy because his metropolis, destroyed by Federico, flourished again: that for this purpose he held a meeting in Pontida with the rectors of the neighboring cities to swear an alliance to free themselves from a game of terrible slavery and thus return to their original freedom; and finally that he attended you. [...] However, it is possible that there were other agreements signed by

2937-410: The baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti, the cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore and the baptistery of Santo Stefano alle Fonti began to be demolished, Basilica vetus was demolished first, Basilica maior later, in 1461–62 (partially rebuilt in 1489 and definitively demolished in 1548). In 1447 Filippo Maria Visconti , Duke of Milan , died without a male heir; following the end of the Visconti line,

3026-493: The birth of the military pact signed, according to tradition, on 7 April 1167 are recalled by about one hundred people in costume. On the occasion of the re-enactment, recreational and cultural events are also organized. Since 1990, the autonomous political party of the Lega Nord has annually organized a meeting at Pontida that celebrates the eponymous medieval oath. During the event the most important political exponents of

3115-565: The capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum. Diocletian himself chose to reside at Nicomedia in the Eastern Empire, leaving his colleague Maximian at Milan. Maximian built several gigantic monuments: the large circus (470 × 85 metres), the thermae or Baths of Hercules , a large complex of imperial palaces and other services and buildings of which few visible traces remain. Maximian increased

3204-608: The capital of the Western Roman Empire . From the 12th century until the 16th century, Milan was one of the largest European cities and a major trade and commercial centre, as the capital of the Duchy of Milan , one of the greatest political, artistic and fashion forces in the Renaissance . Having become one of the main centres of the Italian Enlightenment during the early modern period , it then became one of

3293-484: The city area to 375 acres by surrounding it with a new, larger stone wall (about 4.5 km long) with many 24-sided towers. The monumental area had twin towers; the one included later in the construction of the convent of San Maurizio Maggiore remains 16.6 m high. In Mediolanum there was no need for aqueducts, given that the water was abundant and easily accessible: it emerged from the ground from springs and flowed nearby in rivers and streams, and this fully responded to

3382-604: The claim of the French Philippe of Anjou to the Spanish throne. In 1706, the French were defeated at the Battle of Turin and were forced to yield northern Italy to the Austrian Habsburgs . In 1713–1714 the Treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt formally confirmed Austrian sovereignty over most of Spain's Italian possessions including Lombardy and its capital, Milan. A period of lively reforms began around

3471-582: The clergy had taken refuge in Genoa . In 774, when Charlemagne took the title of "King of the Lombards", he established his imperial capital of Aachen in what is today Germany. Before then the Germanic kingdoms had frequently conquered each other, but none had adopted the title of King of another people. The Iron Crown of Lombardy (i.e. referring to Charlemagne's kingdom and not to the Italian region), which

3560-570: The countryside. He also brought the Milanese treasury to collapse; the use of often reckless mercenary units further angered the population, granting an increasing support for the della Torre 's traditional enemies, the Visconti. The most important industries in this period were armaments and wool production, a whole catalogue of activities and trades is given in Bonvesin della Riva's "de Magnalibus Urbis Mediolani". On 22 July 1262, Ottone Visconti

3649-657: The crypt of the Duomo are ruins of the ancient church of Saint Tecla and the baptistry where St. Augustine of Hippo was baptized. In 402, the Visigoths besieged the city and the Emperor Honorius moved the Imperial residence to Ravenna . In 452, Attila besieged the city, but the real break with the city's Imperial past came in 539, during the Gothic War , when Uraias (a nephew of Witiges , formerly King of

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3738-503: The date of 7 April 1167, we can therefore state that the oath of Pontida, even if it was actually signed, was not the constitution of the Lombard League, since at least two previous oaths are cited on historical documents. In addition to the chronological aspect, which would seem to demonstrate the non-existence of the oath of Pontida as a constitutive pact of the Lombard League due to the two agreements signed before 7 April 1167,

3827-416: The destruction of much of Milan in 1162. A fire destroyed the storehouses containing the entire food supply, and within just a few days Milan was forced to surrender. A period of peace followed and Milan prospered as a centre of trade due to its geographical position. During this time, the city was considered one of the largest European cities. As a result of the independence that the Lombard cities gained in

3916-473: The etymology of Mediolanum given as "half-wool", explained in Latin and in French. According to this theory, the foundation of Milan is credited to two Celtic peoples , the Bituriges and the Aedui , having as their emblems a ram and a boar; therefore "The city's symbol is a wool-bearing boar, an animal of double form, here with sharp bristles, there with sleek wool." Alciato credits Ambrose for his account. Three hypotheses are considered regarding

4005-508: The event in a rather vague way, without describing the details: neither the locations nor the precise dates of the signing of the pacts are mentioned. On the Piacentina chronicle , regarding the agreement reached for the rebuilding of Milan, we can read: [...] Anno Domini 1167. All the cities of Lombardy and the March , except Pavia, agreed to rebuild Milan, which was destroyed by the emperor Frederick. [...] The most precise contemporary historical sources tell of at least three oaths among

4094-410: The expedition and realised Italy was virtually defenceless. This prompted him to return a few years later in 1500, and claim the Duchy of Milan for himself, his grandmother having been a member of the ruling Visconti family. At that time, Milan was also defended by Swiss mercenaries . After the victory of Louis's successor Francis I over the Swiss at the Battle of Marignan , the duchy was promised to

4183-539: The first Celtic nucleus. The original Celtic toponym Medhelanon then changed, as evidenced by a graffiti in Celtic language present on a section of the Roman walls of Milan which dates back to a period following the Roman conquest of the Celtic village, in Mesiolano. Mediolanum was important for its location as a hub in the road network of northern Italy. Polybius describes the country as abounding in wine, and every kind of grain, and in fine wool. Herds of swine, both for public and private supply, were bred in its forests, and

4272-411: The first mention of the incident must certainly also be considered which is quite posterior. In particular, the oath of Pontida appears for the first time on a document dated 1505 by Bernardino Corio - therefore about 350 years after the canonical date of 7 April 1167 - which is called Historia Patria and which has as its subject the history of Milan . Then all the subsequent documents referring to

4361-411: The first or second period. Among these are the Teatro alla Scala , the schools and the Brera Academy (housed in a convent confiscated from the Jesuits), the Brera Botanical Garden (containing one of the oldest Ginkgo biloba trees in Europe), the Braidense National Library (Maria Teresa made it public after it was previously private) and the Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde . Between

4450-526: The first time in 1505, then three and a half centuries after the traditional date of 7 April 1167. The event is questioned by historians, given that in the contemporary chronicles written between 1152 and 1189, no Pontida oath is cited. Its first mention is in fact late, since it appears on a document dated 1505. However, contemporary sources cite the fact that the municipalities of the Lombard League had signed pacts to counter Barbarossa's hegemony by helping each other. Most of these writings, however, argue

4539-409: The following municipalities: Ambivere , Brivio , Calco , Caprino Bergamasco , Carvico , Cisano Bergamasco , Palazzago , Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII , Villa d'Adda . Pontida's main claim to historical renown is due to the Oath of Pontida , signed there in 1167 and marking the foundation of the Lombard League , which nine years later would go on to defeat Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa at

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4628-463: The language's dominant position in politics, finance or jurisdiction was not questioned by the Austrian officials. The Italian-language Gazzetta di Milano was the official newspaper of the kingdom. The highest governorships were also reserved for Austrian aristocrats. The second Austrian period was turbulent and characterized by continuous tension due to the patriotic ferments that were widespread throughout Italy, including Milan, whose objective

4717-400: The location choice of the territory of Milan, which are based on the etymology of the name Medhelanon and on the archaeological investigations carried out in modern times on the Milanese territory: Around 590 BC a Celtic tribe belonging to the Insubres group and belonging to the Golasecca culture settled the city under the name Medhelanon. According to Titus Livy 's comments, the city

4806-413: The middle of the 18th century under the reign of Maria Theresa of Austria and continued with the reign of Joseph II of Austria . In this period, Milan began to play a primary role again both on a cultural level (sensitivity and contributions towards the Age of Enlightenment ) and on an economic level. There are several institutions, still active today, that were founded or sponsored by the Austrians, in

4895-464: The middle) and planus (plain). However, some scholars believe that lanum comes from the Celtic root lan , meaning an enclosure or demarcated territory (source of the Welsh word llan , meaning "a sanctuary or church", ultimately cognate to English/German Land ) in which Celtic communities used to build shrines. Hence Mediolanum could signify the central town or sanctuary of a Celtic tribe. Indeed, about sixty Gallo-Roman sites in France bore

4984-512: The midst of the plain". Mediolanum became the most important center of Cisalpine Gaul and, in the wake of economic development, in 49 BC, was elevated, within the Lex Roscia , to the status of municipium . The ancient Celtic settlement was, from a topographic point of view, superimposed and replaced by the Roman one. The Roman city was then gradually superimposed and replaced by the medieval one. The urban center of Milan has therefore grown constantly and rapidly, until modern times, around

5073-444: The most active centres during the Restoration , until its entry into the unified Kingdom of Italy . From the 20th century onwards Milan became the industrial and financial capital of Italy, one of the economic capitals of Europe and a global financial centre . Milan was founded with the Celtic name of Medhelanon, later latinized by the ancient Romans into Mediolanum . In Celtic language medhe- meant "middle, centre" and

5162-420: The municipalities of the Lombard League of which the documented trace was then lost. In fact, over the centuries, there are many examples in which several meetings were needed to write down all the aspects of a bargaining: in other words, in history, it has been difficult to define in detail a pact or an alliance in few sessions. As far as Pontida is concerned, we must also observe its close link with Milan :

5251-494: The municipalities of the Lombard League: the first, signed between the end of February and the beginning of March 1167 between Bergamo , Brescia , Cremona and Mantua and known as the "Bergamo oath "; the second, also signed by Milan in March 1167, which joined the four cities in the just mentioned oath; the third, also signed by Lodi in May of the same year, which became part of the previously mentioned coalition, formed by Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Mantua and Milan. Considering

5340-402: The municipality near Bergamo belonged to the archdiocese of Milan although it was understood, from a geographical point of view, in the county of Bergamo . It is therefore not excluded that there was also an oath at Pontida, whose references to contemporary documentation were then lost. Every year at Pontida, in the month of June, in the Giuramento square, the historical phases that led to

5429-415: The name "Mediolanum", for example: Saintes ( Mediolanum Santonum ) and Évreux ( Mediolanum Aulercorum ). In addition, another theory links the name to the scrofa semilanuta ("half-woolly sow") an ancient emblem of the city, fancifully accounted for in Andrea Alciato 's Emblemata (1584), beneath a woodcut of the first raising of the city walls, where a boar is seen lifted from the excavation, and

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5518-407: The name element -lanon is the Celtic equivalent of Latin -planum "plain", meant "(settlement) in the midst of the plain", or of "place between watercourses" (Celtic medhe = "in the middle, central"; land or lan = "land"), given the presence of the Olona , Lambro , Seveso rivers and the Nirone and Pudiga streams. The dh sound, which has disappeared from the modern Milanese dialect ,

5607-408: The nearby contado ; the killers bribed their way to freedom, and in the ensuing riot the podestà was almost lynched. In 1256 the archbishop and leading nobles were expelled from the city. In 1259 Martino della Torre was elected Capitano del Popolo by members of the guilds ; he took the city by force, expelled his enemies, and ruled by dictatorial powers, paving streets, digging canals, and taxing

5696-403: The needs of the city's daily life. Given that over the centuries Mediolanum had grown and needed new water for the most varied uses (for artisans as well as for public, domestic and defensive uses) the ancient Romans the Seveso river, the Nirone river and the Olona river, which flowed just outside the town centre, towards the city, flowing into the moat of the Roman walls of Mediolanum . It

5785-433: The new political center of the city; the only part of the Foro Buonaparte that was actually built were the Arena Civica and the Parco Sempione . For Napoleon, in 1807, the Arco della Pace was begun, which was completed during the second Austrian domination. Designed by Luigi Cagnola and conceived as the "Victory Arch" to celebrate the French victory in the Battle of Jena , it was built starting in late 1807. The work

5874-458: The novel The Betrothed) and the arrival of the German army; then there were phenomena of economic stagnation which fit into a situation of depression which was generally found in the Italian peninsula until the mid-18th century. In 1700 the Spanish line of Habsburgs was extinguished with the death of Charles II . After his death, the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701 with the occupation of all Spanish possessions by French troops backing

5963-427: The oath of Pontida were inspired by the Historia Patria by Bernardino Corio . In an excerpt from the code of 1584 Successores S. Barnabae Apostoli in Ecclesia Mediolanensi , which refers to a note on the archbishop of Milan Umberto Pirovano, it is reported that: [...] This archbishop, a man of the greatest prudence, after having held a meeting with the surrounding cities in the church of San Giacomo in Pontida in

6052-1385: The party intervene. History of Milan [REDACTED] Celtic tribe belonging to the Insubres group 590–222 BC [REDACTED] Roman Republic 222–27 BC [REDACTED] Roman Empire 27 BC–AD 395 [REDACTED] Western Roman Empire 395–476 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Italy 476–493 [REDACTED] Ostrogothic Kingdom 493–553 [REDACTED] Eastern Roman Empire 553–569 [REDACTED] Lombard Kingdom 569–774 [REDACTED] Carolingian Empire 774–781 [REDACTED] Regnum Italiae 781–1014 [REDACTED] Holy Roman Empire 1014–1114 [REDACTED] Free Commune 1114–1259 [REDACTED] Lordship of Milan 1259–1395 [REDACTED] Duchy of Milan 1395–1447 [REDACTED] Golden Ambrosian Republic 1447–1450 [REDACTED] Duchy of Milan 1450–1796 [REDACTED] Transpadane Republic 1796-1797 [REDACTED] Cisalpine Republic 1797–1802 [REDACTED] Italian Republic 1802–1805 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Italy 1805–1814 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia 1815–1859 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Sardinia 1859–1861 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Italy 1861–1943 [REDACTED]   Italian Social Republic 1943–1945 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Italy 1945–1946 [REDACTED]   Italian Republic 1946–present Milan

6141-418: The people were well known for their generosity. During the Augustan age Mediolanum was famous for its schools; it possessed a theatre and an amphitheatre (129.5 X 109.3 m), the third largest in Roman Italy after the Colosseum in Rome and the vast amphitheatre in Capua . A large stone wall encircled the city in Caesar's time, and later was expanded in the late third century AD, by Maximian . Mediolanum

6230-402: The period came to an end in the late 1830s. Napoleon invaded Italy in 1796. Milan was the capital of the Transpadane Republic from 1796 to 1797, of the Cisalpine Republic from 1797 to 1802, of the Napoleonic Italian Republic from 1802 to 1805 and of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy from 1805 to 1814. On 26 May 1805, Napoleon crowned himself King of Italy in the Milan Cathedral with

6319-441: The persecutions, but the first bishop of Milan who has a firm historical presence is Merocles, who was at the Council of Rome of 313. In the mid-fourth century, the Arian controversy divided the Christians of Mediolanum; Constantius supported Arian bishops and at times there were rival bishops. Auxentius of Milan (died 374) was a respected Arian theologian. At the time of the bishop St. Ambrose (bishop 374–397), who quelled

6408-444: The second half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, Neoclassicism flourished in Milan. During the end of the reign of Maria Theresa of Austria, throughout the subsequent Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and the return of Austrian, Milan was the protagonist of a strong cultural and economic rebirth, during which Neoclassicism was the dominant artistic style and the greatest expression. The Milanese neoclassical season

6497-588: The temple dedicated to Belisama, or with a subsequent Roman temple dedicated to Minerva . The moat of the fortified military building, which dated back to the 4th century BC, was found in Via Moneta. During the Roman Republic , the Romans, led by consul Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus , fought the Insubres and captured the settlement in 222 BC. The chief of the Insubres then submitted to Rome, giving

6586-445: The village. The sanctuary, which consisted of a wooded area in the shape of an ellipse with a central clearing, was aligned according to precise astronomical points. For this reason, it was used for religious gatherings, especially in particular celebratory moments. The sanctuary of Medhelanon was an ellipse with axes of 443 m (1,453 ft) and 323 m (1,060 ft) located near Piazza della Scala . The urban planning profile

6675-410: Was based on these early paths, and on the shape of the sanctuary, reached, in some cases, up to the 19th century and even beyond. For example, the route of the modern Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza del Duomo , Piazza Cordusio and Via Broletto, which is curvilinear, could correspond to the south side of the ellipse of the ancient sanctuary of Medhelanon. The Celtic sanctuaries, and that of Medhelanon

6764-473: Was founded around 600 B.C. by Belloveso, chief of the Insubres. Legend has it that Belloveso found a mythological animal known as the scrofa semilanuta (in Italian: "half-wooly boar") which became the ancient emblem of the city of Milan (from semi-lanuta or medio-lanum). Several ancient sources (including Sidonius Apollinaris , Datius , and, more recently, Andrea Alciato ) have argued that the scrofa semilanuta

6853-735: Was from Mediolanum that the Emperor Constantine issued what is now known as the Edict of Milan in AD 313, granting tolerance to all religions within the Empire, thus paving the way for Christianity to become the dominant religion of the Empire. Constantine was in Mediolanum to celebrate the wedding of his sister to the Eastern Emperor, Licinius . There were Christian communities in Mediolanum, which contributed its share of martyrs during

6942-555: Was further subdivided into several provinces, roughly corresponding with the départements of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. For the first time since 1428, Lombardy reappeared as an entity, the first time in history that the term " Lombardy " was officially used to call specifically that entity and not for the whole of Northern Italy . The Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia administration used Italian as its language in its internal and external communications and documents, and

7031-532: Was in fact common in Northern Italy during the Constantinian age and could be found, in particular, in cities with bishoprics. In 1386, Archbishop Antonio de' Saluzzi , supported by the population, promoted the reconstruction of a new and larger cathedral (12 May 1386), which was built on the site of the oldest religious heart of the city. For the new Milan Cathedral , basilica of Santa Tecla,

7120-468: Was instead present in the ancient local idiom once spoken in Milan. It is found, among others, as well as in Medhelanon, in the ancient Milanese words doradha ("golden"), crudho ("abrupt person"), mudha ("change") and ornadha ("ornate"). In Milanese dialect, the oldest name of which documented traces have been found is Miran . The Latin name Mediolanum comes from the Latin words medio (in

7209-471: Was made archbishop of Milan by Pope Urban IV , against the candidacy of Raimondo della Torre, Bishop of Como . The latter started to publicise allegations that the Visconti had ties to the heretic Cathars and charged them with high treason . The Visconti, who accused the della Torre of the same crimes, were then banned from Milan and their properties confiscated. The ensuing civil war caused more damage to Milan's population and economy, lasting for more than

7298-552: Was made the seat of the prefect of Liguria ( Praefectus Liguriae ) by Hadrian, and Constantine made it the seat of the vicar of Italy ( Vicarius Italiae ). In the third century Mediolanum possessed a mint , a horreum and imperial mausoleum. In 259, Roman legions under the command of Emperor Gallienus soundly defeated the Alemanni in the Battle of Mediolanum . In 286, the Roman Emperor Diocletian moved

7387-404: Was no exception. It did not take long, however, for the city states to begin fighting each other to try to limit neighbouring powers. The Milanese destroyed Lodi and continuously warred with Pavia, Cremona and Como, who in turn asked Frederick I Barbarossa for help. In a sally , they captured Empress Beatrice and forced her to ride a donkey backwards out through the city. These acts brought

7476-413: Was not an exception, were equipped with a moat, which had the purpose of sacredly defining the urban space, distinguishing the "inside" and the "outside", and at the same time had to protect it from the flowing waters in the territory. One axis of the Medhelanon sanctuary was aligned towards the heliacal rising of Antares , while the other towards the heliacal rising of Capella . The latter coincided with

7565-451: Was once the ancient cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore (original early Christian names basilica vetus or basilica minor ), established in 313, and the basilica of Santa Tecla (original early Christian names basilica maior or basilica nova ), established in 350, which together formed the episcopal complex with the baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti and the baptistery of Santo Stefano alle Fonti. The presence of two very close basilicas

7654-1021: Was therefore among the most important in Italy and Europe. Notable developments of the Milanese neoclassical season include construction of the Teatro alla Scala , the restyled Royal Palace , and the Brera institutions including the Academy of Fine Arts , the Braidense Library and the Brera Astronomical Observatory . Neoclassicism also led to the development of monumental city gates, new squares and boulevards, as well as public gardens and private mansions. Latterly, two churches, San Tomaso in Terramara and San Carlo al Corso , were completed in Neoclassical style before

7743-458: Was to unify Italy by freeing it from foreigners. In this historical period, which is called the Risorgimento , on 18 March 1848, Milan effectively rebelled against Austrian rule, during the so-called " Five Days " ( Italian : Le Cinque Giornate ), that forced Field Marshal Radetzky to temporarily withdraw from the city. The bordering Kingdom of Piedmont–Sardinia sent troops to protect

7832-560: Was two thirds complete when, with the fall of Napoleon (1814), the project was abandoned and then resumed in 1826 during the reign of the Habsburg emperor Francis I of Austria , who changed the dedication. The Arco della Pace ('Arch of Peace') was then completed in 1838. Once Napoleon's occupation ended, the Congress of Vienna returned Lombardy, and Milan, along with Veneto , to Austrian control in 1814. During this period, Milan became

7921-557: Was worn by Charlemagne, dates from this period. Milan's domination under the Franks led by Charlemagne did nothing to improve the city's fortune, and the city's impoverishment increased and Milan became a county seat. The 11th century saw a reaction against the control of the Holy Roman Emperors . The city-state was born, an expression of the new political power of the city and its will to fight against feudal overlords. Milan

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