Lombard League
The Lombard League (Liga Lombarda in
At its apex, it included most of the cities of Northern Italy, but its membership changed with time. With the death of the third and last Hohenstaufen emperor, Frederick II, in 1250, it became obsolete and was disbanded.
Although having the military purpose as preponderant, the Lombard League also had its own stable government, considered one of the first examples of confederation in Europe.[2]
History
The association succeeded the
Formed according to tradition following the oath of Pontida on 7 April 1167,[4] the Lombard League included—beside Verona, Padua, Vicenza and Venice—cities like Crema, Cremona, Mantua, Piacenza, Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Genoa, Bologna, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Treviso, Vercelli, Lodi, Parma, Ferrara and even some lords, such as the Marquis Malaspina and Ezzelino da Romano.
Though not a declared
At the
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Lombard standard bearer re-entering Milan in 1167 (the year of the League's foundation) after its destruction in 1162 by Emperor Frederick I. Bas-relief Porta Romana, Milan (1171)
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Lombard milites depicted on the Porta Romana relief of 1171
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A Bronze replica of the Peace of Constance in Konstanz. Illustrating the comunes of the Lombard League in 1183.
The Lombard League was renewed several times and upon the death of Frederick I's son
The efforts of Emperor Frederick II to gain greater power in Italy were aborted by the cities, which earned the League an Imperial ban. The emperor's measures included the taking of Vicenza and his victory in the 1237 Battle of Cortenuova which established the reputation of the emperor as a skillful strategist.[3] Nevertheless, he misjudged his strength, rejecting all Milanese peace overtures and insisting on unconditional surrender. It was a moment of grave historic importance, when Frederick's hatred coloured his judgment and blocked all possibilities of a peaceful settlement. Milan and five other cities withstood his attacks, and in October 1238 he had to unsuccessfully raise the siege of Brescia.
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Medieval miniature depicting the Battle of Cortenuova (1237)
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Medieval miniature depicting the Battle of Parma (1248)
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Medieval miniature depicting the Battle of Fossalta (1249)
The Lombard League once again receiving papal support by
Civil government
In addition of being a military alliance, the Lombard League was one of the first examples of confederal system in the world of communes. Indeed, the League had a distinct council of its members, called Universitas, consisting of representatives appointed by individual municipalities, and voted by majority in various fields (such as the admission of new members, war and peace with the Emperor), powers that grew more and more with the years. The Universitas obtained regulatory, tax and judicial power, a system comparable to that of a present-day republic.[6]
In the first period of the League the communes had little to do with confederal affairs, and the members of the Universitas were independent. In the second period, the municipalities gained some influence, but as a counterweight, members were more involved in the municipal council policy. In addition, the League abolished the duties with the creation of a customs union.[6]
See also
- Pontida's Oath
- Stadtrecht(Town Rights)
- Städtebund(Town League)
- Guelphs and Ghibellines
- Old Swiss Confederacy
- Lusatian League
- Décapole
- Hanseatic League
- Ariberto da Intimiano
References
- ^ Lombard League, Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved 12 February 2013
- ^ "Lega Lombarda" (in Italian). Treccani. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ a b The Papacy, J.A. Watt, The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 5, c.1198-c.1300, ed. David Abulafia, Rosamond McKitterick, (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 135.
- ^ D'Ilario, Giorgio; Gianazza, Egidio; Marinoni, Augusto (1976). Legnano e la battaglia (in Italian). Edizioni Landoni. pp. 53–54. SBN IT\ICCU\LO1\1256757.
- ^ Björn K. U. Weiler, Henry III of England and the Staufen Empire, 1216-1272, (Boydell & Brewer, 2006), 86.
- ^ a b (in Italian) Lega Lombarda, Federiciana
Sources
- G. Fasoli. "La Lega Lombarda --Antecedenti, formazione, struttura." Problema des 12.Jahrhunderts.
- Vortraege und Forchungegen, vol. 12 (1965–7), pp. 143–60.
- "Lombard League (Italian history)." Encyclopædia Britannica (2008).
- Raccagni, Gianluca (2010). The Lombard League (1164–1225). Oxford University Press.
- Laven, D. (2010). "The Lombard League in Nineteenth-Century Historiography, c.1800–c.1850." In: Berger, S., Lorenz, C. (eds). Nationalizing the Past. Writing the Nation: National Historiographies and the Making of Nation States in 19th and 20th Century Europe. London: .
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. .