History

The Roman period

According to the Roman historian Livy, a Celtic village was first founded in this area in the 6^th century BC. Conquered by Roman legions in 222 BC, the city became an alley of Carthage, but the Romans won the wars and at the end of the 1^st century BC, Milan became a part of the Roman Empire and capital of the Western Roman Empire.

It was an important center for the consolidation of the new Christian religion and many Milanese churches have early Christian origins, such as Sant’Ambrogio and San Lorenzo.

The Longobards

One of the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire was the barbaric invasion from Northen Europe. The city was sacked in 539 AD and its role of capital was lost. The capital of the Longobards became Pavia, but the name “Lombardia” comes from these people.

The “Comuni” period

An important independence movement called “The Comuni”, developed in many Italian towns of the 12^th century. The Comuni fought against the Germanic tribes who wanted to keep their supremacy in many of the northern Italian cities. During this period, Milan has regained its economic predominance in the region and played a major role in the Comuni movement. The city was governed by democratic laws and Palazzo della Ragione became the political seat of the city.

The Visconti and Sforza families

The period of democratic government came to an end when the power went into the hands o the old Visconti family, who became the lords of the city from 1277 to 1447. The Visconti gave the city a political and cultural supremacy, in particular, it was during this period that the Duomo and the Castello began. In 1450, Francesco Sforza, a Visconti Duke took over command of the city. The Sforza’s family ruled during the Renaissance years and it’s one of Milan’s moments of major artistic creativity. Among the famous people who worked in the city we can find Donato Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci.

The Spanish domination

In the last years of Sforza rule, during the early 16^th century, Northern Italy became one of the territories contested by the French and the Spanish monarchies. The Spanish prevailed and they city was governed by them for nearly two centuries (1535-1706) . This was not a time of development and the city was also oppressed by the plague in 1630. Although, many cultural and artistic initiatives of the Borromeos were done for example the foundation of the Ambrosiana and the Brera building.

The Hapsburgs

The great European wars of the late 17^th and early 18^th centuries bought Milan under the domination of the Austrian Imperial dynasty of the Hapburgs. The city lived a period of splendor with artistic, cultural, scientific development. In this period the Scala Theater, the Palazzo Reale and Villa Reale as well as many other private buildings were built.

The Napoleonic era

In the course of the wars that followed the French Revolution of 1789, Milan came under the French control. This was a brief period characterized by great artistic fervor with a new town planning scheme, together with major public works such as the Arena and the “Porte” (city gates).

The Austro-Hungarian period

The Austrians returned to Milan after Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, but they weren’t enlightened reformers. In 1848 the city rebelled against the Austro-Hungarians and it became part of the Savoy Kingdom in 1861.

The Kingdom of Italy

With the unification of Italy, Milan became and important financial and industrial center. The city attracted workers from other Italian regions and the city center was soon taken over by banks and insurance companies, causing a great change in the urban landscape with the building of elegant residential districts.

Fascism

The Fascist party was founded in Milan in 1919. With the exception of the industrial workers and a few groups of intellectuals, the city didn’t oppose the dictatorship. It was during this period that a series of pompous works such as StazioneCentrale and the Triennale were done.

The post-war period

Milan headed the national reconstruction, since it had been devastated by bombardments . The city emerged as Italy’s major center for commerce, finance, publishing and recently as the Italian capital of the media, design, fashion and advanced service sectors.