Lombardy

The name given to that part of Upper Italy which formed the nucleus of the kingdom of the Lombards (which see). It consisted of the whole of Italy north of the peninsula, with the exceptions of Savoy and Venice, and after the fall of the Lombard kingdom, in 774, was incorporated in the Car loving i an empire. In 843 it was created a separate kingdom, but was not entirely severed from the Frankish monarchy till 888. From this time it was ruled by its own kings till 961, when it was annexed to the German empire. Out of the wrecks of the old independent kingdom now arose a number of independent duchies, as Friuli, Mantua, Susa, Piedmont, etc., and soon afterwards the republics of Venice, Genoa, Milan, and Pavia, etc. The Lombard cities declared themselves independent towards the commencement of the 12th century, and in 1167 were joined by their le powerful neighbors in the “first Lombard league,” for the maintenance of their liberties against Frederic Barb a ro a, whom they severely defeated in 1176. In 1225 they were compelled to form the “second Lombard league” against Frederick II., and with similar succe . After this, petty tyrants rose in most of the cities, and foreign influence quickly followed. The Guelph and Ghibelline factions greatly distracted Lombardy; and from the 15th century to the present time it has been contended for by the German and French sovereigns. The house of Austria obtained it in 1748, and held it till 1797, when it was conquered by the French, who incorporated it into the Cisalpine republic, and in 1805 into the kingdom of Italy. On the breaking up of the French empire in 1815, the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom was established by the allied sovereigns and given to Austria, who had lost her Flemish po e ions. In 1859 this union was di olved by the Italian war; and also by the treaty of Villa Franca, ceded to the king of Sardinia.