Milan

:This is about the Italian city of Milan. For other uses, see Milan (disambiguation).

History

It is presumed Milan was originally founded by the Celts of Northern Italy around 600 BC and was conquered around 222 BC by the Romans, who gave it the name of Mediolanum. In the 4th century A.D., at the time of the bishop Saint Ambrose and emperor Theodosius I, the city was briefly the capital of the Western Roman Empire. At that time Milan was the second largest city in Europe, with more than 300,000 inhabitants.

Related Topics:
Celts - Italy - 600 BC - 222 BC - Romans - Ambrose - Theodosius I - Roman Empire

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In the 11th century, after the Ostrogothic and Lombard periods, the city regained its importance and led other Italian cities in gaining semi-independence from the Holy Roman Empire. During the Plague of 1349 Milan was one of the few places in Europe that was untouched by the epidemic, but it was deeply affected by the plagues of 1402 (50,000 deaths), 1542 (80,000), 1576 (17,000) and 1629 (70,000). During the Renaissance Milan was ruled by dukes of the Visconti and Sforza families, who had artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante at their service. After trying to conquer the rest of northern Italy in the 15th century, Milan was conquered by France, and then by Spain, in the early 16th century.

Related Topics:
Ostrogoth - Lombard - Holy Roman Empire - Plague - 1349 - Renaissance - Visconti - Sforza - Leonardo da Vinci - Bramante - France - Spain

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In the 18th century Austria replaced Spain as Milan's overlord, but the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars saw the city annexed into the French satellite states of the Cisalpine Republic, which later became the Kingdom of Italy. After this period, Milan was part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, under Austrian rule. Milan eventually became one of the main centers of Italian nationalism, claiming independence and the unification of Italy.

Related Topics:
Austria - French Revolution - Napoleonic Wars - Cisalpine Republic - Kingdom of Italy - Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia - Austrian - Italy

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In 1859 (after the second of the Wars of Italian Independence) Austrian rule was ended by the Kingdom of Sardinia (which transformed into the kingdom of Italy in 1861).

Related Topics:
Wars of Italian Independence - Kingdom of Sardinia - Italy

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As a critical industrial center of Italy, Milan was target of continuous carpet bombing during World War II. The city was bombed even after Pietro Badoglio surrendered to the allied forces in 1943. In fact Milan was part of Mussolini's puppet state Italian Social Republic and an important command centre of the German Army stationed in Italy. When war in Italy was finally over, April 25 1945, Milan was heavily damaged and entire neighborhoods like Precotto and Turro were destroyed. After the war the city was reconstructed and has again become an important financial and industrial centre of Italy. See also: Rulers of Milan.

Related Topics:
Carpet bombing - World War II - Pietro Badoglio - Mussolini - Italian Social Republic - April 25 - 1945 - Neighborhood - Rulers of Milan

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