Ravenna

:For other places named Ravenna, see Ravenna (disambiguation).

Medieval and Modern history

The Lombards under King Liutprand, occupied Ravenna in 712, but were forced to return it to the Byzantines. However, in 751 the Lombards suceeded in conquering Ravenna, thus ending Byzantine rule in northern Italy.

Related Topics:
Lombards - Liutprand

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

King Pepin of France attacked the Lombards under orders of Pope Stephen II. Ravenna then became territory of the Papal States in 784. In return, Pope Adrian I authorized King Charlemagne to take away anything from Ravenna that he liked. Charlemagne made three looting expeditions to Ravenna, removing a vast quantity of Roman columns, mosaics, statues and other portable items to enrich his capital of Aachen.

Related Topics:
Pepin - Pope Stephen II - Papal States - Pope Adrian I - Charlemagne - Aachen

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ironically, under Papal rule, the archbishop of Ravenna enjoyed autocephaly from the Roman Church - a privilege obtained under Byzantine rule. Due to donations by the Saxon emperors, the archbishop of Ravenna was the richest in Italy after the Papacy, and was thus successfully able to challenge the temporal authority of the Pope on occasion.

Related Topics:
Archbishop - Autocephaly - Saxon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At the end of the 12th century, with the rise of the free cities, Ravenna lost its hinterland. Power rotated among the influential local families: the Traversarys, Rasponis and Polentarys. One of the most illustrious residents of Ravenna at this time was the exiled poet Dante. In 1512, during the Holy League wars, Ravenna was sacked by the French.

Related Topics:
Hinterland - Dante - Holy League

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From 1441-1509, Ravenna was ruled by Venice. After the Venetian withdrawal, Ravenna was again ruled by legates of the Pope as one of the Papal States. The city was damaged in a tremendous flood in May 1636. Over the next 3 centuries, a network of canals diverted nearby rivers and drained nearby swamps, thus reducing the possibility of flooding and creating a large belt of agricultural land around the city.

Related Topics:
Venice - Pope - Papal States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ravenna and the surrounding Romagna area became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Related Topics:
Romagna - Kingdom of Italy - 1861

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~