LOMBARD LEAGUE. - Taking advantage of the absence of Frederick Barbarossa, the cities of Cremona, Bergamo, Brescia, Mantua and Ferrara swore a league for mutual defense called the L. l. After other meetings that remain unknown, the delegates of the L. l. gathered on 7 April 1167 in the Cluniac monastery of Pontida and an offensive and defensive alliance was formed, «salva tamen imperatoris fidelitate». The Treaty was to last fifty years. Mutual aid was sworn, faithful observance of future pacts established by common accord, refusal of any tyranny that might dare to impose itself against the laws and justice, obedience to the Christian Empire, war against pagan Caesarism, respect for the Catholic Church.
In December 1167, through the intervention of the Archbishop of Milan Galdino, pontifical legate, the new League was sworn by 16 cities: Venice, Vicenza, Padua, Treviso, Ferrara, Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Milan, Lodi, Piacenza, Parma, Mantua, Modena, Bologna. Its first act was the founding of a city between the Bormida and the Tanaro, which was called Alessandria, in homage to Alexander III.
The L. l. immediately bore excellent fruit; old enmities were removed, new ones prevented, many disputes settled, especially those that had arisen among the people of Reggio, Modena and Parma. Ravenna, Rimini, Imola and Forlì also took part in it. In 1168 a new concord was concluded between the Marquis Obizzo Malaspina and 17 cities including Como, and in 1170 Pavia also joined it.
Frederick employed every artifice to separate the Pope from the L. l., but the latter, on 27 April 1170, wrote to the L. l. defining it as a federation of peace and concord against Frederick, for the defense of the tranquility and liberty of the Church. In 1174 Frederick descended into Italy again, laid siege to Alessandria, whose walls were still woven with straw, and in the spring of 1176 war was decided between the L. l. and the Emperor. The Lombards formed two picked companies, called those of Death and of the Carroccio. The clash occurred at Legnano and there followed one of the most glorious battles that the history of Italy remembers. Frederick was defeated and barely escaped with his life. On 25 July 1183 the Peace of Constance was signed, in which the L. l. received full recognition. Once the heroic period was over, the L. l. then limited itself to representing the interests of the Lombard cities with the Emperor. In 1198 it was renewed for another thirty years and in 1208 new pacts were concluded. - See pl. LXVI.
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Innocenzo Giuliani
