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Northern Italian towns form the Lombard League

The Lombard League (Latin: Societas Lombardiae; Italian: Lega Lombarda) was an alliance of cities formed in 1167, and supported by the popes, to counter the attempts by the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman...

The Lombard League (Latin: Societas Lombardiae; Italian: Lega Lombarda) was an alliance of cities formed in 1167, and supported by the popes, to counter the attempts by the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman emperors to establish direct royal administrative control over the cities of the Kingdom of Italy (which was part of the Holy Roman Empire) after many decades of de facto local self-governance.

At its apex, it included most of the cities of Northern Italy, but its membership changed with time. With the death of the third and last Hohenstaufen emperor, Frederick II, in 1250, it became obsolete and was disbanded. Although having mainly a military purpose, the Lombard League also had its own stable government (Rectores Lombardiae, i.e.

Events Before

  1. Ramjbam & his family reach Acre Palestine

    Ramjbam & his family reach Acre Palestine

  2. Jewish rabbi and philosopher Moses ben Maimon (aka Maimonides or the Rambam) reaches Jerusalem

    Jewish rabbi and philosopher Moses ben Maimon (aka Maimonides or the Rambam) reaches Jerusalem

  3. Pope Alexander III returns from exile to Rome

    Pope Alexander III returns from exile to Rome

  4. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa visits Utrecht

    Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa visits Utrecht

  5. Austrian town of Bad Kleinkirchheim is first mentioned, in an ecclesiastical document

    Austrian town of Bad Kleinkirchheim is first mentioned, in an ecclesiastical document

Events After

  1. Giovanni di Struma is elected antipope

    An antipope (Latin: antipapa) is a person who claims to be Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to the officially elected pope.

  2. Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury

    Thomas Becket ( ), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English cleric and statesman who served...

  3. Construction of the Tower of Pisa begins, and it takes two centuries to complete

    Construction of the Tower of Pisa begins, and it takes two centuries to complete

  4. Jocelin, abbot of Melrose, is elected bishop of Glasgow

    Jocelin (or Jocelyn) (died 1199) was a Scottish Cistercian monk and cleric who became the fourth Abbot of Melrose before becoming Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland.

  5. At the Battle of Myriokephalon, the Byzantines fail to recover Anatolia from Turkish rule

    The Battle of Myriokephalon (also known as the Battle of Myriocephalum, Greek: Μάχη του Μυριοκέφαλου, Turkish: Miryokefalon Savaşı or Düzbel Muharebesi) was a battle between the Byzantine Empire and...

More from the 1160s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 1, 1167?
The Lombard League (Latin: Societas Lombardiae; Italian: Lega Lombarda) was an alliance of cities formed in 1167, and supported by the popes, to counter the attempts by the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman emperors to establish direct royal administrative control over the cities of the Kingdom of Italy (which was part of the Holy Roman Empire) after many decades of de facto local self-governance. At its apex, it included most of the cities of Northern Italy, but its membership changed with time. With the death of the third and last Hohenstaufen emperor, Frederick II, in 1250, it became obsolete and was disbanded.
Why is Northern Italian towns form the Lombard League historically important?
With the death of the third and last Hohenstaufen emperor, Frederick II, in 1250, it became obsolete and was disbanded. Although having mainly a military purpose, the Lombard League also had its own stable government (Rectores Lombardiae, i.e.

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