Principality of Pavia

Principality of Pavia (Principato di Pavia)
Principality of Duchy of Milan Kingdom of Spain (from 1535)
1499–1786
Flag Coat of arms
Historical territories of the Principality of Pavia
Capital	Pavia
Legislature	General Congregation
History
• The Holy Roman Emperor elevates the county to Principality	1499
• Subdivision of Austrian Lombardy into provinces	1786
Preceded by Succeeded by County of Pavia Province of Pavia (Austrian Lombardy)

The Principality of Pavia (Lombard: Principaa de Pavia, Italian: Principato di Pavia) was an historic division of Lombardy and of the Duchy of Milan, which was ranked as a principality as an honor to the reigning House of Milan. ^[1] It was the predecessor of the present-day Province of Pavia.

History

In the Roman age, the territory of the municipium of Ticinum (ancient Pavia) did not extend south of the Po and included both the Pavese and much of present-day Lomellina, boundaries that were later adopted, at least from the Early Middle Ages, by the Diocese of Pavia. ^[2] Presumably, around the 8th century, some communities of the Oltrepò, such as Arena Po, Montù Beccaria, Montalto Pavese, Mornico Losana and Portalbera, became part of the district of Pavia, then capital of the Kingdom of the Lombards. Moreover, between the 8th and 11th centuries, several important ecclesiastical institutions of Pavia of royal foundation, such as the monasteries of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, Santa Maria Teodote and San Felice, expanded their possessions in the Oltrepò, thus encouraging Pavia's expansion south of the Po. ^[3]

In the Carolingian age the territory of Pavia was divided between the County of Pavia, capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and the County of Lomello, later reunited in the 10th century. ^[2] In the 12th century Pavia, which remained firmly Ghibelline, obtained, thanks to a diploma issued by Emperor Frederick I on 8 August 1164, control over much of the present-day Oltrepò and further territorial expansions in the Pavese and in Lomellina. Subsequent diplomas granted by Emperors Henry VI in 1191 and Frederick II in 1219, 1220 and 1232 extended the area controlled by Pavia to new localities in the hilly belt, in Lomellina and in the plain between Pavia and Milan, while other settlements, such as Robbio, were conquered by the people of Pavia in 1202 during a war against Vercelli. ^[4]

Pavia (in the 14th century ruled by the Beccaria family) was for a long time the object of Visconti ambitions, and under Galeazzo II Visconti the attacks became particularly determined; after a failed siege in 1356, the city finally fell with a second siege in 1359. ^[5]

The importance and prestige of the urban center (the city of Pavia), ancient capital of the Kingdom of the Lombards and of the Kingdom of Italy, meant that after the conquest Galeazzo II Visconti decided to transfer his residence and court from Milan to Pavia, to the Visconti Castle. Subsequently, his son Gian Galeazzo Visconti, who continued to reside in Pavia, in 1395 obtained from Emperor Wenceslaus the title of Duke of Milan, followed, in 1396, by a second diploma legitimizing a system of succession based on male primogeniture and raising Pavia to a County, thus granting the heir to the throne the title of Count of Pavia ^[6] . The same diploma also described the coat of arms of the new county: a party shield with the Visconti biscione on the left and three superimposed imperial eagles on the right. ^[7] In the same year, echoing early medieval royal coronations, Gian Galeazzo had himself enthroned as Count of Pavia in the San Michele Maggiore basilica. ^[8] The dual seat of the court between Milan and Pavia gave the latter a distinct role and a strong and prestigious identity within the dominion and in comparison with the other cities, to the detriment of Milanese centrality. ^[7]

The area was originally the County of Pavia, under the direct rule of the Duke of Milan. On 12 June 1499, the county, having passed with Milan to the House of Sforza, was elevated to the rank of principality (Fürst) by the Emperor Maximilian I. This placed Pavia in second position after the Milanese among the Sforza provinces. ^[9]

Also in 1499, the Duchy of Milan, which included the Principality of Pavia, became a Spanish possession. In 1564 the Spanish government, having recognized the inequity of the fiscal privileges enjoyed by the citizens of Pavia compared to the rurali (rural inhabitants), introduced congregazioni (congregations) whose primary purpose was to distribute the tax burden equitably among the communities. The General Congregation (legislature), elected by village representatives, was to legitimize raising taxes and to make the tax systems of cities and counties more equal. More generally, the congregations exercised functions of administrative coordination and representation of local interests before the central authority. They were not directly elected by the population, but were composed of representatives of the principal communes; there were four of them, one for each of the zones into which the Principality was divided. Above them stood the Congregazione generale del Principato (General Congregation of the Principality), composed of 21 representatives (7 for the Oltrepò, 7 for the Lomellina, 4 for the Campagna Sottana and 3 for the Campagna Soprana), from which a governing body was elected consisting of five sindaci (syndics): the four heads of the local congregations and the Sindaco generale (General Syndic). In the 17th century the congregation of the Lomellina separated from the general one of the Principality; the latter then had 24 delegates (12 for the Oltrepò and 6 for each of the Pavia Campagne), and the Congregation of the Lomellina had the same number.

The Principality of Pavia did not have exactly the same extent as the present-day province. It comprised the following areas:

• the city of Pavia;
• the Parco Vecchio (Old Park), located north of the city, enclosed by walls and including the original part of the ancient Visconti Park;
• the Parco Nuovo (New Park), between the Parco Vecchio and the Certosa di Pavia;
• the Vicariato di Settimo, a wedge of Milanese territory between the Campagna Soprana and Sottana and the Parco Nuovo, administered by Pavia, including Bornasco and Zeccone;
• the Campagna Soprana, northwest of the preceding territories, as far as the Ticino;
• the Campagna Sottana, southeast of the same, as far as the Po;
• the Oltrepò , which to the south reached a line including Rivanazzano, Torrazza Coste, Montalto Pavese, Rocca de' Giorgi and Canevino, and, south of that line, the isolated localities of Montesegale, Torre degli Alberi and Pizzocorno; it also included north of the Po the Siccomario and Mezzana Bigli, and finally Sale, Piovera and Guazzora (currently in the Province of Alessandria);
• attached to the territory of Pavia, the jurisdictions situated south of the Oltrepò in the Contea di Bobbio (County of Bobbio): Fortunago, Godiasco, Varzi, Cecima, Cella, Pregola, Zavattarello, and finally Trebecco and Bobbio (now in the Province of Piacenza);
• the Lomellina , that is, the area between the Po and the Ticino west of the Siccomario, which also included Bastida Pancarana south of the Po, and furthermore Valenza and Bassignana (currently in the Province of Alessandria).

Whereas it did not include:

• the province of the Vigevanasco, consisting of two groups of settlements around Vigevano and Robbio;
• the territory of Landriano, Bascapè and Torrevecchia Pia, and that of Vidigulfo and Siziano, belonging to the Milanese territory (Vicariate of Binasco and Pieve of San Giuliano); these were united to the territory of Pavia in 1786;
• the lordship of Bagnaria, an Imperial fief;

  

  Banner of the Principality of Pavia in the time of Massimiliano Sforza (1512–1515)

• Monticelli Pavese, in the duchy of Piacenza.

In 1703 the Lomellina was ceded to the House of Savoy.

In 1743 a portion of its territory, mainly the Vigevano zone and the Oltrepò, was sold to the House of Savoy. The principality tried unsuccessfully to appeal to the governor.

The Lomellina, the Vigevanasco and the Oltrepò Pavese became Piedmontese provinces with capitals respectively in Mortara, Vigevano, Voghera and Bobbio. The province of Lomellina, however, had lost Valenza, Bassignana and five small terre (localities) along the Tanaro, which were united to Alessandria. A small territory remained to Pavia, belonging to Austrian Lombardy.

In 1786 the Austrian government of the Duchy decided to transform the Principality into the province of Pavia. ^[10]

During the Napoleonic period (1797–1814) the unity of the territory of Pavia was not restored. It is significant that, when the inhabitants of the Oltrepò were asked in a referendum to which territory they wished to be united, and they replied that they wanted to return to Pavia, their will was simply ignored by the French government. The division therefore continued: Pavia with the Campagne was annexed to the Department of Olona, the Lomellina and the Siccomario to the Department of Agogna, which were part of the Italian Republic and the Kingdom of Italy; the Oltrepò, first attached to the Department of Marengo (Alessandria) and then to the Department of Genoa, was part of the French Republic and later the French Empire. The boundaries were adjusted and made to coincide with natural lines (in particular, the Po became a state border: thus the Oltrepò lost Mezzana Bigli but gained Bastida Pancarana). ^[4]

Division

The Principality of Pavia was divided in 1565 into four districts, each with a sindaco (mayor) as a head of government. They were Oltrepò, Lomellina, Upper County and Lower County. The sindaco of the Oltrepò had more power because of the insulated nature of its territory.

Every district was made up of communes, which had power over the local police and had some autonomy on the justice. They also each had an elected treasurer and assembly. In the important communities there was a Podestà , nominated by central authorities. ^[11]

The 4 territories were reduced to 3 after 1713 due to the loss of Lomellina in the Treaty of Utrecht, and to 2 after 1748 due to the loss of the Oltrepò in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.

In the mid-1700s there were 146 communes, including farmhouses, formally included into bigger communes but autonomous in fiscal and administrative ways. ^[12]

See also

• Province of Pavia (Lombardy–Venetia)
• Province of Pavia
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Pavia

References

1. "Principato di Pavia, 1757–1786 – Istituzioni storiche – Lombardia Beni Culturali". Lombardy Cultural Heritage (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-11-12.
2. Romanoni, Fabio (1 January 2020). "Insediamenti di età longobarda in Lomellina tra Ticino, Sesia e Po" [Lombard-age settlements in Lomellina between the Ticino, Sesia and Po]. Longobardi 569- 2019. 1450º anniversario della presenza longobarda tra Ticino, Sesia e Po, a cura di Giovanni Borroni, Guido Cazzani, Gabriele Bocciolini, Vigevano, 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
3. Aldo A. Setia (2003). "Dall'alto Medioevo alla prima età sveva" [From the Early Middle Ages to the early Swabian period]. In Ettore Cau; Paolo Paoletti; Aldo A. Settia (eds.). Storia di Voghera (in Italian). Vol. 1. Voghera: Edo-Edizioni Oltrepò. pp. 128–149. ISBN   978-8887855203.
4. "Principato di Pavia, sec. XIV - 1757 – Istituzioni storiche – Lombardia Beni Culturali" [Principality of Pavia, 14th century - 1757 – Historical institutions – Lombardy Cultural Heritage]. Lombardia Beni Culturali. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
5. Romanoni, Fabio (2007). "Come i Visconti asediaro Pavia. Assedi e operazioni militari intorno a Pavia dal 1356 al 1359" [How the Visconti besieged Pavia. Sieges and military operations around Pavia from 1356 to 1359]. Reti Medievali - Rivista. VIII. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
6. "GIAN GALEAZZO Visconti, duca di Milano - Treccani" [Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan - Treccani]. Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2024.
7. Covini, Maria Nadia (2014). "Pavia dai Beccaria ai Visconti-Sforza. Metamorfosi di una città" [Pavia from the Beccaria to the Visconti-Sforza. Metamorphosis of a city]. In M. Davide (ed.). Le subordinazioni delle città comunali a poteri maggiori in Italia dagli inizi del secolo XIV all'ancien régime. Risultati scientifici della ricerca. Trieste: CERM. pp. 46–67. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
8. Majocchi, Piero (2008). Pavia città regia. Storia e memoria di una capitale altomedievale [Pavia, royal city. History and memory of an early medieval capital]. Roma: Viella. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
9. "Comune di Pavia | Archivio Storico Civico Pavia" [Municipality of Pavia | Civic Historical Archive of Pavia]. archiviostoricocivicopavia.archimista.com. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
10. "Comune del principato di Pavia, sec. XIV – 1757 – Istituzioni storiche – Lombardia Beni Culturali". Lombardy Cultural Heritage (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-11-12.
11. Bullough, D. A. (1966). "Urban Change in Early Medieval Italy: The Example of Pavia". Papers of the British School at Rome. 34: 82–130. ISSN   0068-2462. JSTOR   40310664.
12. "Archivo di Stato di Pavia" (PDF). Metodologie e Applicazioni di Archivi Storici (in Italian).

Bibliography

• Storia della Lomellina, e del principato di Pavia dai suoi primi abitatori, sino all'anno 1746. Divisa in due parti, Portalupi, Luigi
• Terra, fiscalità, smembramenti: città e campagna nel Principato di Pavia nei secoli XVI–XVIII, pp. 161–199, Giuseppe Negro, Società Pavese di Storia Patria e della Banca del Monte di Pavia
• Del Principato di Pavia ovvero Thesaurus Ticinensis con le mappe di Pavia, Lomellina, Oltrepò, Pavese e della Certosa di Pavia, 1994

External links

• principato di Pavia
• Storia urbana di Pavia – Musei Civici
• "Principato di Pavia" [Principality of Pavia].
• "Periodo 1757-1786" [Period 1757-1786].