The Foundation of the Lombard League, 1167

In the year 1167 several towns in northern Italy formed the Lombard League in opposition to the emperor, Frederick I Barbarossa, who had demanded to have the so-called regalia reinstated, royal rights, such as the right of coinage or collecting duties, which were often very lucrative. In the Oath of Pontida the communes, which until that time had followed conflicting political interests, supposedly swore to stand together against Barbarossa. In the Battle of Legnano they finally defeated the imperial forces in 1176. Throughout the 19th century the Lombard League stood as a symbol for putting aside inner conflicts in favour of national unity and also served as a model for the common defence against threats from abroad.

Although the Oath of Pontida as foundation act of the Lombard League is not historically verified, the scene was often depicted. The monumental painting by Amos Cassioli, for instance, has been hanging in the town hall of Siena since 1885. For the site of the occurrence, for which there was also no documentary evidence, Cassioli chose the sanctuary of the church in Pontida. In this way the sanctity of the swearing of the oath was underscored, and thus the Lombard League and its deeds seemed to enjoy God's protection.

Where We Come From...

Dante (1265-1321)

The struggle for national independence required a mythical figure who could serve as paragon and inspiration for both the entire nation and the intellectuals and politicians who were leading the freedom movement. The myth of Dante was well-suited to this task. It played an important role in smoothing over the wide-spread factional strife among the Italian territories in favour of joint political action. Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) had given his country its language, its poetry and its culture. His poetic art became a symbol of Italian unity which found expression in a common language and culture.

The subject of »Dante’s Exile« was frequently treated in paintings. The dissension between Italian cities and Dante’s partisanship for the Ghibellines had led the opposing part of the Guelfs to banish the politically active poet from his native city of Florence in 1302. He spent the rest of his life in exile, travelling through Italy and France until he finally found refuge in Ravenna, where he died in 1321.

Domenico Petarlini’s painting depicts the lonely wanderer resting along the way. The poet is gazing with a melancholy expression at a book which probably represents his greatest work, the »Divine Comedy«.

Freedom

The Uprising in Genoa, 1746

In the Austrian war of succession, Genoa sided with France and Spain. However, in the autumn of 1746 the time-honoured city-state had to admit defeat to the superior power of the Habsburgs. But shortly thereafter, on 10th December 1746, the occupying forces were driven out in a popular uprising. According to tradition, the uprising is supposed to have been launched by a boy named Balilla. A squad of soldiers who were occupied with confiscating enemy cannon got stuck in the mud while dragging away a mortar. When a sergeant ordered a group of onlookers to help, they replied with taunts and jibes. When he then began to beat them, young Balilla threw a stone at the soldiers and called out to the bystanders to attack them, thus launching the insurrection.

The picture of Emilio Busi and Luigi Asioli as well as Giacinto Massola's picture show the climax of the struggles. A narrow alley in Genoa is filled with combatants and wounded. Balilla stands in the midst of the turmoil on top of the mortar spurring his compatriots on. As the movement toward national unity gathered momentum, especially at the dawn of the Revolution of 1848, this local incident took on increasing significance far beyond the limits of Genoa. It became a symbol of the yearning for freedom and independence in Italy, which was directed above all against Habsburg rule and fed by the opposition to it.