Signoria of Bologna
Quotes
«Many Florentine emigrants were also at Bologna».
Niccolò Machiavelli, History of Florence, Book III, Chapter V
«Filippo [Maria Visconti], at the request of the legate of Bologna, who was in fear of Antonio Bentivoglio, an emigrant of Bologna at Castel Bolognese, sent forces to that city; which, being close upon the Florentine territory, filled the Florentines with apprehension».
Niccolò Machiavelli, History of Florence, Book IV, Chapter I
«The whole of Italy would have obtained repose had it not been disturbed by the Bolognese».
Niccolò Machiavelli, History of Florence, Book VI, Chapter II
«There were in Bologna two very powerful families, the Canneschi and the Bentivogli. Of the latter, Annibale [Bentivoglio] was the head; of the former, Battista [Canetoli], who, as a means of confirming their mutual confidence, had contracted family alliances. But among men who have the same objects of ambition in view, it is easy to form connections, but difficult to establish friendship».
Niccolò Machiavelli, History of Florence, Book VI, Chapter II
«The Venetians attempted to take Bologna, and having armed the emigrants, and united to them a considerable force, introduced them into the city by night through one of the common sewers».
Niccolò Machiavelli, History of Florence, Book VI, Chapter V
HISTORY
Of Etruscan origin, the city has been a major urban centre for centuries, first under the Etruscans, then under the Romans (Bononia), then again in the Middle Ages, as a free municipality and Signoria, when it was among the largest European cities by population.
The free commune of Bologna was severely weakened by decades of infighting, allowing the Pope to impose his rule in 1327. The papal governor was ousted by a popular rebellion and Bologna became a signoria under Taddeo Pepoli in 1334. Weakened by the Black Death, in 1350 Bologna was conquered by Archbishop Giovanni Visconti, the new lord of Milan. However, following a rebellion by the town's governor, Bologna was recuperated to the papacy in 1363. In 1376, Bologna again revolted against Papal rule and extreme infighting inside the Holy See prevented the papacy from restoring its domination over Bologna. In 1401 Giovanni I Bentivoglio took power by a coup with the support of Milan, but was killed by the Milanese when he allied with the Florentines. In 1438 a coup led by Annibale Bentivoglio kicked out of the city the papal envoy, declaring himself Signore and aligning with Milan, then at war with the Pope, Florence and and Venice. Bologna, however, did not took an active part in the ongoing war.
TERRITORY
Bologna is situated on the edge of the Po Plain at the foot of the Apennine Mountains, at the meeting of the Reno and Savena river valleys. The territory is largely flat, and stretches from the alluvial Po Plain into the Apennine Mountains, where lies the important “passo della Futa” mountain pass to Tuscany. As the land is in part marshy due to the several rivers and torrents, is highly fertile.
ECONOMY
Bologna is nicknamed “the Learned” as the city hosts the prestigious university, but also “the Fat”: this is a testament to the richness of the city compared to the surrounding area. However, Bologna is not a political neither an economic powerhouse. As symbol of the city, the Basilica of St. Petronius is perfect: it come out by decision of the city council, not of the Church, and the initial 1390 project envisioned it as the largest church in the world, with four bell towers: however, the funding were cut, the papal legate sold the construction material and construction proceeded quite slowly since then. So is the economy of Bologna: rich in capabilities, able to take on daring moves, but then other events stops its development.
Agriculture
The economy of Bologna is characterized by a flourishing agricultural sector, traditionally centered on land cultivation in the plains and on the transformation of livestock byproducts – cheese and dairy products, but also cured pork meats such as prosciutto, mortadella and salumi is an important part of the local food industry. Vineyards are present, but less appreciated than those of nearby Modena or Romagna.
Industry
The textile and weaving industry the main and flourishing economic sector, taking advantages of rivers for running mills and early machine weavers. A notable sector is that of silk weaving, introduced from Lucca in 1272. Silk is imported through Florence, weaved and then sold in north Italy and exported abroad through Venice or Milan, and constituted up to 40% of city income until XVI century.
Canals
As the territory is rich in rivers, so is in river canals used for commerce. The Canale Navile was opened in 1208, linking the river Po to the city; on his outskirts, a river port was built. The canals of Reno and Savena brings in water to the city, creating a web of canals through a system of hydraulic engineering involving locks for raising and lowering boats on river and canal waterways.
Commerce and banking
Bologna, with Ferrara, had the leadership of Jewish banking network in Italy throughout the XV century. This is due to the flourishing cultural environment of Bologna: as flocks of students come in, they usually live on small loans; on the other hand, the study of medicine, law and theology attracts wealthy Jews from less tolerant parts of Italy and Christendom.
On pair with Jews, Florentines constitutes a rich group of bankers and merchants, living in Bologna for different reasons, but mainly because of business or political adversity.
University
The University of Bologna was founded in 1088 and was in advance of its times; its specialty was Roman and canon law, and it set standards in the way it was organised and the curriculum that were followed by other universities that sprang up elsewhere
POLITICS
Internal politics
Being centered on the city of Bologna, politics is what you may expect from a large city-state: two parties centered on two families with the respective allies. In 1440s, Bologna was divided among the Bentivoglieschi, led by the Bentivoglio family, and the Canneschi, or Caneschi led by the Canetoli family.
nuovo papa, Eugenio IV, assai popolare a Bologna per avervi per oltre un anno svolto la funzione di legato, e notoriamente amico dei Canetoli
il 20 maggio 1438 l'esercito visconteo penetrò nella città preparando la via al trionfale ritorno di Annibale Bentivoglio, destinato a diventare il primo cittadino di Bologna.
There were in Bologna two very powerful families, the Canneschi and the Bentivogli. Of the latter, Annibale was the head; of the former, Battista, who, as a means of confirming their mutual confidence, had contracted family alliances; but among men who have the same objects of ambition in view, it is easy to form connections, but difficult to establish friendship. The Bolognese were in a league with the Venetians and Florentines, which had been effected by the influence of Annibale, after they had driven out Francesco Piccinino; and Battista, knowing how earnestly the duke desired to have the city favorable to him, proposed to assassinate Annibale, and put Bologna into his power. This being agreed upon, on the twenty-fifth of June, 1445, he attacked Annibale with his men, and slew him: and then, with shouts of "the duke, the duke," rode through the city. The Venetian and Florentine commissaries were in Bologna at the time, and at first kept themselves within doors; but finding that the people, instead of favoring the murderers, assembled in the piazza, armed in great numbers, mourning the death of Annibale, they joined them; and, assembling what forces they could, attacked the Canneschi, soon overpowered them, slew part, and drove the remainder out of the city. Battista, unable to effect his escape, or his enemies his capture, took refuge in a vault of his house, used for storing grain. The friends of the Bentivogli, having sought him all day, and knowing he had not left the city, so terrified his servants, that one of them, a groom, disclosed the place of his concealment, and being drawn forth in complete armor he was slain, his body dragged about the streets, and afterward burned. Thus the duke's authority was sufficient to prompt the enterprise, but his force was not at hand to support it.
External politics
Relations with Papal States
Bologna has a complicated relation with Papal States. The Pope claims the city as its own, but has not enough strength to reclaim it. On the other hand, Bologna tries to balance between independence and a traditional Guelph allegiance. This is exemplified by the fact that Bologna is ruled by the Bentivoglio family, of former Guelph allegiance, but claiming a Ghibelline descent from Enzo, the illegitimate son of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.
Relations with Milan
Milan is for Bologna a big, fat neighbour. Milanese armies come and go on Bolognese land without anyone able to stop them, and Milan showed more than once the desire of submitting Bologna to his will. However, Milan was pivotal for Bologna in expelling papal legate, and helping the city council to reestablish independence from the Pope.
Relations with Florence
Florence and Bologna share a special relationship: all Florentine items that are not traded through the port of Pisa are traded through Bologna, as well as for all Bolognese imports coming from the western Mediterranean. More specifically, Bologna imports raw silk from Florence. The economic bonds between the two cities are of importance for both: and even if sometimes the two are on opposed coalitions, they almost always do not attack each other, as both will lose profitable income.
ARMY
City Walls
La Circla is the name by which the Bolognese refer to the city walls: the massive construction encompasses the whole city, with works discussed in 1226, started a century after in 1327 and ended in 1390. There are thirteen gates, twelve since 1445. The massive walls goes around the city for 7,6 km (4,7 miles). Walls are made of red bricks, and are built by two walls spanning about 1 yard each, filled in between with sand, pebbles and bricks rubble. This engineering feat allows the walls to resist cannon attacks preventing internal collapse.
Army
Bologna did not have a standing army, but neither allowed large mercenary forces to run totally the army. There was no famous commander coming from nearby Romagna with large militia forces, but rather a large number of small mercenary groups hired when needed and used with local militia, to whom was trusted the keeping of several forts in Bolognese territory.
Is also worthy of note that in Bologna flourished a noteworthy martial tradition, as later manuscripts on the Art of the Sword show us the mastery of local trainers.
SOURCES
Massimo Fornasari, Il thesoro della città. Il monte di pietà e l'economia bolognese nei secoli XV e XVI. Il Mulino, Bologna 1994.
Amedeo Benati, Storia di Bologna, Bononia University Press, Bologna 1978.
Angelo Zanotti, Il sistema delle acque a Bologna dal XIII al XIX secolo, Bologna, Compositori, 2000.
[Modificato da Mylae 12/10/2018 17:41]
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È pericoloso porre in modo sbagliato questioni sostanzialmente giuste.
Indro Montanelli