Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (Italian
: Regno Lombardo–Veneto; German
: Königreich Lombardo–Venetien; aka Austrian Italy, German
: Österreichisches Italien) was created at the Congress of Vienna
, which recognised the House of Habsburg's rights to Lombardy
and Venetia
after the Kingdom of Italy
, proclaimed by Napoleon in 1805, had collapsed. Viceroys were to reside at Milan
and Venice
, who were to be appointed by the Imperial Court at Vienna
.
(which had been ruled by the Habsburg
s since the 16th century, and by the Austria
n branch of the family from 1713 to 1796) and Venetia (which had been under Austrian rule intermittently since 1797) into a single unit under the Austrian Habsburgs.
Administratively the Kingdom comprised two independent governments in the two parts. Lombardy included the provinces of Milan, Como, Bergamo, Brescia, Pavia, Cremona, Mantova, Lodi-Crema, and Sondrio. Venetia included the provinces of Venice, Verona, Padova, Vicenza, Treviso, Rovigo, Belluno, and Udine.
The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia was first ruled by Francis
from 1815 to his death in 1835. Ferdinand
ruled from 1835 to 1848.
After a popular revolution on 22 March 1848 (The Five Days of Milan
), the Austrians fled from Milan
, which become the capital city of the Governo Provvisorio della Lombardia (Lombardy Provisional Government). The next day, Venice
also arose against the Austrians, forming the Governo Provvisorio di Venezia
(Venice Provisional Government). The Austrians, after defeating the Sardinian
troops at the Custoza
(24 July-25 July 1848), entered Milan (6 August) and Venice (24 August 1849), restoring Austrian rule.
Francis Joseph
ruled over the Kingdom for the rest of its existence. His younger brother Maximilian
, who later became Emperor of Mexico
, served as his viceroy
in Milan between 1857 and 1859.
Lombardy was annexed to the embryonic Italian state in 1859, by the Treaty of Zurich
after the Second Italian War of Independence
; Venetia was ceded to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866 in the aftermath of the Seven Weeks War, by the Treaty of Prague
.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Regno Lombardo–Veneto; German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Königreich Lombardo–Venetien; aka Austrian Italy, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Österreichisches Italien) was created at the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
, which recognised the House of Habsburg's rights to Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Venetia
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
after the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
, proclaimed by Napoleon in 1805, had collapsed. Viceroys were to reside at Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, who were to be appointed by the Imperial Court at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
History
The Congress of Vienna combined the territories of LombardyLombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
(which had been ruled by the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
s since the 16th century, and by the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n branch of the family from 1713 to 1796) and Venetia (which had been under Austrian rule intermittently since 1797) into a single unit under the Austrian Habsburgs.
Administratively the Kingdom comprised two independent governments in the two parts. Lombardy included the provinces of Milan, Como, Bergamo, Brescia, Pavia, Cremona, Mantova, Lodi-Crema, and Sondrio. Venetia included the provinces of Venice, Verona, Padova, Vicenza, Treviso, Rovigo, Belluno, and Udine.
The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia was first ruled by Francis
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
from 1815 to his death in 1835. Ferdinand
Ferdinand I of Austria
Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria, President of the German Confederation, King of Hungary and Bohemia , as well as associated dominions from the death of his father, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, until his abdication after the Revolutions of 1848.He married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child...
ruled from 1835 to 1848.
After a popular revolution on 22 March 1848 (The Five Days of Milan
Five Days of Milan
The Five Days of Milan was a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 and the start of the First Italian War of Independence. On March 18th, the city of Milan, rose, and in five days of street fighting drove Marshal Radetzky and his men from the city....
), the Austrians fled from Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, which become the capital city of the Governo Provvisorio della Lombardia (Lombardy Provisional Government). The next day, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
also arose against the Austrians, forming the Governo Provvisorio di Venezia
Republic of San Marco
The Republic of San Marco was an Italian revolutionary state existing for 17 months in 1848–49. Based on the Venetian Lagoon, it extended into most of Venetia, or the Terraferma territory of the Venetian Republic, suppressed 51 years before in the French Revolutionary Wars...
(Venice Provisional Government). The Austrians, after defeating the Sardinian
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
troops at the Custoza
Battle of Custoza (1848)
The Battle of Custoza was fought on July 24 and 25 1848 during the first Italian War of Independence between the armies of the Austrian Empire, led by Field Marshal Radetzky, and of the Kingdom of Sardinia, led by King Charles Albert of Piedmont....
(24 July-25 July 1848), entered Milan (6 August) and Venice (24 August 1849), restoring Austrian rule.
Francis Joseph
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
ruled over the Kingdom for the rest of its existence. His younger brother Maximilian
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
, who later became Emperor of Mexico
Emperor of Mexico
The Emperor of Mexico was the head of state and ruler of Mexico on two non-consecutive occasions in the 19th century....
, served as his viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
in Milan between 1857 and 1859.
Lombardy was annexed to the embryonic Italian state in 1859, by the Treaty of Zurich
Treaty of Zurich
The Treaty of Zurich was signed by the Austrian Empire, the French Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia on November 10, 1859. The agreement was a reaffirmation of the terms of the preliminary peace of Villafranca, which brought the Austro-Sardinian War to an official close...
after the Second Italian War of Independence
Second Italian War of Independence
The Second War of Italian Independence, Franco-Austrian War, Austro-Sardinian War, or Austro-Piedmontese War , was fought by Napoleon III of France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859...
; Venetia was ceded to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866 in the aftermath of the Seven Weeks War, by the Treaty of Prague
Peace of Prague (1866)
The Peace of Prague was a peace treaty signed at Prague on 23 August 1866, which ended the Austro-Prussian War. The treaty was lenient toward the Austrian Empire because Otto von Bismarck had persuaded William I that maintaining Austria's place in Europe would be better in the future for Prussia...
.
Kings of Lombardy–Venetia
| Name | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Francis II of Austria Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz... |
1814-1835 | previously Duke of Milan |
| Prince Heinrich XV of Reuss-Plauen | 1814-1815 | Viceroy for Franz I |
| Count Friedrich Heinrich von Bellegarde | 1815-1816 | Viceroy for Franz I |
| Archduke Anton Victor of Austria Archduke Anton Victor of Austria Anton Victor, Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia was an Archduke of Austria and a Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. He was also briefly the last Archbishop-Elector of Cologne and Prince-Bishop of Münster, before those territories were secularized in 1803.Anton Victor was the son of Leopold II, Holy... |
1816-1818 | Viceroy for Franz I |
| Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria | 1818-1835 | Viceroy for Franz I |
| Ferdinand I of Austria Ferdinand I of Austria Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria, President of the German Confederation, King of Hungary and Bohemia , as well as associated dominions from the death of his father, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, until his abdication after the Revolutions of 1848.He married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child... |
1835-1848 | son of Franz I |
| Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria | 1835-1848 | Viceroy for Ferdinand I |
| Franz Joseph of Austria | 1848-1859/1866 | nephew of Ferdinand I |
| Count Joseph Radetzky von Radetz Joseph Radetzky von Radetz Johann Josef Wenzel Graf Radetzky von Radetz was a Czech nobleman and Austrian general, immortalised by Johann Strauss I's Radetzky March... |
1848-1857 | Viceroy for Franz Joseph |
| Archduke Maximilian Maximilian I of Mexico Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy... |
1857-1859 | Viceroy for Franz Joseph |
See also
- Historical states of ItalyHistorical states of ItalyItaly, until the present era, was a conglomeration of city-states and other small independent entities. The following is a list of the various states that made up what we now know as Italy during the past...