city state · Italy
Commune of Milan
Origins
Milan's archbishops had long dominated the city, but by 1097 consuls drawn from nobles and citizens were governing it. The young commune extended its power over the surrounding countryside and over neighbours such as Lodi and Como, whose complaints drew Emperor Frederick Barbarossa into Italy.
Rule and society
Government passed from consuls to a podestà, usually an outsider, alongside councils and the popular credenza di Sant'Ambrogio. Milan was a manufacturing centre for wool cloth and arms, with its own Ambrosian liturgy. Barbarossa destroyed the city in 1162, but it was rebuilt, joined the Lombard League and helped defeat the emperor at Legnano in 1176, winning self-government at the Peace of Constance in 1183.
Decline and legacy
Rivalry between nobles and the popular party opened the way to strongmen. In 1259 Martino della Torre was made lord of the people, and the commune gave way to the Lordship of Milan, later dominated by the Visconti.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Commune of Milan was part of Kingdom of Italy (medieval)1097 CE – 1259 CE
- Commune of Como was conquered by Commune of Milan1127 CE
- Commune of Milan was part of Lombard League1167 CE – 1250 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Commune of Milan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-milan
- MLA
- “Commune of Milan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-milan. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Commune of Milan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-milan.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Commune of Milan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-milan (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻