city state · Italy

Republic of Bologna

1116 CE – 1506 CE (approx.) · capital Bologna

The city-republic of Europe's oldest university and its forest of towers, which held a captive king for 23 years and later flourished under the Bentivoglio.

Origins

In 1116 Emperor Henry V granted privileges to the citizens of Bologna, the starting point of the commune. Its law school, traditionally dated to 1088 and associated with the jurist Irnerius, drew students from all over Europe and made the city famous.

Rule and society

Bologna was ruled by consuls, then a podestà and popular councils. Noble families built hundreds of defensive towers, including the Asinelli and Garisenda. Guelph Bologna captured King Enzo, son of Frederick II, at Fossalta in 1249 and held him until his death in 1272; the Liber Paradisus of 1256 freed the serfs of its countryside. Nominally under the Papal States, the city was dominated by the Pepoli and then the Bentivoglio families.

Decline and legacy

Pope Julius II marched on Bologna in 1506 and drove out Giovanni II Bentivoglio. The city then passed under direct papal rule, which lasted until 1796, when it briefly became the Bolognese Republic.

Connections (3)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Republic of Bologna. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-bologna
MLA
“Republic of Bologna.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-bologna. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Republic of Bologna.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-bologna.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Republic of Bologna’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-bologna (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻