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History of
Trento
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Records
shown that the area of the right bank of the river Adige was
much populated during the Neolithic age as testified by the
abundance of Neolithic remains, burial grounds, grottos and
Celtic sites.
However,
the roman ?Trideum? (named after the three hills that surround
the city) stood on the left of the side of the Adige, beneath
the modern town centre.
For
instance, the Romans conquered the area in the late 1st
century B.C. after several clashes with the Raetian tribes
The town
flourished and became powerful in the Roman era: an imperial
document dated 49 A.C.defined it as a splendidum municipium.
At the fall
of the Great Roman Empire, the area was ruled by the Goths, the
Lombards and the Franks, finally becoming part of the Holy Roman
Empire.
During the
beginning of the new millennium, Trento stood between the
Prince-Bishop of Trento and the County of Trento (which was from
1363 part of the
Hapsburg
Monarchy).
The bishop
princes ruled Trento for eight centuries, during which there
were two major revolts, the first in 1407, was commanded by
Belenzani, defender of the old independence, while the second in
1525, was a true people's revolution, known as the ?rustic war?.
During the following years, Venice expansionism forced more and
more Trento towards the Empire; in 1511, reconquered Rovereto,
the bishop signed with Maximilian I a treaty for protection.
From 1516 to 1539 Trento had been governed by cardinal Bernardo
Clesio, who gave to the city that renaissance look which is
still characteristic of the central streets; he built the new
palace at Buonconsiglio Castle and the church of S. Maria
Maggiore, and prepared the famous Council which, in different
session, was held between 1545 and 1563, mostly in the Duomo and
in S. Maria Maggiore. The town then reached her maximum
splendour, under the guide of the bishops of Madruzzo family who
had the power for more than a century.
The following ages are remembered only
for the Spanish Succession campaigns, during which Trento was
ineffectively
sieged.
Napoleon
and his troops entered Trento in 1796.
In 1815, the Congress of Vienna ruled Trento area as part of
Austria, during which a strong
economical and urbanistic growth took place: the flow of river
Adige was deviated, while the city has ever since been enlarged,
to the north and
especially
to the south, up to the last world conflict, with residential
quarters and industrial plants.
The 1st railroad in the adage Valley open in 1859.
During the late 19th century, Trento and Trieste
(still belonging to the Austrian) became icons of the national
unification movement with Damiano Chiesa and Cesare Battisti
been the local irredentist in the fight against the
Austrian-Hungary army (the two names were later used to
celebrate the ?Liberation of Trento).
Austrian
domination ended in 1918 and Trento became a part of the Kingdom
of Italy.
After
Mussolini was deposed, German troops invaded Northern Italy and
Trento became part of the German Reich.
Part of the
city was hit by the allied bombing, including the church of
Santa Maria Maggiore and several bridges over the river Adige.
Since the
instauration of the Italian Republic the region has enjoyed
prosperous growth and was given a special autonomy from the
central Italian government.
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