The Lombard League (Liga Lombarda in Lombard, Lega Lombarda in Italian) was a medieval alliance formed in 1167,[1] supported by the popes, to counter the attempts by the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman emperors to assert influence over the Kingdom of Italy as a part of the Holy Roman Empire.
At its apex, it included most of the cities of Northern Italy, but its membership changed with time. With the death of the third and last Hohenstaufen emperor, Frederick II, in 1250, it became obsolete and was disbanded.
Although having the military purpose as preponderant, the Lombard League also had its own stable government, considered one of the first examples of confederation in Europe.[2]
- ^ Lombard League, Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved 12 February 2013
- ^ "Lega Lombarda" (in Italian). Treccani. Retrieved 31 August 2023.