I Lombardi alla prima crociata ('The Lombards on the First Crusade') is an operatic dramma lirico by Giuseppe Verdi, first performed on 11 February 1843 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. It is based on an epic poem by Tommaso Grossi, with an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera. The plot concerns a fictional family and its involvement in the First Crusade, appealing to the patriotic fervour of the time. The first British performance took place in London in May 1846, followed a year later by its premiere in New York, where it was the first of Verdi's operas to be performed in the United States. The opera was translated into French and significantly rewritten as Jérusalem, Verdi's first grand opera, which opened in Paris in November 1847.
This picture shows the title page of a very early edition of the libretto of I Lombardi alla prima crociata, possibly the first edition, dating to the time of the opera's premiere in 1843.Illustration credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden