Barbiano di Cotignola is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' (parish) of

Cotignola Cotignola () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ravenna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about west of Ravenna. Cotignola was the birthplace of the 15th century condottiero Muzio Attend ...

, in the

province of Ravenna The province of Ravenna (; ) is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Ravenna. As of 2015, it has a population of 391,997 inhabitants over an area of , giving it a population density of 210.81 inhabitants pe ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is a small village, known as the birthplace of the medieval

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

Alberico da Barbiano Alberico da Barbiano (c. 1344 – 1409) was a condottieri. His master in military matters was the English mercenary John Hawkwood, known in Italy as Giovanni Acuto. Alberico's ''compagnia'' fought under the banner of Saint George, as the '' co ...

. It is home to a Romanesque ''

pieve In Italy in the Middle Ages, a ''pieve'' (, ; ; : ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. ''Pieve'' is also an Italian and Corsican term signifying the medieval ecclesiastical/a ...

''.

History

The ''

'' (rural church) around which Barbiano formed is known from 826, when

Pope Eugene II Pope Eugene II (; died 27 August 827) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 6 June 824 to his death on 27 August 827. A native of Rome, he was Papal selection before 1059, chosen by nobles to succeed Paschal I as pope despite ...

gave it to Everard, a son of the last king of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. De ...

. The pieve at the time also controlled that of Lugo di Romagna. A castle was built in Barbiano by Rainero I, Everardo's grandson, in 860. This fortress was destroyed on 16 May 1409, a month after the death of the condottiero Alberico da Barbiano, lord of the village's fief. In the 15th century the area was ruled by the

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...

family, and in the following century it passed under the Este. In 1598 it became part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

, under which it remained until the

Unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

in 1861. In 1796 it was the seat of an ambush against French occupation troops, a feat which led, in retaliation, to the ravage of Barbiano and Lugo on 30 June/8 July. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Barbiano was captured by the 2nd New Zealand Infantry Division on 9/10 April 1945, after six months of bombardments.

External links

Page at Cotignola's official website
{{authority control Frazioni of the Province of Ravenna