Pinamonte da Vimercate (c. 1120 – after 1185) was a Milanese nobleman, belonging to the class of Capitani, the highest rank of the communal nobility. He stood out as one of the most influential figures in the context of the struggles between the Lombard communes and the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. His family, the Vimercati, of Lombard origin, arrived in

Vimercate Vimercate (; , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Monza and Brianza, in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is from Milan and from Monza. Its name (whose first finding dates back to the year 745) derives from the Latin ''Vicus ...

from the Airuno area in the 11th century, taking on an important role in the protection of the parish church and the pieve of Vimercate.

Biography

Early life and career

Son of Alcherio da Vimercate, Pinamonte first appears in historical sources in 1171-1172, when he held the position of

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

(and again in 1183). During this period, Milan was recovering after the destruction caused by

Emperor Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 11 ...

in 1162, and Pinamonte played a prominent role in the city's reconstruction. His name is recorded on a plaque that commemorates the rebuilding of Milan’s walls, a symbol of Milan’s rebirth. The reconstruction of the walls was not only a defensive work but also a sign of the city’s renewed strength and its political and commercial revival in northern Italy.

Role in the Lombard League

Pinamonte distinguished himself for his contribution to the founding of the

Lombard League The Lombard League (; ) was an alliance of cities formed in 1167, and supported by the popes, to counter the attempts by the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman emperors to establish direct royal administrative control over the cities of the Kingdom of It ...

, a coalition of Italian cities formed to oppose the imperialism of Frederick Barbarossa. In 1158, he fought alongside his father Alcherio da Vimercate against the German forces at

Cassano d'Adda Cassano d'Adda (Milanese: ; Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, Italy, located on the right side of the Adda River. It is on the border of the Metropolitan City of Milan and the province of Bergamo ...

, and tradition places him among the main speakers at the Oath of Pontida in 1167. It is said that his speech inspired the representatives of the Lombard cities to create the League, making him one of the founding fathers of this movement. Although the historicity of the Pontida meeting has been questioned by modern historiography, which considers it more likely that the League arose in municipal and public venues, it is certain that Pinamonte was a key figure in the process of association among the Lombard cities. His commitment to the unity of the cities against the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

made him one of the main actors in the political events of the time.

Diplomatic activity

In 1177, Pinamonte was elected

podestà (), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

and among the "rectores Lombardiae," a position that placed him at the head of other cities in Lombardy. His influence continued to grow, and in 1183 he was one of the signatories of the Treaty of Constance, which established peace between the Emperor and the Italian communes. Pinamonte represented the Comune of Milan and was among those who strongly defended the city's rights during the negotiations. Pinamonte’s importance is also reflected in 1185, when he took part in the meeting with Frederick Barbarossa in Reggio Emilia, where, together with other Milanese consuls, he swore loyalty to him.

Bibliography

* Cazzani, E. (1975). ''Storia di Vimercate''. Vimercate: Penati. * Riboldi, E. (1901). ''Pinamonte da Vimercate''. Vimercate: Stucchi. * Rotondi, G. (1894). ''Inizio della grande lega lombarda''. Archivio storico lombardo, s. 3ª, II. * Giulini, G. Storia diplomatica della lega lombarda. * Alessandro Visconti, ''PINAMONTE da Vimercate'', in ''Enciclopedia Italiana'', Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1935. * ''Pinamónte da Vimercate'', su ''sapere.it'', De Agostini. * Maddalena Moglia, ''VIMERCATI, Pinamonte'', in ''Dizionario biografico degli italiani'', vol. 99, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:da Vimercate, Pinamonte Year of birth uncertain 12th-century Italian nobility Year of death uncertain