LOM'EARDY, the name given to that part of upper Italy which formed the "nucleus' of the kingdom of the Lotnbards (q.v.). It consisted of the whole of Italy n. of the peninsula, with the exceptions of Savoy and Venice, and after the fall of the Lombard kingdom, in 774, was incorporated in the Carlovingian empire. In 843 it was created a separate kingdom, but was not entirely severed from the Frankish monarchy till 888. Froin this time it was ruled by its own kings till 961, when it was annexed to the Ger man empire. Out of the wrecks of the old independent kingdom now arose a number cf independent duchies, as Friuli, Mantua, Susa, Piedmont, etc., and soon afterwards the republics of Venice, Genoa, Milan, and Pavia. These republics consisted of one. sovereign town, surrounded by, in many cases, a large extent of dependent territory. The Lombard cities declared themselves independent towards the commencement of the 12th c., and in 1107 were joined by their less powerful neighbors in the " first Lombard league," for the maintenance of their liberties, against Frederic Barbarossa, whom they severely defeated in 1176. In 1225 they were compelled to form the " second Lombard league" against Frederic II., and with similar success. About this time, petty tyrants arose in most of the cities, and the country was distracted by internal dissensions, which were carefully fostered by France and Germany. These two great powers and Spain strove for the possession of Lombardy. The last succeeded in obtaining it in 1540 and held possession till about 1706, when, after another dispute, the duchies of Milan and Mantua (the country bounded by the Ticino, Po, Mind°, and Switzerland), which alone now retained the name of Lombardy, came into the bands of Austria, and were desig nated "Austrian Lombardy." In 1796 it became part of the Cisalpine republic, but in 1815 was restored to Austria, and annexed politically to the newly acquired Venetian territory under the name of the Lontbardo-Venetian kingdom. This union was dissolved
in 1859 by the Italian war• Lombardy was given up to the new kingdom of Italy, Ans tria, however, retaining. for a time, her Venetian territory. There is now no official division called Lombardy, the country having been parceled out into the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Milan, Pavia, and Sondrio. Its total area was 8,264 Enedish sq.m., with a population in 1862 of 3,261,000.
7I'he northern districts of Lombardy are alpine in character, but the rest of the country is of extraordinary fertility, induced chiefly by the universal practice of irrigation. The country is celebrated for the products of its pasture-land and as much as 50,000,000 lbs. of cheese is annually produced in the dairies of Lombardy. Agriculture is here in a more advanced state than in any other part of Italy, wheat, rice. and maize being the principal crops; melons, gourds, oranges, figs, citrons, pomegranates, peaches, plums, and other fruits of excellent quality are largely produced. The numerous mulberry plantations form another prominent feature, and vines are extensively cultivated, though the wine produced from them is of inferior quality. Various kinds of marble, some of them of great beauty, form the chief item in the mineral products of Lombardy; a few iron mines exist in Como and Bergamo. The chief manufactures are silk, cotton, and woolen goods, flax, paper, glass, and pottery; the annual value of the silk exceeds C3,000,000. Education is very generally diffused among the people, and they are well supplied with newspapers and scientific and literary journals.