The area of Brixen has been settled since the
Upper Paleolithic (
8th millennium BC). Other settlements from the late Stone Age have been found and in 15 BC, the area was conquered by the
Romans, who had their main settlement in the nearby
Säben (Sabiona). They held it until around 590, when it was occupied by
Bavarians. The first mention of Brixen dates to 901 in a document issued by the King of Germany,
Louis III the Child, in which the farm of
Prihsna was presented to Bishop Zacharias of
Säben. As time passed, 'Prihsna' turned into the current name of Brixen. The bishops moved here from Säben in 992, after the cathedral had been finished. In 1048, the
Bishop of Brixen,
Poppo, was made pontiff as Pope Damasus II by emperor
Henry III. His reign was especially short, lasting only 23 days before dying. Rumours circulated that Poppo had been poisoned by Gerhard Brazutus, an ally to both
Pope Benedict IX, whom Poppo had just dethroned, and to be
Pope Gregory VII. These claims have not proven to be substantial and a modern conjecture suggests he died of malaria. On 15 June 1080, at the request of Henry III, the
synod of Brixen condemned Pope Gregory VII over the
Investiture Controversy, a conflict during the 11th and 12th centuries over the ability to appoint bishops. In 1115, a first line of walls encircling Brixen was completed. In 1174, and later again in 1234 and 1445, Brixen was devastated by fires. During the
German mediatisation in 1802, Brixen was awarded to the
Austrian Empire, only to be
ceded to the Bavarians in 1805 after the Austrians suffered a great loss to
Napoleon and his Allies at the
Battle of Austerlitz. The Bavarians set up the
District Court of Brixen, a regional judicial and administrative court for South Tyrol. The court lasted only nine years before in 1814, the
Congress of Vienna returned Brixen to the Austrians. Some time between 1851 and 1855, the
Czech journalist and writer
Karel Havlíček Borovský was exiled to Brixen by the Austrian government. In 1866, after the
Austro-Prussian War, the Austrians were on the verge of collapse. In 1867 the
Austro-Hungarian Compromise was arranged. This established a dual monarchy comprising Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary, which were respectively known unofficially as Cisleithania and Transleithania. South Tyrol, including Brixen, was part of Cisleithania. In 1915, the
Treaty of London was concluded. Its objective was, in part, to entice Italy to join the
Triple Entente. One provision, Article 4, promised the Italians the largely German-speaking Austrian territory of
South Tyrol, which would create a new Italian-Austrian frontier. In 1919, after the victories of the allies, Brixen, along with the rest of South Tyrol, was awarded to Italy by the
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Under Mussolini, Brixen and the surrounding villages experienced an enormous growth, as part of the fascist effort to consolidate territorial subdivisions in the country. In 1928, this included the addition of Milland, Sarns, and Albeins, as well as Elvas and Kranebitt which were annexed from
Natz, a neighbouring municipality. During WW2, the Austrians attempted to reclaim South Tyrol but were unsuccessful. After the war, Austria deemed the post-war treaty to be unsatisfactory, raising
The South Tyrolean Question (
Die Südtirolfrage). The Austrians believed, along with the South Tyroleans, that the region should be autonomous to protect minorities. South Tyrol has 69.4% native German-speaking population, and a 4.5% native
Ladin-speaking population, with the two languages making up a majority in 111 out of the 116 municipalities in South Tyrol. In 1972, South Tyrol, as a part of
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, was granted autonomy. ==Coat-of-arms==