Ancient and early Middle Ages Reggio began as a historical site with the construction by
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus of the
Via Aemilia, leading from
Piacenza to
Rimini (187 BC). Reggio became a judicial administration centre, with a
forum called at first
Regium Lepidi, then simply
Regium, whence the city's current name. During the Roman age Regium is cited only by
Festus and
Cicero, as one of the military stations on the Via Aemilia. However, it was a flourishing city, a
Municipium with its own statutes, magistrates and art colleges.
Apollinaris of Ravenna brought
Christianity in the 1st century CE. The sources confirm the presence of a
bishopric in Reggio after the
Edict of Milan (313). In 440 the Reggio diocese was placed under the jurisdiction of
Ravenna by
Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III. At the end of the 4th century, however, Reggio had decayed so much that
Saint Ambrose included it among the dilapidated cities. Further damage occurred with the Barbarian invasions. After the deposition of Romulus Augustulus in 476 Reggio was part of
Odoacer's realm. In 489 it came under Ostrogothic control; from 539 it was part of the Roman Empire (Italy), but was taken by
Alboin's
Lombards in 569. Reggio was chosen as
Duchy of Reggio seat. In 773, the
Franks took Reggio.
Charlemagne gave the bishop the authority to exercise royal authority over the city and established the diocese' limits (781). In 888, Reggio was handed over to the
Kings of Italy. In 899, the
Magyars heavily damaged it, killing Bishop Azzo II. As a result of this, new walls were built. On 31 October 900 Emperor
Louis III gave authority for the erection of a
castrum (castle) in the city's centre. In 1002, Reggio's territory, together with that of
Parma,
Brescia,
Modena,
Mantua and
Ferrara, were merged into the
March of Tuscany, later held by
Matilde of Canossa.
Free commune during the
battle of Legnano (1176) by
Amos Cassioli (1832–1891) Reggio became a free
commune around the end of the 11th or the beginning of the 12th century. In 1167 it was a member of the
Lombard League and took part in the
Battle of Legnano. In 1183 the city signed the
Treaty of Konstanz, from which the city's
consul, Rolando della Carità, received the imperial investiture. The subsequent peace spurred a period of prosperity: Reggio adopted new statutes, had a
mint, schools with celebrated masters, and developed its trades and arts. It also increasingly subjugated the castles of the neighbouring areas. At this time the Crostolo stream was deviated westwards, to gain space for the city. The former course of the stream was turned into an avenue called ('gravel course'), nowadays Corso Garibaldi. The 12th and 13th centuries, however, were also a period of violent internal struggle between the (meaning 'swept away from the city with brooms',
noblemen) and (meaning 'lice killers',
plebeians) parties, and later those of and , involved in a bitter domestic rivalry. In 1152 Reggio also warred with Parma and in 1225 with Modena, as part of the general struggle between the
Guelphs and Ghibellines. In 1260, a hermit from Perugia led 25,000
penitents into the city, and this event calmed the situation for a while, spurring religious fervour. But disputes soon resurfaced, and as early as 1265 the Ghibellines killed the Guelph's leader, Caco da Reggio, and gained preeminence. Arguments with the bishop continued and two new parties formed, the Inferiori and Superiori. Final victory went to the latter. To thwart the abuses of powerful families such as the Sessi, Fogliani and Canossa, the Senate of Reggio gave the city's rule for a period of three years to
Obizzo II d'Este. This choice marked the future path of Reggio under the
seignory of
the latter's family, as Obizzo continued to rule
de facto after his mandate has ceased. His son
Azzo was expelled by the Reggiani in 1306, creating a republic ruled by 800 common people. In 1310 Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII imposed Marquis
Spinetto Malaspina on the city as
vicar, but he was soon driven out. The republic ended in 1326 when Cardinal
Bertrando del Poggetto annexed Reggio to the
Papal States. The city was subsequently under the suzerainty of
John of Bohemia, Nicolò Fogliani and
Mastino II della Scala, who in 1336 gave it to
Luigi Gonzaga. Gonzaga built a citadel in the St. Nazario quarter, and destroyed 144 houses. In 1356 the
Milanese Visconti, helped by 2,000 exiled Reggiani, captured the city, starting an unsettled period of power sharing with the
Gonzaga family. In the end the latter sold Reggio to the Visconti for 5,000
ducats. In 1405
Ottobono Terzi of
Parma seized Reggio, but was killed by
Michele Attendolo, who handed the city over to
Nicolò III d'Este, who therefore became seignor of Reggio. The city, however, maintained significant autonomy, with laws and coinage of its own. Nicolò was succeeded by his illegitimate son
Lionello, and, from 1450, by
Borso d'Este.
Duchy of Reggio In 1452, Borso was awarded the title of
Duke of Modena and Reggio by
Frederick III. Borso's successor,
Ercole I, imposed heavy levies on the city and appointed the poet
Matteo Maria Boiardo, born in the nearby town of
Scandiano, as its governor. Later another famous Italian writer,
Francesco Guicciardini, held the same position. In 1474,
Ludovico Ariosto, author of
Orlando Furioso, was born in the Malaguzzi palace, near the site of the 21st-century town hall. He was the first son of a knight from
Ferrara, who was in charge of the citadel, and a noblewoman from Reggio, Daria Maleguzzi Valeri. As a grown man he would be sent to Reggio as governor on behalf of the
dukes of Ferrara, and would spend time in a villa outside the town () that still stands. In 1513, Reggio was handed over to
Pope Julius II. The city was returned to the
House of Este after the death of
Hadrian VI on 29 September 1523. In 1551
Ercole II d'Este destroyed the suburbs of the city in his program of reconstruction of the walls. At the end of the century work on the city's famous
Basilica della Ghiara began, on the site where a miracle was believed to have occurred. The Este rule continued until 1796, with short interruptions in 1702 and 1733–1734.
Napoleonic age and restoration , now belonging to the Department of Animal Sciences of the
University of Bologna The arrival of the
republican French troops was greeted with enthusiasm in the city. On 21 August 1796, the ducal garrison of 600 men was driven off, and the Senate claimed the rule of Reggio and its duchy. On 26 September, the Provisional Government's volunteers pushed back an
Austrian column, in the Battle of
Montechiarugolo. Though minor, this clash is considered the first one of the Italian
Risorgimento.
Napoleon himself awarded the Reggiani with 500 rifles and 4 guns. Later he occupied
Emilia and formed a new province, the
Cispadane Republic, whose existence was proclaimed in Reggio on 7 January 1797. The
Italian national flag, named ('the tricolour'), was sewn on that occasion by Reggio women. In this period of patriotic fervour,
Jozef Wybicki, a lieutenant in the Polish troops of General
Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, an ally of Napoleon, composed in Reggio the
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, which in 1927 became the Polish national anthem. The 1815
Treaty of Vienna returned Reggio to
Francis IV of Austria-Este, but in 1831 Modena rose up against him, and Reggio followed its example organizing a corps under the command of General
Carlo Zucchi. However, on 9 March, the Duke conquered the city with his escort of Austrian soldiers. In 1848, Duke
Francis V left his estate fearing a revolution and Reggio proclaimed its union with
Piedmont. The latter's defeat at the
Battle of Novara brought the city back under Este control. In 1859 Reggio, under
dictator Luigi Carlo Farini, became part of united
Italy and, with the plebiscite of 10 March 1860, definitively entered the new unified kingdom.
Contemporary history Reggio then went through a period of economic and population growth from 1873 to the destruction of the ancient walls. In 1911, it had 70,000 inhabitants. A strong
socialist tradition grew. On 7 July, the city hosted the 13th National Congress of the
Italian Socialist Party. On 26 July 1943, the fascist regime's fall was cheered with enthusiasm by the Reggiani. Numerous
partisan bands were formed in the city and surrounding countryside. On 27 April 2023 the city was declared a European Capital of Inclusion and Diversity by the European Commission.
Jewish history Jews began arriving to Reggio in the early 15th century. Many Jews were
Sephardim from
Spain, Portugal and other parts of Italy. Nearly all were fleeing religious persecution. The Jewish community was prosperous and enjoyed considerable growth for the next several hundred years. The
Synagogue of Reggio Emilia was relocated in 1672 into the ghetto, and rebuilt in 1858. After the Napoleonic era the Jews of Reggio gained
emancipation and began to migrate to other parts of Europe looking for greater economic and social freedom. Thus, the Jewish community in Reggio began to lower. The German occupation during
World War II and the
Holocaust hastened the decline. Today, only one Jew remains in Reggio Emilia. The Jewish Community of Reggio Emilia was merged with Modena's. However, an unused synagogue and burial ground still exist. In 2016 the City Council posed some small street plates in front of the houses of the deported Jews to preserve their remembrance. Many notable rabbinic scholars have resided in Reggio. These include Isaac Foa, Immanuel Sonino, Obadiah ben Israel Sforno, Nathan ben Reuben David Spira, Menahem Azariah Fano, Baruch Abraham ben Elhanan David Foa, Hezekiah ben Isaac Foa, Isaac ben Vardama Foa, Israel Nissim Foa, Israel Solomon Longhi, Isaiah Mordecai ben Israel Hezekiah Bassani, Israel Benjamin ben Isaiah Bassani, Elhanan David Carmi, Benjamin ben Eliezer ha-Kohen, Joshua ben Raphael Fermi, Moses Benjamin Foa, Abram Michael Fontanella, Judah Ḥayyim Fontanella, Israel Berechiah Fontanella, Raphael Jehiel Sanguinetti, Isaac Samson d'Angeli, R. J. Bolognese, Hananiah Elhanan Ḥai ha-Kohen, Jacob Levi, Moses Benjamin Levi, Israel Berechiah Sanguinetti, David Jacob Maroni, Giuseppe Lattes, Alessandro da Fano, Lazzaro Laide Tedesco, and Shimshon Chaim Nachmani. ==Climate==