Mentana is a town located in the region of Lazio in central Italy. The town's name in ancient times was
Nomentum, to which the
Via Nomentana led from
Rome. According to
Livy, the town was part of the
Latin League, which went to war with
Rome during the reign of Rome's king
Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. Nomentum was one of a number of towns captured by Tarquinius. It was a Latin town, but was considered by some to be
Sabine, and, like
Fidenae and
Ficulea, was excluded from the first region by
Augustus, who made the
Anio river its northern boundary. The city was part of the League defeated by
Rome in the
Battle of Lake Regillus, and was captured definitively in 338 BC. Subsequently,
Nomentum received the
civitas sine suffragio, and in its municipal constitution the chief magistrate even in imperial times bore the title of dictator.
Pliny and
Martial often praised the fertility of its neighbourhood. This property contained a villa and vineyards, probably acquired just before his withdrawal from politics. In 741, it was briefly occupied by the
Lombards, and the inhabitants moved to a new centre on the
Via Nomentana, which was more easily defendable. On 23 November 799, it was the site of the meeting of
Pope Leo III and
Charlemagne. The Castle of
Nomentum was a possession of the Roman family of the
Crescenzi in the 10th and 11th century. In 1058 it was destroyed by the
Normans, and the population was drastically reduced. The castle was acquired by the
Capocci family, and later the
Holy See entrusted it to the
Benedictine monks of
San Paolo fuori le Mura. In the 15th century, it was under the control of the
Orsini family. In 1484, it was damaged by an
earthquake. In 1594, it became a
fief of the
Perett family, first under
Michele Perett of
Venafro, and then in 1655, it came under the control of
Marcantonio Borghese and the
House of Borghese. On 3 November 1867, the city was the site of the
Battle of Mentana between
French-
Papal troops and the Italian volunteers led by
Giuseppe Garibaldi, who were attempting to capture Rome in order to incorporate it into the newly unified
Kingdom of Italy. The battle ended in a victory by the French-Papal troops. In Mentana, the monument (Altar of the Fallen) is built over the mass grave of the Italian patriots who died in the battle. == Ecclesiastical History ==