The city of Lodi was first settled during the fifth century BC by Celtic tribes, before being occupied by the Romans in 222 BC; by 89 BC it was called Laus Pompeia, the central city of the
Lodi Vecchio. Allied with the Holy Roman Emperor but independent, Laus Pomperia fought against the Milanesi in the twelfth century, and the city was destroyed in 1111 and again in 1158, which marked the end of the city on the old location. A request made of
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, to rebuild the city near the Adda River was granted. The city, however, joined his opponents, the
Lombard League, in 1167. Its citizens fought against Frederick at the
Battle of Legnano in 1176. Still, it continued to have problems with Milan (also a member of the Lombard League) until the city was conquered in 1335 by lord of Milan
Azzone Visconti. It remained peaceful until it was invaded in the 1490s. The first significant Italian victory by
Napoleon took place in the province on 10 May 1796, where the 5,000 men-strong forces of Napoleon defeated Austrian forces of 10,000 men. It fell under Austrian rule until the Austrians left the city in 1859 and it was ruled by the French forces, led by Marshal
Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta, from 10 June 1859. It later became a part of the Kingdom of Italy and became a component of the province of Milan. ==Geography==