Stradella, together with what is now the almost disinhabited locality of
Montalino, was under the
suzerainty of the
bishop of Pavia in the early Middle Ages (being the most important center of the fief in the 11th century). Montalino and Pavia were repeatedly ravaged in the course of the
Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, particularly in 1373 by
John Hawkwood's troops. The bishop's
seigniory ended in 1797 with the abolition of
feudalism. It obtained the status of town in 1865. Stradella received the honorary title of city with a royal decree on May 25, 1865. ==Musical tradition==