Ravenna

• 1. Ancient Origins And Roman Rise

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  The Umbri people settled the marshy islands of what is now Ravenna by the 5th century BC. These early inhabitants built houses on wooden piles within a lagoon that resembled Venice centuries later. Roman civilization first made contact with this territory during the 3rd century BC. Julius Caesar gathered his forces at this location in 49 BC before crossing the Rubicon River. Octavian founded the military harbor known as Classis after defeating Mark Antony in 31 BC. This harbor became an important station for the Roman Imperial Fleet and remained protected by its own walls. The city prospered under imperial rule, with Emperor Trajan building a long aqueduct at the beginning of the 2nd century. Marcus Aurelius banished Germanic settlers who had revolted during the Marcomannic Wars.

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• 2. Imperial Capital Of The West

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  Emperor Honorius moved his court from Mediolanum to Ravenna in 402 AD. The transfer served defensive purposes because swamps surrounded the city and made it easily defensible. It also provided good sea-borne connections to the Eastern Roman Empire. The last de facto western emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed there in 476. At that time, the city housed approximately 50,000 people. King Alaric I of the Visigoths bypassed Ravenna in 409 to sack Rome instead. Galla Placidia returned to the city with her son Valentinian III after receiving support from her nephew Theodosius II. The imperial court favored Christianity during this period of peace. The city gained famous monuments including the Orthodox Baptistry and San Giovanni Evangelista.

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• 3. Byzantine Mosaics And Exarchate Rule

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  General Belisarius conquered Ravenna for the Byzantine Empire in 540 under Emperor Justinian I. The city became the seat of Byzantine government in Italy following the completion of conquests in 554. From 540 to 600, bishops embarked on a notable building program of churches in and around Classe. Surviving monuments include the Basilica of San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe. The archbishop held second place in Italy after the pope and played an important role in theological controversies. Under Byzantine rule, the Ravenna Cosmography was written. The archbishop was temporarily granted autocephaly from the Roman Church by the emperor in 666 before it was revoked. The city flourished as the capital of the Exarchate of Ravenna until Lombard expansion threatened its existence.

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• 4. Medieval Struggles And Papal States

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  King Liutprand occupied Ravenna in 712 but were forced to return it to the Byzantines. Aistulf, Duke of Friuli, pursued aggressive expansion into the Exarchate starting in 749. In 751, the Byzantines surrendered the territory to Aistulf who then threatened Rome. Pope Stephen II traveled to France in 753 to seek help from Pepin, King of the Franks. Pepin conducted two campaigns to confront Aistulf regarding illegally taken territories. Finally in 756, Aistulf conceded defeat and agreed to surrender the territory taken five years earlier. This act became known as the Donation of Pepin and provided legal basis for the creation of the Papal States. During the 11th and 12th Centuries, Ravenna became a contested city between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy. Conflict intensified between Guelphs and Ghibellines during the beginning of the 13th Century.

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• 5. Dante And Literary Legacy

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  The exiled Florentine poet Dante spent most of his life in Ravenna after banishment from Florence. He mentions the city in Canto V of his Inferno. The funeral ceremony of Dante Alighieri was held in 1321 at the church of San Francesco. Local authorities resisted all demands by Florence for the return of his remains for centuries. Lord Byron lived in Ravenna between 1819 and 1821, inspired by love for Teresa Guiccioli. He continued writing Don Juan and produced works like Ravenna Diary there. Oscar Wilde wrote a poem titled Ravenna in 1878. Symbolist poet Alexander Blok composed an entitled work in May and June 1909 inspired by his Italian journey. German philosopher Hermann Hesse came across the city and wrote two poems about it. T.S. Eliot described a honeymooning couple sleeping near the ancient Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe in his poem Lune de Miel.

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• 6. Modern History And Cultural Preservation

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  Ravenna suffered severe damage during World War II with 52 Allied bombing raids taking their toll. Bombs intended for the railway station pulverized the Basilica of San Giovanni Evangelista in August 1944. Troops of the 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards entered and liberated Ravenna on the 5th of November 1944. A total of 937 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the winter of 1944, 45 are buried in Ravenna War Cemetery including 438 Canadians. Eight early Christian buildings of Ravenna are inscribed on the World Heritage List. The city has been associated with workshops teaching mosaics and is often given titles like the capital of mosaics. In 1636, a tremendous flood damaged the city leading to canal networks diverting rivers over the next 300 years. This drainage created agricultural land around the city while reducing flooding possibilities. The region was invaded during the War of the League of Cambrai in 1509 when French forces destroyed the Venetian army at Agnadello.

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