Frederick II seizes the Lombard March of Treviso

1239

The Hohenstaufen emperor, advancing his grip on northern Italy, occupied the March of Treviso and threatened the independence of the Lombard League cities. Milan, Bologna, and Genoa hardened their resistance, hiring mercenaries and building new walls. The struggle between imperial authority and city-state liberty defined Italian politics for the rest of the century and nourished the civic pride that would fuel the Renaissance.