Language/Italian/Culture/Italy-Historical-Events

This page lists the main historical events that have occurred over time in Friuli, from ancient times to the present day. By chronology, from the Latin chronologia , we mean the organization of the classification of historical events based on their succession over time, and of the regular subdivision of the same. A chronology is called "absolute", when it is based on a certain dating linked to a precise and well-known event, or "relative", when it identifies relationships and contemporaneity between events whose exact date is not known. Below is a brief "relative" chronology of Friulian history.

Stone and Bronze Ages It is believed that Friuli was inhabited by Paleovenete tribes, probably by the Euganei. They were devoted to hunting, cattle breeding and agriculture. These tribes will be protagonists of the "culture of the castellieri".

950 BC (approximately) The Venetians, probably arrived from Illyria, occupy the lands of the Euganei.

400 BC (approximately) The Carni cross the Alps; they penetrate into Friuli subduing the Venetians. The Carni were a people of Celtic language and culture. They were devoted to hunting and herding and were skilled in working with iron and wood.

186 BC The Roman Senate sends its legions to defend the territories of northern Italy (probably following the foundation, by the Carni, of a fortified village near Medea).

181 BC Aquileia, the last of the great Roman colonies in northern Italy, is founded.

169 BC Aquileia already has 15,000 inhabitants.

148 BC Aquileia is reached by the Via Postumia.

128 BC Aquileia is reached by the Via Annia.

115 BC The Roman consul Marco Emilio Scauro definitively puts an end to the Celtic resistance. The whole of Friuli is slowly "romanized".

58-42 BC The cities of Forum Iulii (today's Cividale del Friuli), Iulium Carnicum (today's Zuglio) and Iulia Concordia (today's Concordia Sagittaria) are founded.

27 The emperor Augustus divides Italy into “regiones”; Aquileia becomes the capital of the X Augustan Region " Venetia et Histria ". An important river port, it is strategic both from a commercial and a military point of view. It is now the fourth largest city in Italy and one of the main cities of the empire.

167 The Germanic tribe of the Quadi besieges Aquileia without however succeeding in conquering it.

238 The Bellum Aquileiensis takes place. Aquileia is besieged by Giulio Vero Massimino known as the Thrace, proclaimed emperor by his troops but considered usurper by the Roman Senate. The citizens of Aquileia will emerge victorious from the siege.

313 The Edict of Constantine (or Edict of Tolerance) is issued which officially puts an end to all religious persecutions. Christianity spreads throughout Friuli.

350 (approximately) The Bishop of Aquileia Fortunaziano is still forced to write the commentary on the Gospels in rustic language; this meant that there were still many local characters of the "Romanized" population.

381 An important council is held in Aquileia presided over by the local bishop, Valeriano and in which numerous other bishops participate, including bishop Ambrose. The council publicly condemns the Aryan heresy and its followers.

401 The Visigoths led by Alaric sack Friuli, a few years later it will be the turn of the Ostrogoths led by Radagaiso, then again the Visigoths (410).

452 At the hands of Attila king of the Huns, Aquileia falls, which is sacked and set on fire.

476 The Erulo general Odoacer deposes the emperor Romulus Augustulus (the last of the Western Roman Empire) and proclaims himself king of Italy.

489 The Ostrogoths coming from Pannonia under the leadership of Theodoric invade Friuli and easily defeat Odoacer. The chronicles of the time speak of the new Gothic kingdom as a period of severe famines, tax exacerbations, disputes between Latins and barbarians.

526 Theodoric dies; Friuli will long be a battlefield between the Byzantines and the Goths.

553 Pope Virgil, yields to the requests of the emperor Justinian I of Byzantium and signs the "condemnation of the Three Chapters".

568 Following the dissent generated by the condemnation of the "Three Chapters", the church of Aquileia becomes hierarchically independent by appointing Bishop Paolino I, Patriarch. In the same year, the Lombards from Pannonia and led by King Alboin invade Friuli. The invasion takes place slowly and without encountering any armed resistance; an invasion very different from the previous ones, which had instead left behind them death and ruins. In a short time the Lombards took possession of a large part of Italy; Forum Iulii (Cividale del Friuli) becomes the capital of the Duchy of Friuli, the first in Italy (569). For 208 years the history of Friuli will be confused with that of the Lombards.

569 Gisulfo, nephew of the king, is the first Duke of Friuli. The organization of the Friulian Duchy is based on four “municipalities”: Forum Iulii (Cividale), Aquileia, Iulium Carnicum (Zuglio) and Concordia. In this way, all the lands located between the Livenza and the Timavo are united under the same government.

606 On the death of the Patriarch Severus, the Patriarchate of Aquileia is divided into two seats. The patriarch Giovanni was appointed in Aquileia, supported by the Lombards; the Catholic patriarch Candidian was appointed in Grado, to whose seat jurisdiction over the territories of Byzantine domination was reserved.

610 Incursion of the Avars. Killing of Duke Gisulfo II and sacking of Cividale.

643 Edict of King Rotari.

662 The Duke Lupo sacks Grado, (which remained Byzantine) thus taking back the treasures of the Patriarchate of Aquileia brought here by the Patriarch Pauline at the time of the Lombard invasion.

664 New raid by the Avars. Killing of the Duke Wolf.

689 In the battle of Coronate, the Lombard king Cunipert, a Catholic, defeats the Duke Alachis, an Aryan, who led a composite front of insurgents in north-eastern Italy, among whom there were also many adherents to the tricapitolino schism.

698 King Cunipert convenes a synod in Pavia in which the Catholic bishops and tricapitolini recompose the schism "in the spirit of Chalcedon".

706 Pemmone is proclaimed Duke of Friuli. There is a period of great cultural and economic development.

734 Ratchis, Pemmone's eldest son, is named Duke in place of his father. The economic and artistic development of the Duchy continues. In 744, Ratchis was later named King of Italy.

744 His brother Astolfo takes over the government of Friuli and will also become king of Italy when Ratchis retires to the convent of Montecassino.

775-776 Duke Rotgaudo, head of the Friulian resistance opposes the Carolingian power, demonstrating that Friuli has now acquired its own autonomy. However, he is defeated and killed in battle. Cividale suffers a severe repression. Despite the defeat, the ethnic and cultural heritage left by the Lombards will never be canceled.

776 Carlo the Great, re dei Franchi, dopo aver sconfitto i Lombards if you say " By the grace of God king of the Franks and the Lombards ".

781 The duchy of Friuli is reorganized on a count basis and entrusted to his son Pipino.

791 Annexation of Istria to the Friulian Duchy. The city of Cividale is blooming again, now called Civitas Austriae and no longer Forum Iulii, a term that will instead identify the name of the entire region.

787 Paolino II from Cividale is elevated Patriarch with the consent of Charlemagne himself. The possessions of the Aquileian church and new important donations are recognized to the new patriarch (792).

836-866 Duke Everardo will guarantee a long period of stability and cultural growth. Friuli is elevated to Marca (846).

899-952 Friuli undergoes the longest and most devastating invasion at the hands of the Hungarians. At least 12 raids will cause fires, deaths and ruins. The consequences of the Hungarian invasions were fatal for Friuli: depopulation of the region, interruption of communication routes, abandonment of productive activities.

955 (approximately) After the victory over the Hungarians by Henry, Duke of Bavaria and Carinthia, Friuli was incorporated into the Veronese March. In 989 it was then annexed to the Duchy of Carinthia.

1019 It will be the Patriarchate of Aquileia and in particular the Patriarch Volfango known as Poppo (or Poppone) to undertake an important work of reconstruction. The following years will be, for Friuli, years of social and material rebirth.

1076 A "civil war" breaks out between the German princes and the emperor after the latter's excommunication by Pope Gregory VIII. Patriarch Sigerardo remains faithful to Henry IV.

1077 In Pavia on 3 April  1077 the emperor Henry IV grants the feudal investiture to the patriarch Sigeardo with ducal prerogatives over the entire county of Friuli. It is the birth certificate of the Friulian patriarchal state. With this act Friuli regained its territorial integrity and its political autonomy.

1077-1204 Sigeardo's successors remained faithful to the policy of Henry IV and then of his son Henry V, making the Friulian state the advanced pawn of imperial politics in Italy. The territorial unity of the Friulian state (at the end of the 12th century the largest and most compact state in northern Italy) is also accompanied by an ethnic-cultural unity that can now be defined simply as “Friulian”.

1204 Friuli approaches the period of maximum splendor of the patriarchate; Friuli has never achieved such autonomy and prestige in foreign policy as in this period. Under the patriarchate of Volchero (1204-1218) great impetus was given to commercial traffic and productive activities, the road network was improved and cultural activity was also brilliant.

1218 Bertoldo of Andechs-Merania (1218-1251) is appointed patriarch who from the beginning had an eye for the city of Udine which in a short time passed from a small village to a metropolis. The conquest aims of the Ghibellines Ezzelino III da Romano and Mainardo III, count of Gorizia, forced the patriarch to seek help from the opposing party (the Guelph party) by allying himself with Venice and the Duke of Carinthia.

1231 On 6 July the first session of the "Parliament of the Fatherland" is held, in which the cities of Aquileia, Cividale, Gemona, Sacile, Tolmezzo and Udine participate.

1277 Pordenone passes to the Habsburgs, effectively becoming a German enclave in the Friulian territory. Friuli, which has become an element of strength of the Guelph league, is on the way to a slow but inexorable decline.

1334 With the appointment as patriarch of Bertrando di Saint Geneìs (1334-1350), the Friulian state is once again given prestige and prestige. Loved by the people, he achieved numerous military and diplomatic successes without ever neglecting his duties as bishop.

1344 Foundation of the University of Cividale.

1350 On 6 June Bertrando, now ninety, is killed by a conspiracy led by the count of Gorizia, the municipality of Cividale and other Friulian feudal lords. He was succeeded by Nicholas of Luxembourg (1350-1358) who immediately established an authoritarian and unusually violent government. All those responsible for Bertrando's death were prosecuted; the count of Gorizia himself was forced to give back all the usurped lands and castles.

1365 The vice-dominant Francesco Savorgnan, thanks to numerous victories on the field, puts an end to the expansionist aims of the Habsburgs. Marquard of Randeck (1365-1381) was then appointed patriarch.

1366 On 11 June the Constitution of the Patria del Friuli ( Constitutiones Patriae Foriiulii ) was promulgated, the basis of Friulian law until 1797.

1381-1410 With the death of Marquardo a period of relative political stability also came to an end. The patriarchal state was by now on the threshold of decadence weakened by the spirit of "faction", hatred and revenge of the Friulian municipalities, in particular between those of Udine and Cividale; quarrel that took on international dimensions.

1411 Friuli becomes a battlefield; facing each other are the imperial army (lined up with Cividale) and the Venetian one (lined up with Udine). In December the emperor's army seizes Udine.

1419 On 13 July the Venetian army occupies Cividale and prepares for the conquest of Udine.

1420 On 7 June, after a strenuous defense, the Venetian army conquers the city of Udine; immediately afterwards Gemona, San Daniele, Venzone, Tolmezzo fall. It is the end of the Friulian patriarchal state.

1445 After long negotiations, the patriarch Ludovico Trevisan will accept the concordat imposed by Venice by which the right of independence of Friuli was effectively abolished.

1472-1499 Friuli annexed to the Serenissima Republic finds itself at the mercy of Turkish raids: hundreds of towns are set on fire.

1500 The county of Gorizia passes to Austria.

1508 The war between Austria and Venice begins, claiming the Gorizia possessions. Pordenone is incorporated into the Venetian territories.

1511 Peasant revolt (February 27) supported by the pro-Venetian Antonio Savorgnan. Numerous castles and noble villas are set on fire. In the same year a terrible earthquake hit Friuli (March 26), and then the plague.

1521 With the "Diet of Worms" the Friulian territory is divided halfway between Venice and Austria. The Venetians are left with Central Friuli, Monfalcone and western Friuli. To Austria, Eastern Friuli with Aquileia.

1593 Palmanova is founded.

1615-1617 War of Gradisca. Austria and Venice come into conflict again. War will not bring significant changes to the borders.

1629 Friuli is hit by a severe famine.

1700 An earthquake hits Carnia.

1751 Definitive suppression of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. In its place, the archbishops of Udine and Gorizia were created.

1754 The County of Gradisca is reunited with that of Gorizia.

1797 Venice falls following the Napoleonic campaign in Italy. With the treaty of Campoformio, Napoleon Buonaparte ceded Friuli to Austria.

1805 Friuli becomes part of the Italic Kingdom created by Napoleon.

1815 The Congress of Vienna defines new borders: Friuli and Veneto return to Austria and together with Lombardy they form the Lombard-Veneto Kingdom controlled by the Austrians.

1838 The district of Portogruaro until now always included in the "Province of Friuli" is assigned to the Province of Venice.

1852 The municipality of Sappada is detached from the Province of Friuli and assigned to the Province of Belluno.

1866 Western and central Friuli become part of the kingdom of Italy. Eastern Friuli, on the other hand, remains under Austria.

1915-18 First World War. Bloody battles are fought in Friuli.

1918 The proposal for a broad autonomy of eastern Friuli within Austria-Hungary fails.

1919 Eastern Friuli also becomes part of Italy.

1923 The Province of Gorizia is suppressed.

1927 The Province of Gorizia is reconstituted (albeit with minor territories).

1940-45 During the Second World War Yugoslavia occupies Istria and Trieste. The Free Republic of Carnia is established (1944) then suffocated by the Germans.

1947 The Italian Constitution provides for the establishment of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

1954 The city of Trieste is entrusted to the Italian administration.

1963 The Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is established. The debate on the statute, in an attempt to find a compromise on the problem of the territory, had begun several years earlier, but for reasons of state (Italian) the claims on the Friulian autonomy linked to its history were soon set aside. The territory was granted the specificity of an autonomous region in order to guarantee the Italian character of the border area and of Trieste. The Trieste minority (3% of the territory and 20% of the population) was thus able to prevail over the Friulian majority. In the same year there was also the Vajont disaster.

1968 The province of Pordenone is created by subtracting several municipalities from that of Udine.

1976 A disastrous earthquake hits Carnia (May 6). The victims are thousands.

1977 The University of Udine is formally established (8 August).

1991-1992 In the Portogruaro district, consultative referendums are held for membership in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, which give a positive outcome.

1999 Law 482/1999 "Rules for the protection of historical linguistic minorities" is approved by the Italian parliament. This is the first official (direct) recognition of the existence of a Friulian linguistic minority (15 December).

2004 A consultative referendum is held for the establishment of a province of Alto Friuli (Carnia). The consultation fails.

2006 Confirmative referendums for membership of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region take place in the Portogruaro district. All the municipalities are broadly in favor, but the quorum is reached only in Cinto Caomaggiore.