The Kingdom of Lombard-Venetia was a creation of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. It was established as a crown land of the Austrian Empire, combining the regions of Lombardy and Venetia, which were previously part of the Kingdom of Italy under Napoleon's rule.
The Kingdom of Lombard-Venetia was located in northern Italy, with Milan as its capital. It was divided into two provinces:
Each province was further divided into districts, which were administrative units for local governance. The Kingdom was administered directly by Vienna, but the Habsburgs did appoint local governors and maintain some semblance of local autonomy.
The political structure of the Kingdom was designed to integrate it into the Austrian Empire, with the aim of pacifying the Italian nationalist movements. The Habsburgs implemented a system where:
The social structure retained many of the feudal elements from the previous regimes, with a focus on maintaining control through the local aristocracy and clergy, although reforms were introduced to modernize some aspects of governance and economy.
The region was economically vibrant, with:
However, economic policies were often dictated by Vienna, which sometimes led to tensions due to the economic interests of the local population clashing with those of the Empire.
The Kingdom of Lombard-Venetia was a hotbed for Italian nationalism. Movements like the Risorgimento sought to unify Italy, with figures like Giuseppe Garibaldi and Count Cavour playing pivotal roles. The region saw:
The Kingdom of Lombard-Venetia ceased to exist in 1866 when Venetia was annexed by the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. Lombardy had already been annexed in 1859 following the Second Italian War of Independence.
The Kingdom of Lombard-Venetia left a mixed legacy: