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Home / history / the middleage

Local History

[ Origins /Roman Age ] [ The Middle Age ] [Venice ] [The austrian rule ] [The last century]

The Middle Age

Following the fall of the Roman Empire, Belluno was subject to the invasions of barbaric populations: Visigoths, Vandals, Huns (Attila), Ostrogoths (Teodorico) and others. Such events certainly did change the shape of the town. As Teodorico died in 553 A.D., Belluno became Byzantine.
The Byzantines in the Belluno area carried on with the construction of the defense system that Teodorico had started to build with the longobardic menace in his mind. In fact, during 568 A.D., the Longobards reached Belluno on their way to Friuli, and then occupied the plains (Vicenza, Verona).
The Longobards fortified Belluno further, as they considered it to be an important basis against the Byzantines who were menacing them from the sea, and against the Frankish coming from the northwest. "As Bellunum became, under longobardic rule, seat of a "Sculdascia" (a longobardic administrative district that controlled the various settlements scattered on the territory; such settlements were based upon the so called "farie" or "decanie", i.e. groups of ten families), a first rudimentary castle was built on the northern side, on an advanced position with respect to the roman vallum; following the longobardic custom, this castle was called "Dongion" or "Motta". These names continued to indicate the lord of the castle and the gates (the Doglioni) and the opposite square." (Mario Dal Mas, PRA: Storia di un borgo, Unione Artigiani della Provincia di Belluno, Belluno 1978). 
According to the local historians, civil life found in this period a certain equilibrium: the "romanisation" and the conversion to the catholic faith made cohabitation and mixing of the two populations possible in Belluno.

The long-lasting longobardic permanence in Belluno has left many traces in the toponymy (Farra…), in the language, and in the form of archeological findings.
"It is almost certain that Belluno, with the neighbour towns of Friuli, has long resisted an invasion by the Frankish, together with the longobardic Dukes, before accepting the rule of Charlemagne" (B. Zanenga).

In order to weaken the vast and strong dukedoms, the Frankish divided the territory in counts and marchlands and relied more on the Bishops than on the too-powerful nobles. Aimone was the first Bishop-Count to be given power over the estates of the Church in the Belluno area.

With the establishment of the aristocratic rule of the Bishop-Count, the mediaeval town, with a castle, walls, gates and towers, takes form. This past is nowadays documented by scarce archeological findings, but is depicted rather well in many ancient prints. In the same period, an organization of the internal spaces of the town took place: the square of the Cathedral and the Palace of the Bishops (now an auditorium), the market place (now Piazza delle Erbe, was the in the Middle Ages the center for all commercial activities), the districts around the mansions of the local lower-ranking nobles, the street plan around the principal north-south axis of Via Mezzaterra.

Almost one century afterwards, Belluno is under the rule of the warlike bishop Giovanni II, who fortified the town and extended its domain to the plains. In this period, the bases for the municipal evolution were established: this process was to be completed in the 14th century, with the appearance of the figure of the Podestà.
During one of the frequent wars with Treviso, under the rule of the Bishop-Counts in 1196, a battle song of victory was written that is considered by the historians of literature as the first poetic document in Italian vulgar tongue.

De Castel d'Ard av li nost bona part.
I lo getàtut intro lo flum d'Ard.
Sex cavaler de Tarvis li pui fer
Con sé dusé li nostre cavaler.
(B.Zanenga)

During the following period, until the spontaneous submission to Venice (1404), Belluno was repeatedly invaded by the neighboring towns: Ezzelino da Romano (Treviso), the Scaligeri from Verona, the De Carrara from Padova, the Visconti and so forth in a long sequel of political changes that made the government of the town quite unstable. 

 

Belfry of the Middle Age

(Above) Belluno at the end of the 14th century: hypothetical reconstruction on the basis of historical documents. The original square structure of the castrum, nucleus of the town until the 10th century, is highlighted. Click on the image for further information.