Romagna

The Romagna (English until the 19th century, the Romanei ) is a historical region in northern Italy between the Apennines and the Adriatic coast, the Republic of San Marino and Ravenna, which - with one small exception - never constituted a political unit. Major cities are next to Ravenna Imola, Faenza, Cervia, Forli, Cesena and the seaside resort of Rimini.

The name Romagna has emerged as Romania in the Lombard period, which marked this the area that had remained under Byzantine sovereignty ( Exarchate of Ravenna), as opposed to one's own possessions, the Langobardia or Lombardy.

The document mentioned as Pippi niche donation ( 754/756 ) reached the Papal States in the possession of the Romagna, he found it difficult to enforce over the centuries against the claims of the Emperor on the one hand and the northern Italian cities on the other. Only the waiver Rudolf von Habsburg on the Romagna in 1278 created clarity. However, by rule of the church over the landscape could hardly speak because their feudal vicars were very arbitrarily and Romagna yet penetrated to more than two centuries with little gentlemen.

Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI. , Tried to create with the Romagna own dominion, the Duchy of Romagna, in which he succeeded in the years 1499-1503. Even failing because he went with his father's death, he had the old political landscape shattered. His legacy was a further step towards the consolidation of the Papal States.

1509 the Romagna was annexed to the Papal States, in which they remained until the Risorgimento. The only exception in the 350 years was the time of Napoleon, the Romagna the Cisalpine Republic annexing (1797 ), which was renamed in 1802 in Italian Republic and in 1805 became the Kingdom of Italy; Congress of Vienna presented the old order also restored. In 1859, the Romagna split off under a provisional government of the Papal States. For a six- month transition period, the Romagna formed an independent state with its own postal service, until the Kingdom of Sardinia joined by a referendum in March 1860 and by 1861 was part of Italy.

The Romagna forms today with Emilia in Emilia -Romagna. The historic Romagna include the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì -Cesena, Rimini and the communities of Imola, Dozza and the valley of Santerno in the province of Bologna.