Editing Parma (section)

==History==
{{For timeline}}

{{Quote box|width=17em|align=right|bgcolor=#B0C4DE
|title=Historical affiliations
|fontsize=80%|quote=
[[File:Consul et lictores.png|15px]] [[Roman Republic]] 183–27 BC <br>
[[File:Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|15px]] [[Roman Empire]] 27 BC–285 AD <br>
[[File:Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|15px]] [[Western Roman Empire]] 285–476 <br>
{{flagicon image|Odovacar Ravenna 477.jpg}} [[Odoacer|Kingdom of Odoacer]] 476–493 <br>
{{flagicon image|Teodorico re dei Goti (493-526).png}} [[Ostrogothic Kingdom]] 493–553 <br>
[[File:Simple Labarum.svg|12px]] [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]] 553-568 <br>
[[File:Corona ferrea monza (heraldry).svg|15px]] [[Kingdom of the Lombards|Lombard Kingdom]] 568–773 <br>
[[File:Charlemagne autograph.svg|15px]] [[Carolingian Empire]] 773–781 <br>
[[File:Corona ferrea monza (heraldry).svg|15px]] [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Regnum Italiae]] 781–1014 <br>
[[File:Shield and Coat of Arms of the Holy Roman Emperor (c.1200-c.1300).svg|15px]] [[Holy Roman Empire]] 1014–1114 <br>
[[File:Coat of arms of Parma.svg|15px]] [[Medieval Commune|Free Commune]] 1114–1341 <br>
[[File:Flag of the Duchy of Milan.png|15px|border]] [[Duchy of Milan]] 1341–1513 <br>
[[File:Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808).svg|15px|border]] [[Papal States]] 1513–1554 <br>
[[File:Flag of the Duchy of Parma.svg|15px|border]] [[Duchy of Parma]] 1554–1808 <br>
[[File:Flag of France.svg|15px|border]] [[First French Empire]] 1808–1814 <br>
[[File:Bandiera del ducato di Parma, Piacenza e Guastalla.png|15px|border]] [[Duchy of Parma|Duchy of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla]] 1814–1848 <br>
[[File:Flag of the Duchy of Parma (1851-1859).svg|15px|border]] [[Duchy of Parma]] 1851–1859 <br>
[[File:Flag of Italy.svg|15px|border]] [[United Provinces of Central Italy]] 1859–1860 <br>
[[File:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg|15px|border]] [[Kingdom of Italy]] 1861–1946 <br>
[[File:Flag of Italy.svg|15px|border]] [[Italian Republic]] 1946–present
}}

===Prehistory===
Parma was already a built-up area in the [[Bronze Age]]. In the current position of the city rose a [[Terramare culture|terramare]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it/it/archeologia/terramare.html| title = Archaeology in Emilia Romagna page.}}</ref> The "terramare" (marl earth) were ancient villages built of wood on piles according to a defined scheme and squared form; constructed on dry land and generally in proximity to the rivers. During this age (between 1500 BC and 800 BC) the first [[necropolis|necropoleis]] (on the sites of the present-day Piazza Duomo and Piazzale della Macina) were constructed.

===Antiquity===
The city was most probably founded and named by the [[Etruscans]], for a ''parma'' or ''palma'' (circular shield) was a [[Latin language|Latin]] borrowing, as were many Roman terms for particular arms, and the names ''Parmeal'', ''Parmni'' and ''Parmnial'' appear in Etruscan inscriptions. [[Diodorus Siculus]]<ref>XXII, 2,2; XXVIII, 2,1</ref> reported that the Romans had changed their rectangular shields for round ones, imitating the Etruscans. Whether the Etruscan encampment acquired its name from its round shape, like a shield, or from its metaphorical function as a shield against the Gauls to the north, remains uncertain.

The [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] colony was founded in 183 BC, together with Mutina ([[Modena]]); 2,000 families were settled. Parma had a certain importance as a road hub over the [[Via Aemilia]] and the Via Claudia. It had a forum, in what is today the central Garibaldi Square. In April 43 BC the city was destroyed.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gT4C6YTyUywC|title=The Letters of Cicero: B.C. 44-43|publisher=G. Bell and Sons|date=1900}}</ref> Subsequently [[Augustus]] rebuilt it. During the [[Roman Empire]], it gained the title of ''Julia'' for its loyalty to the imperial house.

[[Attila]] sacked the city in 452,<ref>
{{cite book
| last1 = Domenico
| first1 = Roy Palmer
| chapter = Parma
| title = The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture
| year = 2002
| url =  https://books.google.com/books?id=wZ-PMNC5XOkC
| location = Westport, Connecticur
| publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group
| publication-date = 2002
| page = 93
| isbn = 9780313307331
| access-date = 2019-05-05
| quote = Atila the Hun put Parma to the torch in 452, as did Totila the Ostrogoth in the mid-500s. It was rebuilt a number of times as a Lombard capital, the site of a Byzantine treasury, and, from the ninth century, a bishopric.
}}
</ref> and the Germanic king [[Odoacer]] later gifted it to his followers. During the [[Gothic War (535–552)|Gothic War]], however, [[Totila]] destroyed it. It was then part of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[Exarchate of Ravenna]] (changing its name to ''Chrysopolis'', "Golden City", probably due to the presence of the imperial treasury) and, from 569, of the [[Lombards|Lombard]] Kingdom of Italy. During the Middle Ages, Parma became an important stage of the [[Via Francigena]], the main road connecting Rome to Northern Europe; several castles, hospitals and inns were built in the following centuries to host the increasing number of pilgrims who passed by Parma and Fidenza, following the Apennines via Collecchio, Berceto and the Corchia ranges before descending the Passo della Cisa into Tuscany, heading finally south toward Rome.

The city had a medieval Jewish community.<ref>
[https://www.jpost.com/Travel/Jerusalem/Italys-poetic-Parma-region Italy's poetic Parma region] - "Italy has one of the oldest European Diaspora communities and a Jewish presence has been documented in Rome for more than 2,200 years. However, Jews only arrived in the Emilia-Romagna region during the 13th century."</ref> The [[Biblioteca Palatina, Parma|Palatine Library]] houses the largest collection of Hebrew manuscripts in Italy, and the second-largest in the world after the Bodleian Library in Oxford.<ref>
[https://jguideeurope.org/en/region/italy/emilia-romagna/parma/ Parma] - "The Palatine Library is as well home to the largest Italian collection of Hebrew manuscripts, and the second largest in the world after the Bodleian Library in Oxford. The documents were a gift of Maria Luigia Duchess."</ref>

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Battistero.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Baptistery of Parma]], 1196–1270]]

Under [[Franks|Frankish]] rule, Parma became the capital of a county in 774. Like most northern Italian cities, it was nominally a part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] created by [[Charlemagne]], but locally ruled by its bishops, the first being Guibodus. In the subsequent struggles between the [[Papal States|Papacy]] and the Empire, Parma was usually a member of the Imperial party. Two of its bishops became [[antipope]]s: Càdalo, founder of the cathedral, as [[Antipope Honorius II|Honorius II]]; and Guibert, as [[Antipope Clement III|Clement III]]. An almost independent [[medieval commune|commune]] was created around 1140; a treaty between Parma and [[Piacenza]] of 1149 is the earliest document of a ''comune'' headed by [[consul]]s.<ref>G. Drei, ''Le Carte degli archivi parmensi del secolo XII'' (Parma, 1950) doc. no. 194; the genesis of the Parmesan commune is studied by R. Schumann, "Authority and the commune: Parma, 833–1033", (Parma: Deputazione di storia patria, series 2.2, VIII) 1973.</ref> After the [[Peace of Constance]] in 1183  confirmed the Italian communes' rights of self-governance, long-standing quarrels with the neighbouring communes of [[Reggio Emilia]], Piacenza and [[Cremona]] became harsher, with the aim of controlling the vital trading line over the [[Po River]].

The struggle between [[Guelphs and Ghibellines]] was a feature of Parma too. In 1213, her {{lang|it|[[podestà]]}} was the Guelph [[Rambertino Buvalelli]]. Then, after a long stance alongside the emperors, the Papist families of the city gained control in 1248. The city was besieged in 1247–48 by Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]], who was however crushed in [[Battle of Parma|the battle]] that ensued.

By 1328, [[Rolando de' Rossi]] was made ''[[signore]]'' of Parma. In 1331, the city submitted to King [[John of Bohemia]]. Parma fell under the control of [[Milan]] in 1341. After a short-lived period of independence under the Terzi family (1404–1409), the [[Sforza]] imposed their rule (1440–1449) through their associated families of [[Pallavicini family|Pallavicino]], Rossi, Sanvitale and Da Correggio. These created a kind of new [[feudalism]], building towers and castles throughout the city and the land. These fiefs evolved into truly independent states: the Landi governed the higher [[Taro (river)|Taro]]'s valley from 1257 to 1682. The Pallavicino seignory extended over the eastern part of today's province, with the capital in [[Busseto]]. Parma's territories were an exception for Northern Italy, as its feudal subdivision frequently continued until more recent years. For example, Solignano was a Pallavicino family possession until 1805, and [[San Secondo Parmense|San Secondo]] belonged to the Rossi well into the 19th century.

===Modern era===
[[File:Parma nel XV secolo.jpg|thumb|Parma in the 15th century]]
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2018}}

Between the 14th and the 15th centuries, Parma was at the centre of the Italian Wars. The [[Battle of Fornovo]] was fought in its territory. The [[France|French]] held the city in 1500–1521, with a short Papal parenthesis in 1512–1515. After the foreigners were expelled, Parma belonged to the [[Papal States]] until 1545.

In that year the [[House of Farnese|Farnese]] pope, [[Pope Paul III|Paul III]], detached Parma and [[Piacenza]] from the Papal States and gave them as a duchy to his illegitimate son, [[Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma|Pier Luigi Farnese]], whose descendants ruled in Parma until 1731, when [[Antonio Farnese]], last male of the Farnese line, died. In 1594 a constitution was promulgated, the [[University of Parma|University]] enhanced and the Nobles' College founded. There was also an important Jesuit college in Parma: it was the largest owned by the order in the entire region of Emilia-Romagna and it acquired a strong reputation in the scientific field, given that Fathers [[Giuseppe Biancani]], [[Niccolò Cabeo]] and [[Mario Bettinus]], all members of the order, taught there.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gatto |first=Romano |title=The Oxford Handbook of the Jesuits |date=2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190639655 |editor=Ines G. Županov |location=Oxford |page=646 |contribution=Jesuit mathematics}}</ref> The war to reduce the barons' power continued for several years: in 1612 [[Barbara Sanseverino]] was executed in the central square of Parma, together with six other nobles charged of plotting against the duke. At the end of the 17th century, after the defeat of Pallavicini (1588) and Landi (1682) the Farnese duke could finally hold with firm hand all Parmense territories. The castle of the Sanseverino in [[Colorno]] was turned into a luxurious summer palace by [[Ferdinando Galli Bibiena|Ferdinando Bibiena]].

In the Treaty of London (1718) it was promulgated that the heir to the combined [[Duchy of Parma]] and [[Piacenza]] would be [[Elisabeth Farnese]]'s elder son with [[Philip V of Spain]], [[Charles III of Spain|Don Carlos]]. In 1731, the fifteen-year-old Don Carlos became Charles I Duke of Parma and Piacenza, at the death of his childless great uncle Antonio Farnese. In 1734, Charles I conquered the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, and was crowned as the King of Naples and Sicily on 3 July 1735, leaving the Duchy of Parma to his brother [[Philip, Duke of Parma|Philip (Filippo I di Borbone-Parma)]]. All the outstanding art collections of the duke's palaces of Parma, [[Colorno]] and [[Sala Baganza]] were moved to [[Naples]].
[[File:Parma, 16 century.jpg|alt=A drawing of Parma.|thumb|The city of Parma, divided by the river of the same name, with the imposing Romanesque Cathedral of the Ascension of the Virgin prominent on the right bank. 16th century.]]
Parma was under French influence after the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Peace of Aachen]] (1748). Parma became a modern state with the energetic action of prime minister [[Guillaume du Tillot]]. He created the bases for a modern industry and fought strenuously against the church's privileges. The city lived a period of particular splendour: the [[Biblioteca Palatina]] (Palatine Library), the Archaeological Museum, the Picture Gallery and the Botanical Garden were founded, together with the Royal Printing Works directed by [[Giambattista Bodoni]], aided by the [[Amoretti Brothers]] as skilled and inspired punchcutters.

===Contemporary age===
[[File:Parma 1832.jpg|thumb|Parma in 1832]]

During the [[Napoleonic Wars]] (1802–1814), Parma was annexed to [[France]] and made capital of the [[Taro (département)|Taro Department]]. Under its French name, Parme, it was also created a ''[[duché grand-fief de l'Empire]]'' for [[Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance]], the Emperor's Arch-Treasurer, on 24 April 1808 (extinguished in 1926).

After the restoration of the Duchy of Parma by the 1814–15 [[Vienna Congress]], the [[Risorgimento]]'s upheavals had no fertile ground in the tranquil duchy. In 1847, after [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma]]'s death, it passed again to the [[House of Bourbon]], the last of whom was stabbed in the city and left it to his widow, Luisa Maria of Berry. On 15 September 1859 the dynasty was declared deposed, and Parma entered the newly formed province of Emilia under [[Luigi Carlo Farini]]. With the [[plebiscite]] of 1860 the former duchy became part of the unified [[Kingdom of Italy]].

The loss of the capital role provoked an economic and social crisis in Parma. It started to recover its role of industrial prominence after the railway connection with [[Piacenza]] and [[Bologna]] of 1859, and with [[Fornovo di Taro|Fornovo]] and [[Suzzara]] in 1883. [[Trade union]]s were strong in the city, in which a notable General Strike was declared from 1 May to 6 June 1908. The struggle with [[Fascism]] had its most dramatic moment in August 1922, when the regime officer [[Italo Balbo]] attempted to enter the popular quarter of Oltretorrente. The citizens organized into the ''[[Arditi del Popolo]]'' ("The people's daring ones") and pushed back the [[squadristi]]. This episode is considered the first example of Resistance in Italy.

[[File:Parma, palazzo della pilotta 01.jpg|right|thumb|View of [[Palazzo della Pilotta]] in Piazza della Pace. The rebuilt part on the right is where once was the church of St. Peter.]]

During [[World War II]], Parma was a strong centre of [[Partisan (military)|partisan]] resistance. The train station and marshalling yards were targets for high altitude bombing by the Allies in the spring of 1944. Much of the [[Palazzo della Pilotta]], situated not far (half a mile) from the train station, was destroyed. Along with it the [[Teatro Farnese]] and part of the [[Biblioteca Palatina]] were destroyed by Allied bombs; some 21,000 volumes of the library's collection were lost. Several other monuments were also damaged: Palazzo del Giardino, Steccata and San Giovanni churches, Palazzo Ducale, Paganini theater and the monument to [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]]. However, Parma did not see widespread destruction during the war. Parma was liberated from the German occupation (1943–1945) on 26 April 1945 by the partisan resistance and the [[Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB)|Brazilian Expeditionary Force]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pitoresco.com/historia/guerra/guerra01.htm |title=Mapa da рrea de operaушes |publisher=Pitoresco.com |access-date=2009-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410190514/http://www.pitoresco.com/historia/guerra/guerra01.htm |archive-date=10 April 2008 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

While modern city politics has been dominated (as in much of Emilia-Romagna) by the left, in 1998 Parma elected centre-right candidate Elvio Ubaldi as mayor, again in 2002, and in 2007 elected the centre-right candidate Pietro Vignali. During their terms, Parma suffered from fiscal mismanagement, Vignali left office in 2011 with the city's debts amounting to over 600 million euros. In 2012, the city elected Federico Pizzarotti as mayor, making him the first mayor of a provincial capital to hail from [[Five Star Movement]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aloisi |first=Silvia |date=2012-05-27 |title=Parma mayor becomes Italy's most-watched politician |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/parma-mayor-becomes-italys-most-watched-politician-idUSBRE84Q01U/ |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kington |first=Tom |date=2012-05-21 |title=Parma elects anti-austerity 'comedy' candidate as mayor |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/21/parma-mayor-pizzarotti-beppe-grillo |access-date=2025-04-11 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>