Editing Rimini (section)

== History ==
{{See also|Timeline of Rimini}}
{{For|ecclesiastical history|Roman Catholic Diocese of Rimini}}

=== Ancient history ===
[[File:Rimini201.jpg|thumb|left|Rimini's ancient harbour, portrayed in the ''mosaic of the boats'' from the domus of Palazzo Diotallevi]]
The area was inhabited by [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The Etruscan World|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2014|isbn=9781134055234|page=299|language=en}}</ref> until the arrival of the [[Celts]], who held it from the 6th century BC until their defeat by the Umbri in 283 BC. In 268 BC at the mouth of the Ariminus (now called the Marecchia), the [[Roman Republic]] founded the [[colonia (Roman)|''colonia'']] of Ariminum.

Ariminum was seen as a bastion against [[Celts|Celtic]] invaders and also as a springboard for conquering the Padana plain. The city was involved in the civil wars of the first century, aligned with the popular party and its leaders, first [[Gaius Marius]], and then [[Julius Caesar]]. After crossing the [[Rubicon]], the latter made his legendary appeal to the legions in the Forum of Rimini.

As the terminus of the [[Via Flaminia]], which ended in the town at the surviving prestigious Arch of Augustus (erected 27 BC), Rimini was a road junction connecting central and northern Italy by the [[Via Aemilia]] that led to [[Piacenza]] and the [[Via Popilia]] that extended northwards; it also opened up trade by sea and river.

Remains of the amphitheatre that could seat 12,000 people, and a five-arched bridge of [[Istrian stone]] completed by Tiberius (21&nbsp;AD), are still visible. Later [[Galla Placidia]] built the church of Santo Stefano.

The evidence that Rimini is of Roman origins is illustrated by the city being divided by two main streets, the Cardo and the Decumanus.

The end of Roman rule was marked by destruction caused by invasions and wars, but also by the establishment of the palaces of the Imperial officers and the first churches, the symbol of the spread of [[Christianity]] that held the important [[Council of Ariminum]] in the city in 359.

=== Middle Ages ===
[[File:Piero, ritratto di sigismondo malatesta.jpg|thumb|Portrait of [[Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta]] called ''the Wolf of Rimini'', by [[Piero della Francesca]], {{circa|1450}}, [[Louvre]]]]
When the [[Ostrogoths]] conquered Rimini in 493, [[Odoacer]], besieged in Ravenna, had to capitulate. During the [[Gothic War (535–554)]], Rimini was taken and retaken many times. In its vicinity the Byzantine general [[Narses]] overthrew (553) the [[Alamanni]]. Under the Byzantine rule, it belonged to the [[Duchy of the Pentapolis]], part of the [[Exarchate of Ravenna]].

In 728, it was taken with many other cities by [[Liutprand, King of the Lombards]] but returned to the Byzantines about 735. [[Pepin the Short]] gave it to the Holy See, but during the wars of the popes and the Italian cities against the emperors, Rimini sided with the latter.

In the 13th century, it suffered from the discords of the Gambacari and Ansidei families. The city became a municipality in the 14th century, and with the arrival of the religious orders, numerous convents and churches were built, providing work for many illustrious artists. In fact, [[Giotto]] inspired the 14th-century School of Rimini, which was the expression of original cultural ferment.

The [[House of Malatesta]] emerged from the struggles between municipal factions with [[Malatesta da Verucchio]], who in 1239 was named [[podestà]] (chief magistrate) of the city. Despite interruptions, his family held authority until 1528. In 1312 <!--TRUE, he died at 100!-->he was succeeded by [[Malatestino Malatesta]], first ''signore'' (lord) of the city and [[Pandolfo I Malatesta]], the latter's brother, named by [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor]], as [[imperial vicar]] of [[Romagna]].

Ferrantino, son of Malatesta II (1335), was opposed by his cousin Ramberto and by Cardinal [[Bertrand du Pouget]] (1331), legate of [[Pope John XXII]]. Malatesta II was also lord of [[Pesaro]]. He was succeeded by [[Malatesta Ungaro]] (1373) and [[Galeotto I Malatesta]], uncle of the former (1385), lord also of [[Fano]] (from 1340), Pesaro, and Cesena (1378).

His son, [[Carlo I Malatesta]], one of the most respected [[condottieri]] of the time, enlarged the Riminese possessions and restored the port. Carlo died childless in 1429, and the lordship was divided into three parts, Rimini going to [[Galeotto Roberto Malatesta]], a Catholic zealot inadequate for the position.

The Pesarese line of the Malatestas tried, in fact, to take advantage of his weakness and to capture the city, but [[Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta]], Carlo's nephew, who was only 14 at the time, intervened to save it. Galeotto retired to a convent, and Sigismondo obtained the rule of Rimini.

Sigismondo Pandolfo was the most famous lord of Rimini. In 1433, [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor]], sojourned in the city and for a while he was the commander-in-chief of the Papal armies. A skilled general, Sigismondo often acted as [[condottieri|''condottiero'']] for other states to gain money to embellish it (he was also a dilettante poet). He had the famous [[Tempio Malatestiano]] rebuilt by [[Leon Battista Alberti]]. However, after the rise of [[Pope Pius II]], he had to fight constantly for the independence of the city.

In 1463, he was forced to submit to Pius II, who left him only Rimini and little more; [[Roberto Malatesta]], his son (1482), under [[Pope Paul II]], nearly lost his state, but under [[Pope Sixtus IV]], became the commanding officer of the pontifical army against Ferdinand of Naples. Sigismondo was, however, defeated by Neapolitan forces in the [[battle of Campomorto]] (1482). [[Pandolfo IV Malatesta|Pandolfo IV]], his son (1500), lost Rimini to [[Cesare Borgia]], after whose overthrow it fell to Venice (1503–1509), but it was later retaken by [[Pope Julius II]] and incorporated into the [[Papal States]].

After the death of [[Pope Leo X]], Pandolfo returned for several months, and with his son [[Sigismondo Malatesta]] held a rule which looked tyrannous even for the time. [[Pope Adrian VI]] expelled him again and gave Rimini to the [[Duchy of Urbino|Duke of Urbino]], the pope's vicar in Romagna.

In 1527, Sigismondo managed to regain the city, but in the following year the Malatesta dominion died forever.

=== Renaissance and Enlightenment ===
[[File:Georg Braun Rimini (1572).jpg|thumb|View of Rimini, engraving by Georg Braun (1572)]]
At the beginning of the 16th century, Rimini, now a secondary town of the Papal States, was ruled by an [[Apostolic Legate]]. Towards the end of the 16th century, the municipal square (now Piazza Cavour), which had been closed off on a site where the Poletti Theatre was subsequently built, was redesigned. The statue of [[Pope Paul V]] has stood in the centre of the square next to the fountain since 1614.

In the 16th century, the 'grand square', which was where markets and tournaments were held, underwent various changes. A small temple dedicated to [[Anthony of Padua|Saint Anthony of Padua]] and a clock tower were built there, giving the square its present shape and size.

Until the 18th century raiding armies, earthquakes, famines, floods and pirate attacks ravaged the city. In this gloomy situation and due to a weakened local economy, fishing took on great importance, a fact testified by the construction of structures such as the fish market and [[Rimini Lighthouse]].

In 1797, Rimini, along with the rest of [[Romagna]], was affected by the passage of the [[Grande Armée|Napoleonic army]] and became part of the [[Cisalpine Republic]]. [[Bonapartism|Napoleonic policy]] suppressed the monastic orders, confiscating their property and thus dispersing a substantial heritage, and demolished many churches including the ancient cathedral of Santa Colomba.

=== Modern history ===
The troops of [[Joachim Murat]], [[Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic)|King of Naples]], marched through Rimini on 30 March 1815.<ref name="Ponte-2015">{{Cite web |last= |date=6 May 2015 |title=Il proclama di Rimini |trans-title=The Rimini Proclamation |url=https://www.ilponte.com/il-proclama-di-rimini/ |access-date=18 January 2024 |website=Il Ponte |language=it-IT}}</ref> In a last attempt to gain allies before his defeat in the [[Neapolitan War]],<ref name="Sacco-2020">{{Cite web |last=Sacco |first=Antonio |date=30 May 2020 |title=Unificare l'Italia, il sogno di Murat |trans-title=Unifying Italy, Murat's dream |url=https://napoli.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/20_maggio_30/unificare-l-italia-sogno-murat-5de17248-a286-11ea-a5d1-29996a211afa.shtml |access-date=18 January 2024 |website=[[Corriere della Sera]] |language=it-IT}}</ref> Murat published the [[Rimini Proclamation]], one of the earliest calls for [[Unification of Italy|Italian unification]].<ref name="Ponte-2015" /><ref name="Sacco-2020" /> In 1845, a band of adventurers commanded by Ribbotti entered the city and proclaimed a constitution which was soon abolished. In 1860, Rimini and Romagna were incorporated into the [[Kingdom of Italy]].

The city was transformed after the 1843 founding of the first bathing establishment and the Kursaal, a building constructed to host sumptuous social events, became the symbol of Rimini's status as a tourist resort. In just a few years, the seafront underwent considerable development work, making Rimini 'the city of small villas'.

During [[World War I]], Rimini and its surrounding infrastructure was one of the primary targets of the [[Austro-Hungarian]] Navy. After Italy's declaration of war on 15 May 1915, the Austro-Hungarian fleet left its harbours the same day and started its assault on the Adriatic coast between [[Venice]] and [[Barletta]].{{Cn|date=March 2024}} The [[1916 Rimini earthquakes]], on 17 May and 16 August, led to the demolition of 615 buildings in the city, with many historic churches severely damaged.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Masini |first=Manlio |date=10 August 2021 |title=Il terremoto dell'agosto 1916: paura, sofferenza e solidarietà |trans-title=The earthquake of August 1916: fear, suffering and solidarity |url=https://www.corriereromagna.it/archivio/il-terremoto-dellagosto-1916-paura-sofferenza-e-solidarieta-BWCR256896 |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=[[Corriere Romagna]] |language=it-IT}}</ref> 4,174 people were displaced between Rimini and [[Riccione]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=7 December 2023 |title=8 dicembre 1916 - Legge speciale per Rimini distrutta dal terremoto |trans-title=8 December 1916 – Special law for Rimini destroyed by the earthquake |url=https://www.chiamamicitta.it/8-dicembre-1916-legge-speciale-per-rimini-distrutta-dal-terremoto/ |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=Chiamami Città |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bucci |first=Sara |date=17 May 2016 |title=Cent'anni fa il terremoto che distrusse Rimini |trans-title=One hundred years ago, the earthquake that destroyed Rimini |url=https://www.sanmarinortv.sm/news/attualita-c4/cent-anni-fa-terremoto-distrusse-rimini-a58454 |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=[[San Marino RTV]] |language=it-SM}}</ref> On 19 October 1922, Riccione was separated from Rimini to form a separate {{Lang|it|comune}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Conti |first=Enea |date=10 July 2022 |title=Riccione, la "festa infinita" per i cento anni del Comune |trans-title=Riccione: The "endless celebration" for the hundred years of the municipality |url=https://corrieredibologna.corriere.it/bologna/cultura-spettacoli/22_ottobre_07/riccione-festa-infinita-cento-anni-dell-indipendenza-75d27dd0-465c-11ed-be44-64ac267318cb.shtml |access-date=14 December 2023 |website=Corriere di Bologna |language=it-IT}}</ref>
[[File:Arco_d'Augusto_Rimini_1944.jpg|thumb|A tank in front of the [[Arch of Augustus (Rimini)|Arch of Augustus]], 1944]]
In [[World War II]], Rimini suffered sustained [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Airstrike|aerial bombardment]] from November 1943 until its liberation on 21 September 1944.<ref name="Gambetti-2023a">{{Cite web |last=Gambetti |first=Nicola |date=20 June 2023 |title=Monumenti sopravvissuti: l'Arco d'Augusto |trans-title=Surviving monuments: The Arch of Augustus |url=https://riminisparita.it/monumenti-sopravvissuti-larco-daugusto/ |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=Rimini Sparita |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name="Susini-2016">{{Cite journal |last=Susini |first=Daniele |date=6 July 2016 |title=Guerra sul confine orientale della linea gotica: il caso Rimini |trans-title=War on the eastern border of the Gothic line: The Rimini case |url=https://www.novecento.org/dossier/la-linea-gotica-fra-ricerca-e-didattica/guerra-sul-confine-orientale-della-linea-gotica-il-caso-rimini/ |language=it-IT |volume=6 |doi=10.12977/nov129 |issn=2283-6837 |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Novecento.org|doi-access=free }}</ref> 82% of Rimini's buildings were destroyed, the highest figure among Italian cities with over 50,000 inhabitants.<ref name="Gambetti-2023a" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=La Linea Gotica |trans-title=The Gothic Line |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/la-seconda-guerra-mondiale/la-linea-gotica.html |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it-IT}}</ref> Around 55,000 refugees fled to the north, to the hinterland, and to San Marino,<ref name="Susini-2016" /><ref name="Citta-2024">{{Cite web |title=La Linea Gotica |trans-title=The Gothic Line |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/la-seconda-guerra-mondiale/la-linea-gotica.html |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it-IT}}</ref> where they sheltered in the country's [[Rimini–San Marino railway|railway tunnels]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=12 June 2023 |title=12 giugno 1932 - Viene inaugurata la ferrovia Rimini - San Marino |trans-title=12 June 1932: The Rimini–San Marino railway was opened |url=https://www.chiamamicitta.it/12-giugno-1932-viene-inaugurata-la-ferrovia-rimini-san-marino/ |access-date=2 November 2023 |website=Chiamami Città |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Giuliani-Balestrino |first=Maria Clotilde |date=2005 |title=La superstrada Rimini-San Marino |trans-title=The Rimini-San Marino railway |url=https://studiericerche.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Giuliani-Balestrino-1-4.pdf |journal=Studi e Ricerche di Geografia |language=it-IT |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=1–4}}</ref> As the Allied frontline approached the city, [[Naval gunfire support|naval bombardment]] followed,<ref name="Susini-2016" /> and remaining citizens hid in makeshift shelters or in caves by the Covignano hill.<ref name="Susini-2016" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 September 2022 |title=21 settembre 1944 - Rimini liberata |trans-title=21 September 1944 – Rimini liberated |url=https://archivio.chiamamicitta.it/21-settembre-1944-rimini-liberata/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Chiamamicitta |language=it-IT}}</ref> [[Italian resistance movement|Partisan resistance]] was also notable in Rimini, with official reports of 400 young people involved in resistance cells. On 16 August 1944, three partisans were hanged in Rimini's central square, which would later be renamed in their honour.<ref name="Citta-2024" /> The [[Battle of Rimini (1944)|Battle of Rimini]] was a major engagement in the [[Gothic Line]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Montemaggi |first=Andrea |title=Gli alleati conquistano Rimini |trans-title=The Allies conquer Rimini |url=https://www.rotaryrimini.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Ariminum-Settembre-Ottobre-2014.pdf |journal=Ariminum |series=September–October 2014 |language=it-IT |publisher=[[Rotary International|Rotary Club Rimini]] |pages=6–7}}</ref> [[Oliver Leese]], the British [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|Eighth Army]]'s commander, called the advance to liberate Rimini "one of the hardest battles of the Eighth Army ... comparable to [[Battle of El Alamein|El Alamein]], [[Battle of the Mareth Line|Mareth]], and the [[Gustav Line]] ([[Battle of Monte Cassino|Monte Cassino]])".<ref>{{Cite book |last=McKelvey Cleaver |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNN1CwAAQBAJ |title=The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing |date=10 May 2016 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-62157-543-6 |pages=156 |language=en}}</ref> Within 37 days of the battle, over 10,000 soldiers had died between the Allied and [[Axis powers|Axis]] forces.<ref>{{Cite web |title=I Cimiteri di Guerra tra Romagna e Marche |trans-title=The War Cemeteries between Romagna and the Marche |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/la-seconda-guerra-mondiale/un-itinerario/i-cimiteri-di-guerra.html |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it}}</ref> For its role in liberating Rimini, the [[3rd Greek Mountain Brigade]] was awarded the honorific title "Rimini Brigade".<ref>{{Cite web |title=I Cimiteri di Guerra tra Romagna e Marche |trans-title=The War Cemeteries between Romagna and the Marche |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/la-seconda-guerra-mondiale/un-itinerario/i-cimiteri-di-guerra.html |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it}}</ref> 1,939 Allied soldiers,<ref name="Terre di Coriano-2024">{{Cite web |title=Cimitero di guerra inglese |trans-title=English War Cemetery |url=https://terredicoriano.it/scoprire/cimitero-di-guerra-inglese/ |access-date=8 March 2024 |website=Terre di Coriano |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name="War Graves-2024">{{Cite web |title=Coriano Ridge War Cemetery |url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2004100/coriano-ridge-war-cemetery/ |access-date=8 March 2024 |website=[[Commonwealth War Graves]]}}</ref> of which 1,413 are British,<ref name="Terre di Coriano-2024" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zaghini |first=Paolo |date=19 May 2020 |title=I cimiteri di guerra in Romagna: Le vicende del Coriano Ridge War Cemetery |trans-title=The war cemeteries in Romagna: The case of the Coriano Ridge War Cemetery |url=https://e-review.it/zaghini-cimiteri-di-guerra-in-romagna |journal=E-Review: Rivista degli Istituti Storici dell'Emilia-Romagna in Rete |volume=7 |language=it-IT |doi=10.12977/ereview285 |issn=2282-4979|doi-access=free }}</ref> were buried in the [[Coriano Ridge War Cemetery]] in [[Coriano]].<ref name="Terre di Coriano-2024" /><ref name="War Graves-2024" /> 114 Greek soldiers were buried in a cemetery in Riccione's Fontanelle area,<ref>{{Cite web |title=I Cimiteri di Guerra tra Romagna e Marche |trans-title=The War Cemeteries between Romagna and the Marche |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/la-seconda-guerra-mondiale/un-itinerario/i-cimiteri-di-guerra.html |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cicchetti |first=Stefano |date=21 September 2021 |title=Chi erano i Greci che liberarono Rimini |trans-title=Who were the Greeks who liberated Rimini? |url=https://archivio.chiamamicitta.it/chi-erano-i-greci-che-liberarono-rimini/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Chiamamicitta |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 September 2018 |title=Riccione. Seconda guerra mondiale, commemorazione dei militari greci morti per liberare il Riminese |trans-title=Riccione, Second World War: Commemoration of the Greek soldiers who died to liberate the Rimini area |url=https://lapiazzarimini.it/2018/riccione-seconda-guerra-mondiale-commemorazione-dei-militari-greci-morti-per-liberare-il-riminese/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Piazza |language=it-IT}}</ref> and an Indian cemetery with 618 burials is located on the [[San Marino Highway]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=I Cimiteri di Guerra tra Romagna e Marche |trans-title=The War Cemeteries between Romagna and the Marche |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/la-seconda-guerra-mondiale/un-itinerario/i-cimiteri-di-guerra.html |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it}}</ref>

Following Rimini's liberation, reconstruction work began, culminating in huge development of the tourist industry in the city.