Editing Viterbo (section)

==History==
The first report of the new city dates to the eighth century AD, when it is identified as ''Castrum Viterbii''. It was fortified in 773 by the [[Lombards|Lombard]] [[Desiderius|King Desiderius]] in his vain attempt to conquer Rome. When the [[Pope|popes]] switched to the [[Franks|Frankish]] support, Viterbo became part of the [[Papal States]]. Still, this status was to be highly contested by the emperors in the following centuries, until 1095 when it was known as a free [[medieval commune|''comune'']] (municipality).

[[File:Etruscan warrior near Viterbe Italy circa 500 BCE.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] warrior, found near Viterbo, dated circa 500 BC]]
In a period in which the popes had difficulties asserting their authority over Rome, Viterbo became their favourite residence, beginning with [[Pope Eugene III]] (1145–1146) who was besieged in vain in the city walls. In 1164, [[Frederick Barbarossa]] made Viterbo the seat of his antipope [[Antipope Paschal III|Paschal III]]. Three years later, he called it a "city" and used its militias against Rome. In 1172, Viterbo started its expansion, destroying the old city of ''Ferento'' and conquering other lands. In this age it was a rich and prosperous ''comune'', one of the most important of Central Italy, with a population of almost 60,000.

In 1207, [[Pope Innocent III]] held a council in the cathedral, but the city was later excommunicated as the favourite seat of the heretical [[Catharism|Patarines]] and even defeated by the Romans. In 1210, however, Viterbo managed to defeat Emperor [[Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto IV]] and was again at war against Rome.

In the thirteenth century it was ruled alternately by the tyrants of the Gatti and [[Di Vico]] families. [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] drew Viterbo to the [[Guelphs and Ghibellines|Ghibelline]] side in 1240, but when the citizens expelled his turbulent German troops in 1243 he returned and [[Siege of Viterbo|besieged]] the city, but in vain. From that point Viterbo was always a loyal [[Guelphs and Ghibellines|Guelph]] city. Between 1257 and 1261 it was the seat of [[Pope Alexander IV]], who also died there. His successor [[Pope Urban IV|Urban IV]] was elected in Viterbo.

In 1266–1268, [[Pope Clement IV|Clement IV]] chose Viterbo as the base of his ruthless fight against the [[Hohenstaufen]]. Here, from the loggia of the [[Palace of the Popes in Viterbo|Papal Palace]], he excommunicated the army of [[Conradin]] of [[Swabia]] which was passing on the [[Via Cassia]], with the prophetical motto of the "lamb who is going to the sacrifice". Other popes elected in Viterbo were [[Pope Gregory X|Gregory X]] (1271) and [[Pope John XXI|John XXI]] (1276) (who died in the papal palace when the ceiling of the recently built library collapsed on him while he slept), [[Pope Nicholas III|Nicholas III]] and the French [[Pope Martin IV|Martin IV]]. The Viterbese, who did not agree with the election of a foreigner directed by the [[Kingdom of Naples|King of Naples]], [[Charles I of Anjou]], invaded the cathedral where the [[Papal conclave|conclave]] was held, arresting two of the cardinals. They were subsequently excommunicated, and the popes avoided Viterbo for 86 years.

Without the popes, the city fell into the hands of the [[Di Vico]]s. In the fourteenth century, [[Giovanni di Vico]] had created a seignory extending to [[Civitavecchia]], [[Tarquinia]], [[Bolsena]], [[Orvieto]], [[Todi]], [[Narni]] and [[Amelia, Umbria|Amelia]]. His dominion was crushed by Cardinal [[Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz|Gil de Albornoz]] in 1354, sent by the [[Avignon]]ese popes to recover the Papal States, who built the castle. In 1375, the city gave its keys to [[Francesco Di Vico]], son of the previous tyrant, but thirteen years later the people killed him and assigned the city first to [[Pope Urban VI]], and then to [[Giovanni di Sciarra di Vico]], Francesco's cousin. But [[Pope Boniface IX]]'s troops drove him away in 1396 and established a firm papal suzerainty over the city. The last Di Vico to hold power in Viterbo was Giacomo, who was defeated in 1431.

Thenceforth Viterbo became a city of secondary importance, following the vicissitudes of the Papal States. In the 16th century it was the birthplace of [[Latino Latini]]. It became part of [[Italy]] in 1871.

In 1927 Viterbo was made a [[province of Viterbo|provincial capital]].

{{anchor|Allied air attacks}} During [[World War II]] Viterbo was occupied by the [[Wehrmacht]] after the [[Armistice of Cassibile]] and heavily bombed by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], suffering over twenty raids between July 1943 and June 1944; this left a third of the city destroyed or badly damaged, and caused heavy damage to [[cultural heritage]] and 1,017 civilian deaths.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/viterbo_res-176bfb4b-87e7-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/|title=Viterbo - Enciclopedia|website=Treccani}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tusciaweb.eu/2020/01/santantonio-ci-aiuti-costruire-ponti-la-guerra-porta-solo-distruzione/|title="Sant’Antonio ci aiuti a costruire ponti, la guerra porta solo distruzione"|date=17 January 2020|website=Tusciaweb.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.anae.it/2020/01/24/commemorazione-bombardamento-citta-di-viterbo-del-1944/ |title=Associazione Nazionale Aviazione Esercito |access-date=29 February 2020 |archive-date=6 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106093717/https://www.anae.it/2020/01/24/commemorazione-bombardamento-citta-di-viterbo-del-1944/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 20 March 2024, an unexploded MK IV Bomb was found in a construction site causing an evacuation of more than 30,000 people in a range of 1400m until the bomb could be disposed of.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.viterbotoday.it/cronaca/quanto-dura-evacuazione-bomba-viterbo-7-maggio-2024.html|title="Cinque ore per neutralizzare la bomba". Ma la fine dell'evacuazione sarà annunciata solo con il suono delle sirene|website=ViterboToday}}</ref>