Editing Emilia-Romagna (section)

===High Middle Ages to early modern period===
During the 10th century, northern Italy became part of the Holy Roman Empire under the control of the Germanic leader Otto I. The Holy Roman emperors had varying degrees of control over northern Italy until the close of the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, the papacy extended its political influence and city states began to form in opposition to the Holy Roman emperors.

The northern cities, supported by the Pope, formed the [[Lombard League]] and reduced the influence of the ruling Hohenstaufen dynasty over their lands. Division between imperial partisans and their opponents created factions called the Guelphs and the Ghibellines which would divide the cities for centuries. For the next few centuries both Emilia and Romagna were ruled by papal legates or representatives of the Pope.
[[File:Archiginnasio ora blu Bologna.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Bologna]], founded in 1088, is the [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|world's oldest university in continuous operation]].]]

The [[University of Bologna]]—the oldest university in the world, established in AD 1088—and its bustling towns kept trade and intellectual life alive. Local nobility like the [[House of Este|Este]] of Ferrara, the [[House of Malatesta|Malatesta]] of Rimini, the [[Papal State|Popes of Rome]], the [[House of Farnese|Farnese]] of Parma and Piacenza, and the [[Duchy of Modena and Reggio]], jostled for power and influence.

[[File:Castello_Estense_con_riflessi_-_Ferrara.jpg|thumb|[[Castello Estense|Castle Estense]] in [[Ferrara]]]]The [[House of Este]] gained a notable profile for its political and military might and its patronage of the arts: it left behind a vast heritage of splendid Renaissance palaces, precious paintings and literary masterpieces, such as the works of [[Ludovico Ariosto]], [[Torquato Tasso]] and [[Matteo Maria Boiardo]].
[[File:Flag of the Cispadane Republic.svg|thumb|Flag of the [[Cispadane Republic]], which was the first [[Flag of Italy|Italian tricolour]] adopted by a sovereign Italian state (1797)]]

Following the rise of [[Napoleon]], the region of Emilia came under French control.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Musei Civici Reggio Emilia » Napoleone e la Repubblica Reggiana |url=https://www.musei.re.it/collezioni/museo-del-tricolore/sala-napoleonica/napoleone-e-la-repubblica-reggiana/ |access-date=9 May 2022 |website=musei.re.it}}</ref> The first red, white and green national flag of a sovereign Italian state was adopted on 7 January 1797, when the Fourteenth Parliament of the [[Cispadane Republic]] (1797), on the proposal of deputy [[Giuseppe Compagnoni]], decreed "to make universal the ... standard or flag of three colours, green, white, and red ...":<ref>[http://www.esteri.it/MAE/EN/Benvenuti_in_Italia/Conoscere_Italia/bandieraInno.htm The tri-coloured standard].Getting to Know Italy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (retrieved 5 October 2008) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223131121/http://www.esteri.it/MAE/EN/Benvenuti_in_Italia/Conoscere_Italia/bandieraInno.htm |date=23 February 2008}}</ref> For having proposed the green, white and red tricolour flag, Giuseppe Compagnoni is considered the "father of the [[Italian flag]]".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Maiorino |first1=Tarquinio|last2=Marchetti Tricamo|first2=Giuseppe |last3=Zagami |first3=Andrea |title=Il tricolore degli italiani. Storia avventurosa della nostra bandiera|year=2002 |publisher=Arnoldo Mondadori Editore|language=it|isbn=978-88-04-50946-2|page=157}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Tarozzi|first1=Fiorenza|last2=Vecchio|first2=Giorgio |title=Gli italiani e il tricolore|year=1999|publisher=Il Mulino|language=it|isbn=88-15-07163-6|page=9}}</ref>

After the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815, there was a growing movement for Italian national unity and independence. In 1848, a revolution in Vienna initiated uprisings against Austrian rule. The following decades saw uprisings in several regions and, in 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was established. During this [[Italian Unification]], the territories of Emilia and Romagna would be incorporated into the new nation.