Lombard nationalism is anationalist, but primarilyregionalist, movement active primarily inLombardy,Italy. It seeks more autonomy or even independence from Italy for Lombardy and, possibly, all the lands that arelinguistically or historically Lombard.[1] During the 1990s, it was strictly connected withPadanian nationalism.
Today the main Lombard nationalist parties are theLombard League andPro Lombardy Independence.
Like in the rest of Europe, during theRomantic Era there was an awakening of thenational sentiment in Lombardy. TheNapoleonic creation of theCispadane Republic, which was later replaced by theCisalpine one, opened the doors to the political debate.Carlo Botta, a Piedmontese politician, wrote a book entitledProposition to the Lombards about a way of free government, where he claimed the need of a constitution for theLombard Nation, independent from the French one inspired by theRevolution.[2] At the same time, Giuseppe Faroni proposed a draft constitution entitledConstitutional pole for the Lombard Republic.[3]
The first independence movements appeared in the first half of the 19th century.Carlo Porta, one of the most important Lombard intellectuals, presented his adhesion to this idea in some writings.[4][5] They were often associated with Italian federalist movements, but they considered Lombardy as a nation instead a mere administrative division of the future state:
Che vegga Italia e la nazion lombarda
strette ad un pattoTranslation:That I'll see Italy and the Lombard nation
close to a deal
— Pater Noster (dei Milanesi), a patriotic song of 1848[6]
During theFive Days of Milan in 1848, at first, insurgents only wanted greater autonomy for Lombardy in theAustrian Empire, with the possibility to administrate itself. A large part of the leaders of the insurrection, such asCarlo Cattaneo, was opposed to thePiedmont intervention.[7][8]
After theannexation to theKingdom of Sardinia (and the creation of theItalian state), it seemed that some republican and federalist movements wanted the creation of aState of Milan, because of the cultural, economical and social differences between Lombardy and the rest of Italy.[9][10]
During theriots of Milan in 1898 and the other strikes in the following years (especially in 1913, when the Kingdom had to move 30 000 soldiers), some rumours of separatism came to the Italian government.[9][11][12]
In the 1950s, some small movements for autonomy appeared[13] such as theMovimento Autonomista Bergamasco,[14][15][13] founded in 1947[13] by Guido Calderoli, which participated in the local elections in 1956,[16][17] and later involved other Lombard provinces,[18] turning first intoMovimento Autonomista Regionale Lombardo (asking for creation of theLombard Region, as required by theItalian constitution)[19] and then intoMovimento Autonomie Regionali Padane (participating at political elections in 1958[20] and 1967),[16] before dissolution in 1970.[13] Another movement is theUnione autonomisti padani, created by Ugo Gavazzeni with the union of various autonomist movements in northern Italy, that participated at political elections in 1967.[16]
From the legacy of this experiences[21] in the 1980s, theLombard League was founded (since 1989 part of theNorthern League). During the years, its political goal shifted between the separatism and the ask for a greater autonomy in the Italian state.[22] In 2018, the independentist tendency was officially abandoned by the federal secretaryMatteo Salvini,[22][23] after five years of ambiguity.[24]
In the first decades of the 21st century, some cultural initiative and political parties appeared (among whichPro Lombardia Indipendenza is the best structured one).[25]
In 2017, anadvisory referendum (done simultaneously with theVenetian one) about the concession of a greater autonomy to theLombard Region took place. 38.3% of Lombards turned out for the referendum and 95.3% of them voted for greater autonomy.[26][27] So thepresident of Lombardy,Roberto Maroni, opened the negotiations withRome.[28]
After the latest elections for thecentral andregional government in 2018, the new Lombard presidentAttilio Fontana designatedStefano Bruno Galli as theautonomy assessor, waiting for the formation of the new Italian government.[29]
During the ages, the concept ofLombardy changed quite frequently.InEarly Middle Ages, the wordLongobardia indicated all theLombard Kingdom.[30] Since the 12th century, the archaic term was gradually replaced byLombardia (as a linguistic evolution, first appeared in thePauli Continuatio)[31] and in the geographic view it indicated first the area of theLangobardia Maior and then only thePo Valley, where the centre of the Lombard power was located.[30] Meanwhile,Lombardia took on a political meaning, with the creation of theLombard League and the fight against the emperors for the municipal liberties.[30]The definition remained such until the 19th century,[31][32] when the new Italian state created the current administrative region in the territory of the so-calledAustrian Lombardy, with the addition ofLomellina andOltrepò Pavese.[31]
Linguistically, theLombard-speaking area is bigger than the administrative region, and also includes the provinces ofNovara,Verbano-Cusio-Ossola plus a part of theAlessandria one in Piedmont,Canton Ticino and the southern valleys ofGrigioni in Switzerland, and the western valleys ofTrentino.[33] It partially corresponds to the territory of the first Visconti domain in the 13th century.[33]
Some independence parties use alternative expressions, such asHistorical Lombardy, in opposition to the today's administrative region.[1][34] According toPro Lombardy Independence and Eurominority, it corresponds with the joined Lombard-speaking andEmilian-speaking areas.[1][35]
The Lombard movements today don't have a unique symbol recognized by all.
Thestatue of Legnano Warrior, erroneously identified asAlberto da Giussano, was first used in the end of 1950s by the journalLa Regione Lombarda, official organ of theMovimento Autonomista Regionale Lombardo.[36][37] Later it was adopted by theLombard League and finally became the symbol of theNorthern League; today is recognized only as a symbol of that political party.[38]
TheSaint Ambrose's Cross (often referred to as the most famousSt. George Cross) is used by most independence and autonomy parties,[39] some of them also use theflag of theDuchy of Milan (calledDucale),[40] theCamunian rose (officialflag of the Lombard region)[41] or a flag inspired by federalist movements of 1848, with St. Ambrose's Cross superimposed by green.[42][43] There is also the idea of using a flag with both the red cross and theBiscione of theHouse of Visconti.[44][45]
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