The Federalist Italian League ( Lega Italiana Federalista , LIF) was a short-lived federalist and liberal political party in Italy .
116-545: The party was founded by dissident members of Northern League on 13 February 1995, including Luigi Negri (who had been secretary of Lombard League until 9 January), Enrico Hüllwech and Giorgio Vido . Sergio Cappelli was elected federal coordinator of the party during a founding convention in Genoa . They had left the party of Umberto Bossi in disagreement with his decision to bring down Berlusconi I Cabinet in December 1994. It
232-484: A chaplain was also present, whose function was to celebrate Mass on the altar placed on the carroccio. Also this religious figure, together with that of the cleric , was paid by the municipality. The first literary trace of the carroccio appears in the poem by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras , a French troubadour of the 12th century, entitled " Il Carros ", where the man of letters, turning his flattery to Beatrice, daughter of Boniface I, Marquess of Montferrat , states that
348-513: A senator , Graziano Girardi . At the 1987 general election , another regional party, Lega Lombarda ("Lombard League", based in Lombardy ) gained national prominence when its leader Umberto Bossi was elected to the Italian Senate. The two parties, along with other regionalist outfits, ran as Alleanza Nord ("Northern Alliance") during the 1989 European Parliament election , gaining 1.8% of
464-621: A bill introducing a path towards fiscal federalism was approved by the Senate after having passed by the Chamber. The bill gained bipartisan support by Italy of Values , which voted in favour of the measure; and the Democratic Party (PD), which chose not to oppose the measure. As of late March 2011, all the most important decrees of the reform were approved by the Parliament and Bossi publicly praised
580-523: A federal congress would be held at the end of June. In the 6–7 May local elections, the League was crushed almost everywhere while retaining the city of Verona, where Tosi, the incumbent mayor, was re-elected by a landslide; and a few other strongholds. The Bossi–Belsito scandal finally resulted, on 7 August 2019, in a sentence by Italy's highest court , according to which the LN was to pay back 49 million euros. At
696-444: A few hours later and was replaced by Stefano Stefani . More shockingly, on 5 April, Bossi resigned as the federal secretary. The party's federal council then appointed a triumvirate composed of Maroni, Calderoli and Manuela Dal Lago , who would lead the party until a new federal congress was held. Bossi, however, was then elected the federal president. On 12 April, the federal council expelled both Belsito and Mauro and decided that
812-563: A law professor close to the M5S. After some bickering with President Sergio Mattarella , Conte's government , which was dubbed by the media as Western European "first all-populist government", was sworn in on 1 June. The cabinet featured Salvini as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Giancarlo Giorgetti as Secretary of the Council and four other League members (plus an independent close to
928-635: A number of Padanian-styled associations and media endeavours (under the supervision of Davide Caparini ), notably including La Padania daily, Il Sole delle Alpi weekly, the Lega Nord Flash periodical, the TelePadania TV channel, the Radio Padania Libera and the Bruno Salvadori publishing house. However, after the 1996 election, which Lega Nord had fought outside the two big coalitions,
1044-543: A pan-European alliance of nationalist political parties, the European Alliance of Peoples and Nations , and he continued these efforts after the election through the Identity and Democracy Party . In the election the party performed strongly in its northern strongholds, especially Veneto (49.9%) and Lombardy (43.4%), obtaining as usual most of its votes in small towns, as well as increasing its share of vote all around
1160-588: A pure reproduction of the Milanese carroccio. Moreover, the descendants of the Arimannia, still at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries had maintained, in the medieval society of northern Italy, a certain autonomy and were recognizable for various specific prerogatives, although the Lombard domination had ended after a few centuries. Documents of 1158 and 1201 confirm the presence of the Milanese carroccio, in peacetime, in
1276-432: A rallying point and as the palladium of the city's honour; its capture by the enemy was regarded as an irretrievable defeat and humiliation. The carroccio, which has Lombard origins, was initially used by Arimannia as a war chariot. Its function became purely symbolic, with the addition of the cross, of the city signs, of the altar and with its preservation in the main church of the city between 1037 and 1039 due to
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#17328763408721392-404: A referendum on independence and elections for a Padanian Parliament . The years between 1996 and 1998 were particularly good for the League, which was the largest party in many provinces of northern Italy and was able to prevail in single-seat constituencies and provincial elections by running alone against both the centre-right and the centre-left. The party also tried to expand its reach through
1508-528: A stroke that led many to question over the party's survival, but that ultimately confirmed Lega Nord's strength due to a very organised structure and a cohesive set of leaders. In government, the LN was widely considered the staunchest ally of Berlusconi and formed the so-called "axis of the North" along with FI (whose strongholds included Lombardy and Veneto as well as Sicily ) through the special relationship between Bossi, Berlusconi and Giulio Tremonti while AN and
1624-1087: A wide range of minor parties, including the Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az), the Italian Liberal Party (PLI) and the National Movement for Sovereignty (MNS). The League obtained a resounding success, becoming the third largest party in Italy with 17.4% of the vote (+13.3pp). The ticket won most of its votes in the North (including 32.2% in Veneto, 28.0% in Lombardy, 26.7% in Trentino, 25.8% in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and 22.6% in Piedmont) while making inroads elsewhere, especially in central Italy (notably 20.2% in Umbria),
1740-469: A yearly Pagan rite by the party's leaders until the 2010s; in its early phase, the party supported a Celtic Druidic form of religion against Roman Catholicism and some party leaders married with Druidic rites. The party gave "Padania", previously referring to the Po Valley , a broader meaning covering entire Northern Italy that has steadily gained currency, at least among its followers. The party even organised
1856-490: Is Lega Nord per l'Indipendenza della Padania (English: Northern League for the Independence of Padania ), is a right-wing , federalist , populist and conservative political party in Italy . In the run-up of the 2018 general election , the party was rebranded as Lega ( lit. ' League ' ), without changing its official name. The party was nonetheless frequently referred to only as "Lega" even before
1972-623: The Archbishop of Milan Aribert 's use in one of the sieges that Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor did on several occasions in Milan. The carroccio therefore, from a military means, became a purely political instrument. From Milan its use spread in many municipalities of northern Italy , in Tuscany and outside Italy, until the decline in the 14th century. Medieval documents show the carroccio called carochium , carozulum , carrocerum or carrocelum , while in
2088-627: The Battle of the Standard in 1138, employed by the English, and at the Battle of Sirmium in 1167, employed by the Hungarians. In addition, the carroccio was also used in the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. In addition to the symbolic value, the carroccio had an important military tactical function . It began to gain military value, especially after the battle of Legnano, where, between the first times in history,
2204-521: The Canzone di Legnano and Canzone del carroccio , the splendors of medieval Italian comunes , a concept that was later taken up also by the writings of Gabriele D'Annunzio . In festivals and historical re-enactments, very often, the pivotal figure is represented by the carroccio: The political party of the Lega Nord is historically known as il carroccio , in reference to the Battle of Legnano to which
2320-580: The Chamber of Deputies was reduced to a sub-group within the Mixed Group. On 20 December most members of LIF, including Luigi Negri , joined FLD. The year later, again in December, a substantial group of LIF members, including Enrico Hüllwech, Flavio Devetag and Luca Azzano Cantarutti , joined the parliamentary group of the Christian Democratic Centre (CCD). In the 1996 general election , when
2436-472: The Christian Democratic Centre (CCD) to form a coalition government under Berlusconi and the party obtained five ministries in Berlusconi's first cabinet : Interior for Roberto Maroni (who was also Deputy Prime Minister), Budget for Giancarlo Pagliarini , Industry for Vito Gnutti , European affairs for Domenico Comino and Institutional Reforms for Francesco Speroni . However, the alliance with Berlusconi and
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#17328763408722552-472: The Italian Republican Party and thus the centre-left coalition supporting Romano Prodi's government . Among the other leading members of LIF, Enrico Hüllwech was elected Mayor of Vicenza in 1998 for Forza Italia, while Giorgio Vido was one of the leaders of Fronte Marco Polo and Liga Fronte Veneto . Lega Nord Lega Nord ( LN ; English: Northern League ), whose complete name
2668-540: The Milanese dialect of the time it was probably called caròcc or caròz . The carroccio was introduced by Heribert (Ariberto) for use as the military insignia of Milan. His many supporters adopted and spread the use of the insignia. It was soon adopted in Lombardy, Tuscany and Rome where it signified a militia aligned toward a defence of the Church. Its diffusion extended to other Lombard cities, but this cannot be explained as
2784-506: The Movement for Autonomy (MpA) and the Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az) for the 2006 general election was not successful in convincing Southern voters to approve the reform, which was rejected in the 2006 constitutional referendum . In the aftermath of the fall of Romano Prodi's government in January 2008, which led President Giorgio Napolitano to call an early election, the centre-right
2900-609: The Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC), the party emerged from the merger of the CCD and the CDU in late 2002, became the natural representatives of Southern interests. During the five years in government with the centre-right, the Parliament passed an important constitutional reform, which included federalism and more powers for the Prime Minister. The alliance that Lega Nord forged with
3016-619: The battle of the Malamorte . Inside the Siena Cathedral , on the other hand, two large 10–15 m spars are preserved, which traditionally refers to the carroccio, victorious from the battle of Montaperti . In Cremona, at the civic museum, there is a wooden platform that is thought to have belonged to the cart of the wagon taken from the Milanese in 1213 in Castelleone . Since there are very few surviving remains from medieval times, information on
3132-460: The medieval communes gathered and fought. It was particularly common among the Lombard , Tuscan and, more generally, northern Italian municipalities. Later its use spread even outside Italy . It was the symbol of municipal autonomy. Priests celebrated Mass at the altar before the battle, and the trumpeters beside them encouraged the fighters to the fray. Defended by selected troops, paved with
3248-469: The "Marvels of Milan". Wrapped in scarlet cloth and drawn by three yoke of oxen that were caparisoned in the white with the red crosses of Saint George , the city's patron, it carried a crucifix so massive it took four men to put it in place, like a ship's mast. The carroccio of the Lombard League was captured by the imperials in 1237 during the battle of Cortenuova , donated to Pope Gregory IX by
3364-479: The 1,000 necessary signatures by party members to take part to the internal "primary" and Salvini collected four times the signatures gathered by Bossi. On 7 December, Salvini, endorsed by Maroni and most leading members (including Tosi, who had renounced a bid of his own), trounced Bossi with 82% of the vote in the "primary". His election was ratified a week later by the party's federal congress in Turin . Under Salvini,
3480-532: The Democrats' leader Pier Luigi Bersani for not having opposed the decisive decree on regional and provincial fiscality. Lega Nord influenced the government also on illegal immigration, especially when dealing with immigrants coming from the sea. While the UNCHR and Catholic bishops expressed some concerns over the handling of asylum seekers, Maroni's decision to send back to Libya the boats full of illegal immigrants
3596-581: The Greco-Roman population of the central-southern half of the peninsula ("Italy" proper). The Lega Nord party conveyed resentment against Rome 's centralism and the Italian government (epitomised by the popular slogan Roma Ladrona , meaning "Rome the Big Thief"), common in northern Italy as many northerners felt that the government wasted resources collected mostly from northerners' taxes, especially for sustaining
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3712-480: The Italian Parliament. In 1993, Marco Formentini (a left-wing member of the party) was elected mayor of Milan , the party won 49.3% in the provincial election of Varese and by the end of the year—before Silvio Berlusconi launched his own political career and party—it was estimated around 16–18% in electoral surveys (half of that support was later siphoned by Berlusconi). In early 1994, some days before
3828-475: The LN and NcS. In the meantime, the parties' joint parliamentary groups were named "League–Salvini Premier" in the Chamber and "League–Salvini Premier–Sardinian Action Party" in the Senate. According to some news sources, Salvini wanted to launch a brand-new party and absorb most of the centre-right parties into it. Since the government's formation, the party was regularly the country's largest party in opinion polls , at around or over 30%. The party's strength
3944-407: The LN campaigned heavily for Veneto 's and Lombardy 's autonomy referendums, which took place on 22 October. In Veneto, the turnout was 57.2% and those who voted "yes" reached 98.1% whereas in Lombardy the figures were 38.3% and 95.3%. When the referendums were over, with strong opposition by Bossi, Salvini persuaded the party's federal council to style the party simply as "Lega", including NcS, in
4060-537: The LN was further reduced to 3.9% while being returned in Parliament thanks to the victories scored by the League members in single-seat constituencies. In 2001–2006, although severely reduced in its parliamentary representation, the party controlled three key ministries: Justice with Roberto Castelli , Labour and Social affairs with Roberto Maroni and Institutional Reforms and Devolution with Umberto Bossi (replaced by Roberto Calderoli in June 2004). In March 2004, Bossi suffered
4176-415: The LN, which won 19.4% of the vote, was the region 's second-largest and resulted far ahead of FI, paving the way for a bid for the leadership of the centre-right . In December, Us with Salvini (NcS) was launched. The party's growing popularity among voters was reflected also by a constant rise in opinion polls . In March 2015, after a long struggle between Tosi and Zaia, who was backed by Salvini, over
4292-559: The League maintained its power base in the North, where it continued to get most of its support. The League ran in the 2018 general election within the four-party centre-right coalition , also composed of FI, Brothers of Italy (FdI) and Us with Italy (NcI), which formed a joint list with the Union of the Centre (UdC). In a further effort to broaden its base, the League welcomed in its electoral slates several independents, notably including Giulia Bongiorno and Alberto Bagnai , as well as
4408-578: The Lega Lombarda lost the carroccio in battle because of the muddy roads. In 1275, it was the carroccio of the Bolognese (who were Guelphs ) to be captured in the battle of San Procolo by the Forlivese, who were instead Ghibellines , and to be brought in triumph to Forlì . In the mid-13th century the carroccio di Cremona was instead captured in battle by the municipal militias of Parma . Accounts of
4524-433: The Lombard women rivals in the beauty of the girl they use a carroccio and other chariots to "fight" the growing fame of the girl. Giacomo da Lentini , an imperial official of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor , dealt with the carroccio in the song Ben m'è venuto , which is a poetic piece of love inspired by the poems of the troubadours and probably composed before the battle of Cortenuova (between 1233 and 1237). Since
4640-429: The North were thus governed by the League. In September 2013, Maroni announced he would soon leave the party's leadership. A congress was scheduled for mid December and in accordance to the new rules set for the leadership election five candidates filed their bid to become secretary: Umberto Bossi, Matteo Salvini, Giacomo Stucchi , Manes Bernardini and Roberto Stefanazzi . Of these, only Bossi and Salvini gathered
4756-610: The Northern League, despite the several splits had its best result ever (10.1% nationally), the only member of LIF who stood as candidate under the party's banner was Luca Azzano Cantarutti, future president of Venetian Independence , who got just 2.8% of the vote in the single-seat constituency of Adria . LIF leader Luigi Negri was however re-elected to the Chamber for the Pole for Freedoms and soon joined Forza Italia along with what remained of UF and FLD. He later left also that party to join
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4872-591: The PD as junior partner of the South Tyrolean People's Party in the provincial government coalition. In the 2019 European Parliament election in Italy , the League won 34.3% of the vote, winning for the first time a plurality of the electorate, while the M5S stopped at 17.1%. The election thus weakened the M5S and strengthened Salvini's position within the government. At the European level, Salvini worked to create
4988-511: The announcement of the Bossi–Berlusconi pact which led to the formation of the Pole of Freedoms , Roberto Maroni , Bossi's number two, signed an agreement with Mario Segni 's centrist Pact for Italy , which was later cancelled. The party thus fought the 1994 general election in alliance with Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) within the Pole of Freedoms coalition. Lega Nord gained just 8.4% of
5104-511: The beginning of June, after having secured the leadership of several national sections of the party, Maroni and his followers scored two big victories at the congresses of the two largest "nations", Lombardy and Veneto: Matteo Salvini was elected secretary of Lega Lombarda with 74% of the votes while Flavio Tosi fended off a challenge by the Venetists ' and Bossi's loyalists' standard-bearer Massimo Bitonci , defeating him 57%–43%. On 1 July, Maroni
5220-400: The beginning of the 1990s, Lega Nord became a stable political force in the Italian political scene. Lega Nord's first electoral breakthrough was at the 1990 regional elections, but it was with the 1992 general election that the party emerged as a leading political actor. Having gained 8.7% of the vote, 56 deputies and 26 senators, it became the fourth largest party of the country and within
5336-589: The carroccio is a signum , in modern times it has become a symbol of ideas, hopes and different meanings, very often as anti- tyrannical propaganda during the period of the Signorias , up to Romanticism and the Risorgimento , where it became the symbol of the struggle against the foreign occupation. Important promoters of these ideas were Massimo d'Azeglio , Giovanni Berchet , Amos Cassioli , Francesco Hayez . Giosuè Carducci and Giovanni Pascoli recalled, with
5452-620: The carroccio is present in a fresco by Stradanus dedicated to the House of Medici , which depicts Piazza della Signoria during the feast of John the Baptist . It is therefore probable that three types of carroccio existed. The first "classic" on the Milanese model, the Tuscan one with two flagpoles (with the carroccio of Florence that presented a bell), and the one widespread in Flanders and Germany , which
5568-399: The carroccio was carried out by the "martinella", while the trumpeters imparted the orders and, very often, incited the troop to the combat. In 2000, the original "martinella" of the Battle of Legnano was identified. It was kept on the bell tower of the hermitage of Sant'Alberto di Butrio of Ponte Nizza , in the province of Pavia . In the same year of the discovery, it was paraded during
5684-495: The carroccio was in the keeping of a great family which had distinguished itself by signal services to the republic. The Florentine carroccio was captured by the Ghibelline forces of Castruccio Castracani in the 1325 Battle of Altopascio , after which it was displayed by the victors in a triumph held in the streets of Lucca . The carro della guerra of Milan was described in detail in 1288 by Bonvesin de la Riva in his book on
5800-414: The carroccio will be found in most histories of the Italian republics. The decline of the carroccio occurred due to the evolution of war tactics. When larger and more manoeuvrable armies began to appear, the municipal infantry were replaced by soldiers of "ventura", who, being mercenaries , lacked emotional ties and belonging to the city. The symbolic value of the carroccio, in this historical context,
5916-420: The carroccio, in addition to being considered the most coveted in war, was kept in cathedrals, which were the most important churches of the municipalities, and was the protagonist, always in times of peace, of the most important ceremonies and events that took place in the cities. In addition to the war purpose, the carroccio had other functions, which could also be carried out in times of peace. The leaders of
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#17328763408726032-449: The carroccio. In 1159 the municipal troops of Brescia conquered the carroccio of the Cremona area during a battle. The cart was then carried in triumph between the streets of Brescia and was placed in the community church, with the "martinella" which was positioned on the civic tower of the city. The carroccio was the protagonist in the battle of Legnano on 29 May 1176, during which it
6148-500: The characteristics suitable for its defence. Considering the last hypothesis, the final clash could also have taken place on part of the territory now belonging to the contrade of Sant'Ambrogio and San Magno (between the quartier of "Costa di San Giorgio" and the Olona, a steep slope was later included in the Castello park) and to the municipality of San Giorgio su Legnano . The carroccio
6264-480: The chronicles of the clash, the Cologne Annals , contain important information: The Lombards, ready to win or die on the field, placed their army inside a large pit, so that when the battle was in full swing, no one could escape. This would suggest that the carroccio was located on the edge of a steep slope flanking the river Olona , so that the imperial cavalry , whose arrival was planned by Castellanza along
6380-584: The church of San Giorgio al Palazzo , while others are still inside the Palazzo della Ragione . The first document cited contains information on the need to make an iron shield to be placed in the choir of the church, which was located near the carroccio, with the lighting of a votive fire fed by a pound of oil. The 1201 document contains similar information in that the archbishop of the San Giorgio al Palazzo church in Milan should have lighted votive lamps around
6496-436: The clash of Legnano did the cavalry begin to change strategy, attacking the infantry in defence of the carroccio in conspicuous organized forces, thus succeeding in breaking its resistance. This change in war strategy also contributed to the decline and disappearance of the carroccio from battlefields. In Brescia , there is a cross that probably belonged to the flagpole of the carroccio from Cremona , conquered in 1191 at
6612-403: The colors of the municipality, it was generally pulled by oxen and carried an altar , a bell (called martinella ), the heraldic signs of the city and a mast surmounted by a Christian cross . In peace time it was kept in the main church of the city to which it belonged. In battle the carroccio was surrounded by the bravest warriors in the army as the carroccio guard, and it served both as
6728-459: The country. The party also obtained notable results in some of the places associated with the European migrant crisis , from north to south, such as Bardonecchia , Ventimiglia , Riace and Lampedusa . Carroccio A carroccio ( Italian pronunciation: [karˈrɔttʃo] ; Lombard : carrocc ) was a large four-wheeled wagon bearing the city signs around which the militia of
6844-506: The crucial phases in defence of the carroccio had been fought on the territory of the San Martino contrada (more precisely, near the 15th-century church of the same name, which in fact dominates a slope that descends towards the Olona ) or of the Legnanese quarter of "Costa di San Giorgio", since in another part of the neighbouring areas it is not possible to identify another depression with
6960-447: The defeat of Milan, it comes as a glorious prey to announce the triumphs of Caesar. It will be held as shame to the enemy, sent here for the glory of the City, the love of Rome sent it Rome, in addition to being the seat of the papacy , was also the capital of a vast empire , and therefore the sending of the carroccio to the city by the emperor had a strong symbolic meaning. In 1237 however,
7076-572: The description of Bonvesin da la Riva , weighed as much as four men and was usually supported by ropes (certainly that of Milan). In the Chigi codex , the Florentine carroccio presents two flagpoles and the flag, which very often was not fixed to a sidebar, was in precious fabric usually divided into two halved colours, or it was decorated with a cross motif. Unlike in Northern Europe , the representation of
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#17328763408727192-473: The differences between those who supported a new alliance with Berlusconi (Vito Gnutti, Domenico Comino, Fabrizio Comencini and more) and those who preferred to enter Romano Prodi 's Olive Tree (Marco Formentini, Irene Pivetti and others) re-emerged. A total of 15 deputies and 9 senators left the party to join either centre-right or centre-left parties. Pivetti left a few months after the election. Comencini left in 1998 to launch Liga Veneta Repubblica with
7308-413: The economies of Rome and southern Italy. Resentment against illegal immigrants was also exploited. The party's electoral successes began approximately at a time when public disillusionment with the established political parties was at its height: the Tangentopoli corruption scandals, which involved most of the established parties, broke out from 1992 onwards. Contrary to what many pundits observed at
7424-400: The emperor Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor , and transported to the Palazzo Senatorio in Rome in what is still called the Sala del carroccio ("Room of carroccio"), where the commemorative inscription of the gift is kept made by the emperor to the Roman people. The inscription reads: Receive, oh Rome, the chariot, a gift of Emperor Frederick II, perennial honor of the city. Captured in
7540-415: The government itself were both short-lived: the latter collapsed before the end of the year, with the League being instrumental in its demise. The last straw was a proposed pension reform, which would have hurt some of the key constituencies of the LN, but the government was never a cohesive one and relations among coalition partners, especially those between the LN and the centralist AN, were quite tense all
7656-413: The historical procession of the Palio di Legnano . The specialis magister , who took care of the maintenance of the carroccio, was paid by the municipality, for his service, 8 soldi a day. In addition to checking the functionality of the wagon, the specialis magister participated in the war actions in which the carroccio was involved by dressing armor and carrying a sword . On the carroccio,
7772-400: The impossible". On 20 January, Bossi replaced Reguzzoni as leader in the Chamber with Gianpaolo Dozzo . Two days later, the federal council of the party scheduled provincial congresses by April and national (regional) congresses by June. Maroni, whose flock included people as diverse as Flavio Tosi , a conservative liberal; and Matteo Salvini , then a left-winger, strengthened his grip on
7888-431: The infantry, which was gathered around the carroccio, held the chivalry head. Until then, the latter was in fact considered clearly superior to soldiers on foot. Since the infantry gathered around the carroccio, the latter, besides having a strong symbolic value, therefore had an important tactical function. If the carroccio was ever captured, for the municipal militias, defeat was almost certain. Also, for this reason,
8004-417: The largest in Veneto with 35.2% and the second-largest in Lombardy with 26.2% while getting stronger all around the North and in some regions of central Italy. In November 2011, Berlusconi resigned and was replaced by Mario Monti . The League was the only major party to oppose Monti's technocratic government . Throughout 2011, the party was riven in internal disputes, which Bossi's weak-as-ever leadership
8120-458: The left". These talks were successful and Maroni was indicated as the joint candidate for President of Lombardy for the 2000 regional election . Despite this, Bossi decided instead to approach Berlusconi, who was the front-runner in the upcoming 2001 general election . The centre-right coalition won the 2000 regional elections and the League entered the regional governments of Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont and Liguria . One year later, Lega Nord
8236-495: The mid-term goal of joining forces with FI in Veneto. Gnutti and Comino were expelled in 1999 after they had formed local alliances with the centre-right. Formentini also left in 1999 in order to join Prodi's Democrats . As a result, the party suffered a huge setback at the 1999 European Parliament election in which it garnered a mere 4.5% of the vote. Since then, the League de-emphasised demands for independence in order to rather focus on devolution and federal reform, paving
8352-403: The municipalities, on the carroccio, could make important decisions concerning the city, while the judges could use it as a mobile tribunal to issue their sentences . The Lombard Lega infantry, during the battle of Legnano, managed to resist the various attacks perpetrated by the imperial cavalry due to the tactics of the latter, which foresaw assaults on small disorganized groups. Only after
8468-400: The new leader of Lega Lombarda. In the 2017 leadership election , Salvini, who was focused on becoming the leader of the centre-right and possibly changing the LN's name by ditching the word "North", was re-elected leader of the party with 82.7% of the vote against his opponent Gianni Fava 's 17.3%. Consequently, Salvini launched his campaign to become Prime Minister . In the meantime,
8584-513: The original regional parties and the unified party was the medieval political alliance of northern Italy known as the Lombard League (1167–1250), the consciousness that the northern ethnicities of the Italian peninsula are descendants of Gaulish and Lombardic populations — historically, northern Italians were called "Lombards" and the entire northern portion of the peninsula was called " Lombardy " —, and that they are ethnically different from
8700-614: The party embraced a very critical view of the European Union , especially of the euro , which he described a "crime against mankind". Ahead of the 2014 European Parliament election , Salvini started to cooperate with Marine Le Pen , leader of the French National Front ; and Geert Wilders , leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom . All this was criticised by Bossi, who re-called his left-wing roots; and Tosi, who represented
8816-508: The party established by Salvini himself in the 2010s, and since 2020 throughout entire Italy. Following the emergence of LSP, the original LN is practically inactive and its former "national" sections (Lega Lombarda, Liga Veneta, etc.) have become "regional" sections of the LSP. At the 1983 general election , Liga Veneta ("Venetian League", based in Veneto ) elected a deputy , Achille Tramarin ; and
8932-485: The party has referred to as " Padania ", and, thus, Padanian nationalism . The party has always opposed illegal immigration and often adopted Eurosceptic stances. Since 31 January 2020, through a mandate given by the federal council, the party has been managed by commissioner Igor Iezzi . The LN was thus eclipsed by the Lega per Salvini Premier (LSP), until that moment active as the central and southern Italian branch of
9048-429: The party was far from united on the anti-Euro stance), ahead of the new Forza Italia (FI) and the other PdL's spin-offs; and fourth in Lombardy with 14.6%. Salvini was triumphant, despite the party had lost Piedmont to the Democrats after Cota had been forced to resign due to irregularities committed by one of its supporting lists in filing the slates for the 2010 election and had decided not to stand. Moreover, Bitonci
9164-468: The party while Maroni had instead returned to the party's fold after months of coldness with Bossi. Between 1995 and 1998, Lega Nord joined centre-left governing coalitions in many local contexts, notably including the Province of Padua to the city of Udine . After a big success at the 1996 general election , its best result so far (10.1%, 59 deputies and 27 senators), Lega Nord announced that it wanted
9280-401: The party's candidates in the upcoming regional election in Veneto , Tosi was removed from national secretary of Liga Veneta and ejected from the federal party altogether. However, the 2015 regional elections were another success for the LN, especially in Veneto, where Zaia was handily re-elected with 50.1% of the vote (Tosi got 11.9%) and the combined score of party's and Zaia's personal lists
9396-667: The party's centrist wing and defended the Euro. In the European election, the party, which ran on a "Stop the Euro" ticket, emphasised Euroscepticism and welcomed candidates from other anti-Euro and/or autonomist movements, notably including South Tyrol 's Freiheitlichen , obtained 6.2% of the vote and five MEPs . The result was far worse than that of the previous European election in 2009 (−4.0pp), but better than that of 2013 general election (+2.1pp). The LN came third with 15.2% in Veneto (where Tosi obtained many more votes than Salvini, showing his popular support once for all and proving how
9512-411: The party's founding "national" sections in 1991. The party's founder and long-time federal secretary was Umberto Bossi , now federal president. The LN has advocated the transformation of Italy from a unitary to a federal state , fiscal federalism , regionalism and greater regional autonomy , especially for northern regions . At times, the party has advocated the secession of northern Italy, which
9628-505: The party's public meetings, Maroni gained the upper hand in January 2012. During a factional rally in Varese , he launched direct attacks on Reguzzoni and Mauro in the presence of a puzzled Bossi. On that occasion, Maroni called for the celebration of party congresses and closed his speech paraphrasing Scipio Slataper and Che Guevara (the latter being one of his youth's heroes): "We are barbarians, dreaming barbarians. We are realistic, we dream
9744-570: The party) as ministers. During 2019, along with the LN's membership recruitment in the Centre-North, the party launched a parallel drive in the Centre-South for the LSP, practically supplanting NcS. It was a sign that the LSP, whose party constitution had been published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale in December 2017 and had been described as a "parallel party", might eventually replace both
9860-542: The party. On 3 April, a corruption scandal hit the magic circle and consequently the entire party. The party's treasurer Francesco Belsito was charged with money-laundering, embezzlement and fraud of the LN's expenses. Among other things, he was accused of having taken money away from the party's chest and paid it out to Bossi's family and other members of the magic circle, notably including Mauro. Maroni, who had already called for Belsito's resignation as early as in January, asked for his immediate replacement. Belsito resigned
9976-406: The patron saint did not appear on Italian wagons, where it was often depicted as decoration of the front body. The tow of the carroccio was usually executed by oxen or — very rarely — by horses. The use of the bell (the "martinella") is still controversial. It is not clear whether he was directly on the carroccio or else he followed on another vehicle. The function of recall of the soldiers around
10092-577: The post of President of Lombardy . Contrarily to what most people expected, Maroni did not leave Northern League and returned to active politics in July. This was a hard blow for Negri and his followers. Many of them thus switched to the Federalist Union (UF) led by Gianfranco Miglio or the Federalists and Liberal Democrats (FLD), led by Furio Gubetti and Raffaele Costa . On 14 July the party's group in
10208-407: The real historical facts, the municipal infantry arranged a decisive resistance around the carroccio which allowed the remaining part of the Lombard League army led by Guido da Landriano , to arrive from Milan and defeat Frederick Barbarossa in the famous clash of Legnano. Today it is difficult to establish precisely the exact location of this carroccio to the current topography of Legnano. One of
10324-451: The rebranding, and informally as the Carroccio ( lit. ' big chariot ' ). The party's latest elected leader was Matteo Salvini . In 1989, the LN was established as a federation of six regional parties from northern and north- central Italy ( Liga Veneta , Lega Lombarda , Piemont Autonomista , Uniun Ligure , Lega Emiliano-Romagnola and Alleanza Toscana ), which became
10440-419: The result of stories by non-ocular chroniclers, being the authors of the 14th and 15th centuries, therefore of an era where the presence of the carroccio in everyday life had by then disappeared. The first representation shows only two movable flagpoles, one with the help of the other, while in the second image, where there is a four-wheeled cart with a flag, the subject is shown in more detail. The same image of
10556-430: The river, would have been forced to attack the centre of the army of the Lombard League going up the escarpment. This decision later proved to be strategically incorrect, given that Frederick Barbarossa came instead from Borsano, or from the opposite side, which forced the municipal troops to resist around the carroccio with the escape road blocked by the Olona. Considering the evolution of the clash, this could mean that
10672-496: The secession of northern Italy under the name of Padania . On 13 September 1996, Bossi took an ampoule of water from the springs of the Po River (called Padus in Latin , whence "Padania"), which was poured into the sea of Venice two days later as a symbolic act of birth of the new nation. The Po River was deified by the party ( Dio Po , "Po God") and the "Ampoule Rite" was conducted as
10788-414: The shape of the carroccio is fragmentary. Alessandro Visconti, in a book from 1945, referring to the chronicler Arnulf of Milan , reports this description: The sign that was to precede the fighters was like this: a tall antenna, like a ship's mast, planted in a sturdy wagon rose up high, bringing to the top a golden knob with two flaps of white hanging linen. In the midst of that antenna the venerable Cross
10904-569: The time. When Bossi finally decided to withdraw from the government in December, Maroni vocally disagreed and walked out. In January 1995, the League gave a vote of confidence to the newly formed cabinet led by Lamberto Dini , along with the Italian People's Party and the Democratic Party of the Left . This caused several splinter groups to leave the party, including the Federalist Party (which
11020-512: The upcoming general election. Additionally, Salvini toned down his stances against the European Union and the Euro in order to make an alliance with FI possible. Despite misgivings by Bossi and the Padanist old guard, the party still had a strong autonomist outlook in the northern regions, especially in Veneto where Venetian nationalism was stronger than ever before. Additionally,
11136-546: The upper part of the South (13.8% in Abruzzo ) and Sardinia (10.8%). In the simultaneous regional election in Lombardy , LN's Attilio Fontana ran for President after Maroni, increasingly critical of Salvini, chose not to run for a second term and step aside from politics. Fontana was elected with 49.8% of the vote and the party scored 29.4%. In late April in the regional election in Friuli-Venezia Giulia , LN's Massimiliano Fedriga
11252-407: The vote (−4.2pp). However, in the simultaneous 2013 regional election in Lombardy the party won the big prize: Maroni was elected President by defeating his Democratic opponent 42.8% to 38.2%. The League, which retrieved 12.9% in Lombardy in the general election, garnered 23.2% (combined result of party list, 13.0% and Maroni's personal list, 10.2%) in the regional election. All three big regions of
11368-515: The vote, but thanks to a generous division of candidacies in Northern single-seats constituencies its parliamentary representation was almost doubled to 117 deputies and 56 senators. The position of President Chamber of Deputies was thus given to a LN member, Irene Pivetti , a young woman hailing from the Catholic faction of the party. After the election, the League joined FI, National Alliance (AN) and
11484-542: The vote. Lega Nord, which was first launched as a reform of Alleanza Nord in December 1989, was officially established as a party in February 1991 through the merger of various regional parties, notably including Lega Lombarda and Liga Veneta. These continue to exist as "national sections" of the main party, which presents itself in regional and local contests as "Lega Lombarda–Lega Nord", "Liga Veneta–Lega Nord", "Lega Nord– Piemont " and so on. The foundational inspiration for
11600-501: The way for a return to coalition politics. After the defeat at the 1999 European Parliament election, senior members of the party thought it was not possible to achieve anything if the party continued to stay outside the two big coalitions. Some, including Maroni, who despite 1994–1995 row with Bossi had always been left-leaning in the heart, preferred an alliance with the centre-left. Bossi asked Maroni to negotiate an agreement with Massimo D'Alema , who had described Lega Nord as "a rib of
11716-608: Was 40.9%. The party also came second in Liguria (22.3%) and Tuscany (16.2%), third in Marche (13.0%) and Umbria (14.0%). After the 2016 local elections in which the party ran below expectations in Lombardy (while doing well in Veneto—thanks to Zaia, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany) and the NcS performed badly, Salvini's political line came under pressure from Bossi, Maroni and Paolo Grimoldi ,
11832-777: Was a simple cart with a central flagpole. From the description, made by Salimbene di Adam , of the dismantling of the one captured by the Parmesans to the Cremonese during the Battle of Parma in 1248, it can be deduced that there were five parts of the carroccio: four wheels, a platform, the flagpole, the flag and various decorations. The wheels were very large, and were usually painted red in Milan and Florence, white in Parma, and in precious colours not specified in Siena and Padua . The flagpole, according to
11948-513: Was actually founded in June 1994) of Gianfranco Miglio , the Federalists and Liberal Democrats of Franco Rocchetta , Lucio Malan and Furio Gubetti and the Federalist Italian League of Luigi Negri and Sergio Cappelli . All these groups later merged into FI while a few other MPs, including Pierluigi Petrini , floor leader in the Chamber of Deputies, joined the centre-left. By 1996, a total of 40 deputies and 17 senators had left
12064-544: Was afterwards adopted by other cities and first appears, after Legnano, on a Florentine battlefield in 1228. The Florentine carroccio was usually followed by a smaller cart bearing the "martinella", a bell to ring out military signals. When war was regarded as likely, the "martinell" was attached to the door of the Church of Santa Maria in the Mercato Nuovo in Florence and rung to warn both citizens and enemies. In times of peace,
12180-675: Was confirmed in October by the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol provincial elections : in Trentino LN's Maurizio Fugatti was elected President with 46.7% of the vote and the party scored 27.1% (despite competition from several autonomist parties), while in South Tyrol it came third with 11.1% (being the most voted in Bolzano and, more generally, among Italian-speakers), leading it to replace
12296-500: Was defended, according to legend, by the Company of Death led by Alberto da Giussano , a fictional character who actually appeared only in literary works of the following century. According to the legend, during the fight, three doves , out of the burials of the saints Sisinnio, Martirio and Alessandro at the basilica of San Simpliciano in Milan, rested on the carroccio causing the flight of Frederick Barbarossa . Instead, according to
12412-554: Was elected mayor of Padua , a centre-left stronghold. The party's federal congress, summoned in Padua in July 2014, approved Salvini's political line, especially a plan for the introduction of a flat tax and the creation of a sister party in central - southern Italy and the Isles . In November, the Emilia-Romagna regional election represented a major step for Salvini's "national project":
12528-522: Was elected with 57.1% of the vote and the party scored 34.9%. As neither of the three main groupings (the centre-right, the PD-led centre-left and the M5S) obtained a majority of seats in Parliament, the League entered in coalition talks with the M5S which was the most voted party with 32.7% of the vote. The talks resulted in the proposal of the so-called "government of change" under the leadership of Giuseppe Conte ,
12644-641: Was fixed with the image of the Redeemer painted with open arms facing the surrounding ranks, because whatever the event of the war, looking at that sign, the soldiers comforted it… Two depictions of the carroccio in the Middle Ages reached the 21st-century ichnographically. The first is present in the Montauri Chronicles of Siena, and the second in the Chronicle of Giovanni Villani . The two representations are
12760-572: Was initially composed of 14 Deputies and 10 Senators. At that time Lega Nord was split between those who supported the new course of the party and those who wanted to continue the alliance with Silvio Berlusconi 's Forza Italia . Among the latter figured also Roberto Maroni , minister of the Interior under Berlusconi and number two of the party. The decision of Bossi led him to leave resign from Parliament on 11 February. LIF members hoped that Maroni would have joined their party (to become its leader) and tried to convince him to run as their candidate for
12876-450: Was not able to stop. Roberto Maroni, a moderate figure who had been the party's number two since the start, was clearly Bossi's most likely successor. The rise of Maroni and his fellow maroniani was obstacled by a group of Bossi's loyalists, whom journalists called the "magic circle". The leaders of this group were Marco Reguzzoni (floor leader in the Chamber of Deputies) and Rosi Mauro . After being temporarily forbidden from speaking at
12992-505: Was part of Berlusconi's House of Freedoms in the 2001 general election. According to its leader, the alliance was a "broad democratic arch, composed of the democratic right, namely AN, the great democratic centre, namely Forza Italia, CCD and CDU , and the democratic left represented by the League, the New PSI, the PRI and, at least I hope so, Cossiga ". The coalition won handily the election, but
13108-545: Was praised also by some leading Democrats, notably including Piero Fassino ; and it was backed by some 76% of Italians according to a poll. In agreement with the PdL, Luca Zaia was candidate for President in Veneto and Roberto Cota in Piedmont in the 2010 regional elections while in the other Northern regions, including Lombardy , the League supported candidates of the PdL. Both Zaia and Cota were elected. The party became
13224-852: Was re-organised by Berlusconi as The People of Freedom (PdL), now without the support of the UDC. Lega Nord ran the election in coalition with the PdL and the MpA, gaining a stunning 8.3% of the vote (+4.2pp) and obtaining 60 deputies (+37) and 26 senators (+13). Following this result, since May 2008 the party was represented in Berlusconi's fourth cabinet by four ministers (Roberto Maroni, Interior; Luca Zaia , Agriculture; Umberto Bossi, Reforms and Federalism; and Roberto Calderoli, Legislative simplification) and five under-secretaries (Roberto Castelli, Infrastructures; Michelino Davico , Interior; Daniele Molgora , Economy and Finances; Francesca Martini , Health; and Maurizio Balocchi , Legislative simplification). In April 2009,
13340-508: Was therefore less. Moreover, from a logistical point of view , the carroccio, being a very slow vehicle drawn by oxen, was not very mobile, and often created obstacles to the actions of war, which were becoming faster and faster. For these reasons, the carroccio, in the 14th century, went inexorably towards a phase of decline which then led to its disappearance from battlefields. Similar cart-mounted standards were also found elsewhere in Europe, at
13456-470: Was virtually unanimously elected federal secretary. The party's constitution was changed in order to make Bossi federal president for life, to restructure the federal organisation and to give more autonomy to the national sections, in fact transforming the federation into a confederation. At the 2013 general election , which saw the rise of the Five Star Movement (M5S), the League won a mere 4.1% of
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