The History of Milan Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mediolanum

Mediolanum was a somewhat common name in those days with dozens of them existing in Ancient Rome, though none as glorious as the one that would become Milan. Milan was originally founded by several Celtic tribes before it was taken by Rome in 222 B.C. It was made the capital of the Western Roman Empire in AD 286 on the orders of Diocletian but ruled by Maximian.

Answer: Righting past wrongs against Christians

Christianity had previously been legalized in the Edict of Toleration in 311 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Galerius. What that edict ignored, however, was the state and treatment of Christians within the empire. The Edict of Milan, which was agreed to by Constantine I and Licinius, granted a form of religious liberty to Christians and members of other religions.

Constantine, although not yet a Christian, was fearful of the Christian God and many historians regard the Edict of Milan as a way to appease those fears rather than a genuine act of good faith. Among the things the edict granted was the return of previously seized property to Christians.

Answer: Charlemagne

In 402, Milan was sacked by the Visigoths, then by the Huns fifty years later. The Ostrogoths took it in 539. The Lombards besieged it 568 before surrendering it over the Franks in 774.

Such fights for power and territory were common in Europe in those days and different kingdoms often conquered each other in quick succession. When Frankish King Charlemagne received Milan and was crowned as King of the Lombards, it was seen as consequential and essential to his control over the Kingdom of Italy. The crown he wore is called the Iron Crown of Lombardy and is said to contain a nail from the True Cross of Jesus' crucifixion.

Answer: Battle of Legnano

The Lombard League was formed to oppose the Holy Roman Empire, specifically the influence the latter had on Italy. It gained legitimacy when it defeated the Holy Roman Empire at Legnano. The victory lead to the Peace of Constance which called for independence among the cities of the Lombard League.

As a result, Milan was allowed to choose its own leaders, though still were forced into some loyalty to the Holy Roman Empire. Thus it was not a complete independence.

Answer: Visconti

The Visconti first seized power from the delle Torre family in 1277 and ruled until 1447 when Filippo Maria Visconti died heirless. The Visconti family launched Milan in a trade-friendly city, greatly expanding its economy.

After 1447, the Guelph-Ghibelline feud ended and the two factions worked together. However this alliance was not successful for long as Milan was soon taken by the Sforza family, who brought the Renaissance to Milan.

Answer: Carnival celebrations

Milan had strict public health measures like mandatory quarantines that had been modestly successful. However, invading forced brought the plague to Mantua in 1629. During Milan's carnival celebrations before Lent, the quarantine was not enforced strictly, which allowed the plague to spread.

By the end of the plague in 1631, over 60,000 Milanese people died, about 40% of the population.

Answer: La Scala

La Scala was built to replace the old opera house that had burnt down. During this time in Milanese history, Milan was under the control of both the Austrians and the French. The Austrian Habsburgs, in particular Empress Maria Teresa, had a great affection for the arts.

Many of the original performances at La Scala were wildly different from the ones that followed. Many composers were booed off the stage and made the necessary changes to their performances. La Scala, in addition to being an opera house, was also known as a place to conduct business transactions, often shady in nature.

Answer: Events of May

The Bava-Beccaris massacre lasted for five days in May 1898. Because Milan was booming industrially, agriculture in the surrounding country was taking the back seat. Wheat prices soared over 200% and importing wheat was even more expensive. Eighty people took to the streets to protest and King Umberto I sent General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris to quash it.

This was seen as an overreaction and led to the downfall of the king who was assassinated a few years later. Between 80 and 400 people were killed.

Answer: Benito Mussolini

Mussolini first led a Blackshirts rally in Milan's Piazza San Sepolcro in 1919. He was later an infamous ally of Adolf Hitler. Mussolini eliminated Italian democracy by 1925 and nicknamed himself Il Duce, which means the leader in Italian. He also is considered the founder of Fascism.

In April 1945 left-wing guerrillas caught him and other Fascists as they were trying to flee to Switzerland. He was shot alongside his mistress, Clara Petacci on April 28, 1945. Their bodies, and those of many other Fascists, were hanged upside down in the Piazzale Loreto the following day.

Answer: A large scale political scandal

Although Tangentopoli was a nation-wide investigation, it began in Milan in 1992 when Mario Chiesa was arrested for accepting a bribe. In total over 5,000 politicians, including more than half of Parliament were investigated. Many of them resigned or committed suicide.

Milan was booming economically thanks to an increase in tourism once the political violence of the 1960s and 1970s calmed down. Milan was especially hit hard by the scandal and many of the city's businesses and industries folded.

The word Tangentopoli can be translated to mean "city of bribery" or "city of kickbacks."