History
The town's mythological foundation is attributed to the Trojan hero Opsicella. The area shows evidence of human settlement since the Bronze Age.
In Roman times it was known as Mons Silicis, meaning "mountain of flintstone", possibly due to the local quarries of trachyte.
The earliest known documents about Monselice date back to 568 CE and are related to the conquest of the town by the Lombards. The town was under Byzantine rule for a brief period until its conquest by king Agilulf around 602.
During the Comuni period (12th century) the town had its own local self-government. The town was aligned with the Ghibellines against the Guelphs in the political and military fights of the 13th century.
The Ghibelline leader Ezzelino III da Romano improved the town's fortifications and made it one of the main strongholds of the area.
The town was then under the Carraresi (the lords of Padua) rule and in the 15th century it became part of the Republic of Venice.
After a short period of French domination, it was part of the Austrian Empire and, later, of its client Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia.
In 1866 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
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