History of South Tyrol - Before The 19th Century

Before The 19th Century

In 15 BC the region was conquered by the Romans, and its northern and eastern parts were incorporated into the Roman Empire as the provinces of Raetia and Noricum respectively, while the part south of and including the area around the modern day cities of Meran and Bolzano became part of Italia's Regio X.

After the conquest of Italy by the Goths Tyrol became part of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy from the 5th to the 6th century. After the fall of the Ostrogothic Kingdom in 553 the Germanic tribe of the Lombards invaded Italy and founded the Lombard Kingdom of Italy. This no longer included all of Tyrol, but only its southern part. The northern part of Tyrol came under the influence of the Bavarii, while the east was probably part of Alamannia.

In the years 1007 and 1027 the Holy Roman Emperors granted the counties of Trento, Bolzano and Vinschgau to the Bishopric of Trento; in 1027 the county of Norital was granted to the Bishopric of Brixen, followed in 1091 by the county of Pustertal.

Over the centuries, the Counts residing in Castle Tyrol, near Meran, extended their territory over much of the region and came to surpass the power of the bishops, who were nominally their feudal lords. Later counts came to hold much of their territory directly from the Holy Roman Emperor.

Following defeat by Napoleon in 1805, the Austrian Empire was forced to cede Tyrol to the Kingdom of Bavaria in the Peace of Pressburg. Tyrol, as part of Bavaria, became a member of the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806. Tyrol remained split between Bavaria and the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy until it was returned to Austria by the Congress of Vienna in 1814. Integrated into the Austrian Empire, from 1867 onwards it was a Kronland (Crown Land) of Cisleithania, the western half of Austria-Hungary.