Lombardy and Venice, Kingdom of

Lombardy and Venice, Kingdom of

 

formed in 1815 by the Austrian monarchy from the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Venice, which were granted to Austria by the Congress of Vienna of 1814-15. It was administered by a viceroy as an Austrian possession. The Austrian authorities hindered the development of the economy and culture of the kingdom. They established a regime of cruel police repression.

The Kingdom of Lombardy and Venice was one of the important centers of the national liberation struggle during the Risorgimento. As a result of the War of Italian Liberation of 1859, Austria lost Lombardy, and owing to the Seven Weeks’ War of 1866, Venice. Both regions became part of the united Kingdom of Italy.