Bergamo is built on the ancient city of Bergomum, which was settlement place for the Cenomani local tribe called the Celtic tribe. It developed into a Roman municipality in 49 BC with a population of approximately 10,000. It was an important military base and located between Friueli & Raetia. Attila destroyed the city at around 5th century.
Along with the cities like Brescia, Cividale del Friuli and Trento, Bergamo in the 6th century, became one of the major seats of the Lombard duchies that belonged to the northern part of Italy. Wallaris was the first Lombard duke. Charlemagne conquered the Lombard kingdom and thus the seat of Bergamo came under one Auteramus.
Bergamo became an independent community in the beginning of the 11th century. In 1165, Bergamo defeated Fredrick I Barbarossa in the Lombard League. In 1264, Bergamo was ruled by Milan because of the riots between Guelphs & Ghibellines, which were led by the Colleoni, & the Suardi respectively. John of Bohemia captured the city in 1331 but it was recaptured by Milan after a while.
Malatesta conquered Bergamo in 1407 but it came under the rule of Venetian Republic in 1428. Bergamo and its territories became a part of North Italy at the time of French & Napoleonic Dominion in the period from 1797 to 1815. And therefore the Venetians vacated the major posts of the town.
Austrian empire took the charge of the Bergamo city in 1815. But in 1859, during the 2nd Italian War of Independence, Giuseppe Garibaldi took Bergamo and it was included in the Kingdom of Italy. Bergamo developed to and was one of the major industrialized cities of Italy in the 20th century. Also, Bergamo suffered very less damage during World War II.
