Mediolanum, the ancient
Milan, was originally an
Insubrian city, but afterwards became an important
Roman city in northern
Italy. This article charts the history of the city from its settlement by the
Insubres around 600 BC, through its conquest by the
Romans and its development into a key centre of Western Christianity and capital of the
Western Roman Empire, until its decline under the ravages of the
Gothic War, its capture by the
Lombards in 569, and their decision to make
Ticinum the capital of their
Kingdom of Italy.