While the Goths and Byzantines were fighting for the control of Italian peninsula, they were unaware of the threat of the Germanic Lombard people who were united by the King Alboin. In 568 the Lombars began their attacks and set up their capital in Pavia in 572. Pope Gregory the Great persuaded the Lombard Queen Theodolinda to convert her people to Roman style Christianity from Arianism. In the 8th century the leader of the Germanic Tribes Charlemagne had established a court at Aachen to conquer Western Europe. In 774 Charlemagne attacked the Lombards who were under the rule of the King Desiderius, Charlemagne's father-in-law. He not only became the king of the Lombards but also awarded by Pope Leo III as the "imperator augustus" which is known as Holy Roman Emperor. After his death in 814 his empire had fallen into the hands of lordship.
In 888, after the Carolingian rule, Franks gained the control of northern Italy. Under the reign of Frankish kings Otto I, II and III, Lombardy's clergy became effective in ruling the city with the support of the cives - city-dwelling merchants or tradesmen.
At the end of the 11th Century, the cives - city-dwelling merchants or tradesmen were demanding a greater degree of control by arranging "consulatus civium" (town council meetings). However the various settlements in Lombardy were in conflict with each other and Milan imposed its supremacy over Lodi, Cremona, Como and Pavia therefore Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa after 7 months siege in 1162 had the city's fortifications pulled down.
In 1167 the comuni - towns run by the people united in the Lega Lombarda (Lombard League) In 1176 the Lega Lombarda beat the troops of the imperial at the Battle of Legnano. They were fighting against the emperor because of the taxes. In 1183 the Peace of Konstanz gained Milan its independence and self-government.
Ottone Visconti, an archbishop of Milan had been ousted by the Torriani family who led Milan's dominant Guelph (pro-papacy) faction to support the anti-empire movement. Ottone became the signore (lord) of the city after the victories he seized in 1277. The old comune system was over and Milan was ruling by one family. The family had the most glorious times during Gian Galeazzo Visconti between 1378 and 1402. Milan became the largest city in Italy with a population of 250 thousand during the 15th Century. After his death in 1402 because of the plague, Pandolfo III Malatesta declared himself signore of Bergamo and Brescia and Facino Cane took the control in the west. In Milan Caterina, Gian Galeazzo's wife died and her son Giovanni Maria was killed. Her younger son Filippo Maria tried to regain the control.
