Editing Locarno (section)

===Early Locarno===
[[File:Tessin2006 picture 049.jpg|thumb|Harbor of Locarno. Trade along the lake allowed Locarno to flourish]]
Starting in the Lombard period (after 569), the area around Locarno (and presumably the town) was part of the county Stazzona and later the [[March (territory)|Mark]] of Lombardy. Locarno is first mentioned in 807 as ''Leocarni''. In German, it came to be known as ''Luggarus'', ''Lucarius'', ''Lucaris''.<ref name=HDS/> It is likely that a market existed at or near the lake since the Roman era. The long history of the town and its location led to the creation of a royal court, which was first mentioned in 866. During the [[Middle Ages]] Locarno and Ascona formed a community, with several, separate neighbourhoods. The community managed its [[the commons|common goods]] (alpine pastures, pastures, forests, churches) and tax officials and police.

In the 10th century, [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan|Bishop of Milan]] began to consolidate more and more power to himself at the expense of the [[Kingdom of Germany|Kings of the Germans]].  This expansion by Milan was countered by [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]], who incorporated Locarno in 1002/04 with the surrounding areas into the Diocese of Como. [[Friedrich Barbarossa]] granted extensive [[market town|market rights]] to Locarno in 1164 and granted [[imperial immediacy]] in 1186. Due to these privileges, Locarno developed substantial local autonomy, which assisted in the development of municipal institutions. The nobles (''Nobili'') lost more and more rights to the citizens (''borghesi''). By 1224, the ''borghesi'' had their own administration and various privileges, including: market rights, the right to their own weights, maintenance of mills and grazing rights in Saleggi, in Colmanicchio (''Alp Vignasca'') and in the Magadino and Quartino valleys.<ref name=HDS_early/>

Locarno was the administrative centre of the [[parish]] of Locarno.  The ''[[Podestà]]'' or high government official, resided in the Casa della Gallinazza, which was burned in 1260 during the clashes between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Several Locarno families, including members of the ''Capitanei di Locarno'' and Simone da Orello, played an important role in the battles between the two factions. In 1342, Luchino and Giovanni [[Visconti of Milan|Visconti]] conquered the area, which brought Locarno back under the power of [[Milan]]. In 1439, Count Franchino Rusca was awarded Locarno as a fief.<ref name=HDS_early/>

In 1291, a [[Humiliati]] monastery was first mentioned in Locarno. St. Catherine's church, attached to the monastery, probably dates to the mid-14th century.<ref name=HDS_Religion/>