SAN MARINO HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY

The State of San Marino originated from a community which consolidated during the late Middle Ages, probably around a monastery that had been built on Mount Titano already in the 6th century B.C. The legendary origin of the San Marino society is believed to be the consequence of the arrival on Mount Titano of a Saint Man, Marino, coming from the island of Rab, in Dalmatia. In 257 A.D., Marino arrived in Rimini to work as a stonecutter and subsequently he decided to move to Mount Titano to live as a hermit. Marino lived there, surrounded by people who were attracted by his charisma, until his death in 301 A.D. He received Mount Titano as a gift from the legitimate owner, in favour of whom he had performed a miracle and subsequently he bequeathed it to those who had lived around him.

In fact, the territory on which the San Marino society subsequently consolidated, was under the political control of the Pope and the Bishop of Montefeltro. Only starting from the late 13th century, during the Age of the Commune, San Marino citizens started to slowly free themselves from this dominion, by developing their own statutes, judiciary and political bodies to autonomously manage the community.

In this regard, San Marino citizens could count on the help of the Montefeltros, Lords of Urbino, who were at war with the Malatestas, Lords of Rimini, and with the Pope. Indeed, the Montefeltros considered San Marino as a powerful outpost and an important ally, therefore they favoured its territorial development, military strengthening and desire for autonomy.
In 1300s, San Marino continued to slowly free itself from the Bishop’s political powers and to broaden its territory, which reached today’s dimensions (61 square kilometres) in 1463. Indeed, in that year, San Marino received some villages and Castles as a reward for having contributed to the defeat of the army of Sigismondo Malatesta, who, at that time, was at war with the Pope.
During the early 1600s, the Duchy of Urbino became part of the Papal State. However, San Marino, thanks to its diplomatic ability, managed to remain independent, although it had to accept the “protection” of Rome, which actually consisted in a steady control over its freedom of action and autonomy. Indeed, the Papal State considered the freedom of San Marino as something partial resulting from its exclusive concessions. In 1739, in light of this, the Papal State tried to put an end to the situation by occupying the small State through Cardinal Giulio Alberoni. However, after some months, the Pope understood that the majority of San Marino citizens were not willing to lose their own freedom and that the occupation had created some discontent in various European Courts. Therefore, on 5 February 1740, the Pope decided to give back to San Marino its ancient independence, although it remained subject to “protection” and supervision as in the past.