Attempts to standardize the system of weights and measures were carried out in various Italian states at the end of the eighteenth century. Not only did differences exist in the measure systems among the various states, but also within the same state there was a great variety of measures with the same name. These reforms, however, were not put into full effect, and it was not until the Napoleonic period, when partial political unification took place in Italy, that a common metric system was introduced. Unfortunately the Restoration brought back fragmentation of the measure system and abolition of the metric system, which was only reintroduced definitively over the whole peninsula after the Unification of Italy. We deal mainly with the north of Italy, above all with those territories which were part of the Cisalpine Republic, which was successively transformed into the Italian Republic and then the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon at its head
The first application of the metric system in Italy
BORGATO, Maria Teresa
2006
Abstract
Attempts to standardize the system of weights and measures were carried out in various Italian states at the end of the eighteenth century. Not only did differences exist in the measure systems among the various states, but also within the same state there was a great variety of measures with the same name. These reforms, however, were not put into full effect, and it was not until the Napoleonic period, when partial political unification took place in Italy, that a common metric system was introduced. Unfortunately the Restoration brought back fragmentation of the measure system and abolition of the metric system, which was only reintroduced definitively over the whole peninsula after the Unification of Italy. We deal mainly with the north of Italy, above all with those territories which were part of the Cisalpine Republic, which was successively transformed into the Italian Republic and then the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon at its headI documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
