The Istituto Lombardo was established by Napoleone Bonaparte on the model of the Institut de France in 1797 with the task of collecting discoveries and perfecting the arts and sciences. (art. 297 Constitution of the Cisalpine Republic). The seat was established in Bologna and the regulations provided for 30 retired and 30 honorary members, with Italian and foreign associate members, divided into 3 sections;
- physical and mathematical sciences,
- moral and political science,
- literature and fine arts.
On November 6, 1802 Bonaparte appointed the first 31 members among whom were: Alessandro Volta, Antonio Scarpa, Barnaba Oriani, Andrea Appiani, Vincenzo Monti, Giovanni Paradisi, Carlo Bianconi, Father Soave, Domenico Monga, and others; later, on April 18, 1803, the first ones appointed by the Government co-opted other 31 members: among them Napoleon himself, Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Carlo Amoretti, Luigi Bossi, Antonio Testa, Francesco Venini, Giov. Battista Paletta, Michele Araldi, Giov. Battista Venturi.
On May 24, 1803 the Institute was convened for the first time and on January 15, 1804 the organic Regulations were given; the first President appointed to preside over the sessions was Alessandro Volta.
At the request of the majority of the members, Napoleone, with a decree dated 25 December 1810, gave the Institute the new name of Royal Institute of Science, Letters and Arts, and established its seat in Milan in the Brera Palace with 4 sections: Venice, Bologna, Padua and Verona.
When Napoleone fell, the Institute first passed to the Austrian government and then (in 1859) to the Italian government.
In 1859 its President was Alessandro Manzoni, who was later appointed Honorary President. The Institute functioned, without interruption, from its origins; in 1935 it had a new statute and an autonomous administration with the control of the Ministry of Education (today, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage).
