In this article we will tell you about the history of Italy. In the 1st millennium BC, the Italic tribes occupied the entire Apennine peninsula and the Latins occupied the most active position among them. It is believed that it was they who founded Rome in 753 BC. and hence they began to be called the Romans. By the 2nd century A.D. the conquered peoples already spoke the so-called Latin, and the name "Italy" spread to the foot of the Alps. Rome became the strongest power and conquered the lands of Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor. It should be noted that the development of the power of this Empire was largely due to slavery.

The captured peoples toiled to rebuild new amphitheaters, aqueducts and numerous other structures. The Romans founded many settlements, the most famous of which are Milan, Pavia, Ravenna, Cologne and Vienna. The legacy created by the Romans played an important role in the political and spiritual life of Europe. However, in 476, the Roman Empire fell under the onslaught of enemies. In the 5th century, Vandals and Visigoths penetrated here, in 488 - the Ostrogoths, then the Byzantines, later the Franks came here and it was they who transferred to Pope Stephen II some territory in which the Papal States arose.

If we recall the history of Italy in the 9th century, then the Hungarians began to invade the country, and the Arabs occupied Sicily. A century later, the German feudal lords also wanted to grab a tidbit of this land. For many years, the local population mixed with the conquerors, but with a more advanced civilization, they managed to adapt the foreigners. And in this process, the Italian nationality began its birth. The cities of the central and northern parts played an important role in the formation of the Italian people. Many of them began to trade with overseas countries, which led to economic growth. In the XI century, the townspeople began to form communes and people freed themselves from the rule of feudal lords and bishops.

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The population of cities grew and against this background there was a rise Agriculture... But the Papal States and the South of Italy did not develop as fast as many would like, and Arabs and Normans still ruled here. Then an economic difference arose between the northern and southern lands. For the first time, the desire for unification among the Italian peoples arises when the troops of Frederick I begin to threaten them. Then Cremona, Milan, Venice, Brescia and Bergamo, forgetting about their contradictions, are united in the alliance of the Lombard League.

On the south side, a large territory was occupied by the Kingdom of Naples. A peculiar feature of medieval Italy is city-states, and it must be said that their importance was then very great. Venice occupied an advantageous position on the Mediterranean Sea, eventually becoming an intermediary between the West and the East in trade. As the history of Italy says, this Republic possessed a strong fleet and expanded its possessions, organizing colonies throughout the Mediterranean. Due to political fragmentation, for a long time, various regions had their own linguistic characteristics, which prevented the creation of a single Italian people.

In order for ethnic groups to become aware of themselves as a single nation, they needed a common language, and Tuscany played an important role in this. Since it was located at the intersection of trade routes, it played an important role in trade. Therefore, it was in Florence, rich in trade, that the first banks appeared and for the first time in the history of Italy this city became a leading center. Here a strong need for a common language, both written and spoken, begins to be felt. As a result, the Tuscan dialect becomes the language of business speech, which supplanted Latin. In the second half of the 13th century, lyric poetry appears in Florence.

It was in the Tuscan dialect that the writer Alighieri Dante wrote “ Divine Comedy". He also advocated for the dialect to grow into a common literary language for everyone, but this process was rather slow. In the XIV-XV centuries, economically and socially, Italy remained rather heterogeneous. The north and center were still a priority city-state. But now in the history of Italy, in place of the communes came tyranny or signoria - places where power was in the hands of one ruler. In other areas, such as Florence and Bologna, capitalist relations were a priority. The south was rather weak, so feudalism still flourished here.

In the meantime, capitalism was gaining its place in life and was conducive to strong economic growth and cultural progress. Art flourished in the history of Italy. The Renaissance era began and the idea of ​​a person then suggested that he had to be active, free, learn and conquer nature, and also rely on common sense... This new understanding of his role in the world was called "humanism" and contributed to the strong development of art, literature, philology, and philosophy.

From the end of the 15th century, new geographical discoveries were made and trade routes shifted to the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the Papal States pitted some states against others in order to subjugate them to its influence, and these actions contributed to the economic decline. The troops of France and Spain invaded the Apennine Peninsula, starting a struggle for power in the region. Towards the end of these wars, the map of Italy was greatly altered and throughout the 17th century the economy was in a state of regression. V late XVIII century part of the state was in the power of Napoleon. But as a result of the campaign A.V. Suvorov, the French forces were expelled, but they were replaced by Austrian troops.

From 1796 to 1814, the country was shaken by constant wars, coups and conquests, which influenced the growth of the national self-awareness of the people. The main tasks for them were liberation from foreigners and unification. The rise of the national liberation movement begins and the result was the liberation of the Lombard-Venetian region from the Austrian occupiers. Then, on the site of the Papal Region, the Roman Republic was proclaimed, and yet the bourgeois revolution collapsed. In March 1861, the unification takes place under the leadership of the King of Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel II.

Now the country is officially called the Kingdom of Italy, and Turin becomes the capital. In 1870 the capital was transferred to Rome. In 1921, under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, the National Fascist Party was created and a totalitarian regime was established. Then all other parties were disbanded and many dissenting ones were sent into exile. During the First World War, the state sided with Germany. But in 1944, a government coalition of anti-fascist parties was formed.

In April 1945 Italy was liberated from the invaders and a few months later the Republic was proclaimed here, and a couple of years later the republican constitution came into force. In the post-war period, NATO entered and an agreement on mutual assistance was concluded with the United States. At the end of the 50s, the signing of the Rome Treaty on the creation of the European Economic Community took place. Then it included only 6 states and this is how the first step towards the creation of the European Union was made. In our next material, we will tell you. You will learn about some historical moments, about wars, as well as about the living conditions of people.

The capital of Italy this week. She met with the President of the country, Giorgio Napolitano, and with whom she exchanged very original gifts. As it turned out, the Queen of Great Britain is very popular in Italy, many even argue that the country does not have enough monarchs. Why the Italians had such an opinion can be easily explained not only by the current situation in the country, but also historical events... We have prepared the most Interesting Facts about the royal power, which once ruled on the territory of Italy.

1. The Italian royal family, the Casa Savoia, is one of the oldest ruling families in history. She had a particular influence in Italy until the people of the country voted to abolish the monarchy at the end of World War II, after it was revealed that the royal family supported the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. As soon as the whole truth came out, the representatives of the Savoy dynasty were exiled to Switzerland and only in 2002 their offspring were able to return to Italy.

2. Umberto II, also known as the King of May, occupied the throne of the ruler of Italy for much less time than he might have expected. A month after he took his father's place, the people of the country voted to abolish the monarchy. After Umberto lived in exile in Portugal for 37 years, while his wife and other relatives were exiled to Switzerland.

3. A letter from Benito Mussolini's son, Romano Mussolini, published in Italian newspapers in 2011, indicates that the dictator had a romantic relationship with the last queen of Italy, Maria Jose Savoy.

4. Kings and queens appeared on the territory of Italy long before its unification. So, for example, Sicily was once ruled by Normans - aristocrats from northern France, and in particular Duke William, who later took the throne of the King of England and was named William the Conqueror. Despite the fact that thousands of miles separated them from their homeland, the Norman knights were able to conquer not only Sicily, but also a significant part of southern Italy. Ruggero II di Sicilia ) , founder and king of the Kingdom of Sicily, was the leader of the Crusaders.

5. Due to some inaccuracies in historical annals The kingdom of Naples (regno di Napoli), which stretched across southern Italy in the 12th-19th centuries, was known as the Sicilian kingdom. And therefore, when Sicily in 1816 united with the Kingdom of Naples into a single state, it received the name "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies"... However, already in 1861, after the unification of Italy, this name disappeared from the map.

6. Representatives of the blue blood of Italy have repeatedly found themselves in the center of scandals. So, in April 1655, the Duke of Savoy Emmanuel II (Emanuele Filiberto II di Savoia) gave the order to begin the brutal massacre of the Piedmontese Waldenses, followers of the heretical movement. In 1898, during a riot in Milan aimed at lowering food prices, the royal authorities ordered cannon fire on unarmed protesters, including women and children.

7. Descendants of the royal family of Italy fell into many troubles and scandals. Prince of Savoy Victor-Emmanuel (Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia), son of King Umberto II and potential heir to the throne, was arrested in 2006 on charges of bribery. In 1989, he was sentenced to imprisonment for killing a 19-year-old German while on a yacht trip, but was acquitted in November 1991.

In 2003, Victor-Emmanuel stated that the anti-Jewish laws passed by Mussolini and signed by the King of Italy were not really “as bad” as many believe.

In 2004, the crown prince punched his cousin Amedeo in the face during a royal wedding in Spain.

8. In 2010, the son of the restless Victor-Emmanuel, Emanuele Filiberto, announced that he was dating British model Kate Moss. “She is a beautiful woman, very charming and absolutely easy to talk to,” said the son of the prince.

9. The residence of the royal dynasty of Savoy in Turin, as well as the adjacent territories, are protected as a monument of world cultural heritage.

10. Despite the fact that the titles and other privileges of the Italian royal family are not recognized in Italy, the descendants of Savoy still hold titles, for example, Duke of Savoy, Prince of Naples and Piedmont.

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Italy, a state in southern Europe, located on the Apennine Peninsula with the adjacent part of the mainland and neighboring islands. Ancient history Italy merges with the history of Rome, which subdued it in the IV-III centuries BC. In 476, Italy fell under the rule of the Gerul leader Odoacer, from 493 to 553 it was part of the Ostrogothic kingdom, in the VIII-IX centuries - as part of the Lombard state; from the middle of the 10th century - part of the Holy Roman Empire, at the same time it was split into small state formations and city republics. This fragmentation of Italy into several states made it a prey for foreign conquerors (mainly the Spaniards and the French). In the years 1859-1870, Italy united into one sovereign state.

Emperors and Kings in Italy (Carolingians)

The Frankish king Charlemagne conquered Italy in 774. Further, the kings of Italy were his sons and their heirs.

Carloman (King of the Lombards) 774

Pepin (King of Italy) 781-810

Bernard (King of Italy) 811-817

Louis I (King of Italy) 818-840

Lothar (Emperor) 820-855

Louis II 855-875

Karl the Bald 875-877

Carloman (King of Italy) 877-879

Karl the Fat (emperor since 881) 879-887

Guy (Duke of Spoletto, emperor from 891) 889-894

Lambert (Emperor and King) 894-898

Arnulf (Emperor and King) 896-899

Berengary I (emperor from 915) 898-924

Louis III (emperor from 901) 899-903 / 5

Rudolph of Burgundy (King of Italy) 922-926

Hugo (King of Italy) 926-947

Lothair (King of Italy) 947-950

Berengary II (King of Italy) 950-961

In 961, Berengary II was defeated by the German king Otto I, in 963 he was captured by him and until his death he lived in exile in Villa.

In 962, Otto I was crowned imperial in Rome. Italy became an integral part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Italian kingdom

In 1800, in the territories occupied by his troops in Northern Italy, Napoleon Bonaparte created the Cisalpine Republic. In 1802, he renamed it Italian, and in 1805 made it a kingdom, of which he himself became king. When his son, also named Napoleon, was born in 1811, Napoleon I proclaimed him “King of Rome”.

Napoleon I Bonaparte 1805-1814

Napoleon II (minor) 1811-1814

Eugene Beauharnais (Viceroy) 1811-1814

In 1814, the troops of the anti-Napoleonic coalition drove the French out of Italy.

Used materials of the book: Sychev N.V. Book of Dynasties. M., 2008. p. 232-256.

Read on:

Italy in the first millennium AD NS.(chronological table).

Italy in the XI century(chrinological table).

Italy in the XII century(chrinological table).

Italy in the 13th century(chrinological table).

Italy in the XIV century(chrinological table).

Italy in the 15th century(chrinological table).

Italy in the 16th century(chrinological table).

Italy in the 20th century(chrinological table).

(biographical reference).

States that existed on the Apennine Peninsula:

Tuscany, marquisate, duchy, grand duchy.

Etruria(Etruria), in 1801-1807 a kingdom dependent on France in Italy, images, from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany after its capture by the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte. Named after the ancient (from the Etruscans) name of the territory of Tuscany. At the end of 1807, the Kingdom of Etruria was abolished and its territory was incorporated into the French Empire.

Milan(Lombardy, duchy since 1395), in 1559 the duchy is subject to the Spanish crown.

Modena, Ferrara, Reggio(since 1452 - a duchy).

Mantua and Montferrat, duchy - from 1530

Parma and Piacenza, the duchy was allocated in 1545 from the Papal States by Pope Paul III for his son Pietro Luigi Farnese.

Savoy, County 1027-1416, Duchy 1416-1713, Kingdom of Sicily 1713-1720, Kingdom of Sardinia 1720-1861, Kingdom of Italy 1861-1946

Southern italy

By the beginning of the 11th century, Southern Italy was fragmented into many dominions. Apulia, Calabria and the Neapolitan ducat belonged to Byzantium, Capua, Beneveto and Salerno were the Lombard duchies, Sicily was owned by the Arabs.

In the middle of the 11th century, squads of immigrants from the French duchy of Normandy appeared in southern Italy, led by Robert Guiscard and his younger brother Roger, who belonged to the Altavilla (or otherwise Gottville) family. Robert Guiscard first conquered Apulia and Calabria, and by 1071 he completely took possession of the Byzantine possessions in southern Italy. Roger, starting in 1061, conquered Sicily from the Arabs in thirty years.

Calabria, county and duchy.

Sicily, County and Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Kingdom of Naples.

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Venice(Republic of Saint Mark), a city in northern Italy by the Adriatic Sea.

Genoa(Republic of Saint George), a city in northwestern Italy; from the 10th to the 18th centuries, an independent republic.

Unification of Italy

Orders that existed in Italy

Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Bethlehem order

Founded by Pope Pius II to protect the island of Lemnos. But after the final conquest of the island by the Turks in 1479, the order ceased to exist.

Order of Christian Knights

Founded in Italy in 1619/1623 to fight the Turks and German Protestants, but soon ceased to exist.

Order of Saint Stephen

Founded in 1562 in Florence. Destroyed by Napoleon in 1809.

Order of Saint Mauritius

Existed in Savoy. The hereditary masters were the Dukes of Savoy. In 1572, the Pope added part of the hospital Order of Saint Lazarus to the Order of Saint Mauritius. In 1583 the order ceased to exist.

Kings of Italy is a title that was held by the rulers of kingdoms located on the territory of the modern state. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the north of Italy, the Italic (Lombard) kingdom was formed. For almost 800 years, it was part of the Holy Roman Empire, when the title of the Italian king was borne by its emperors.

In 1804 it was created by the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. The last king of Italy, Umberto II, ruled from 05/09/1946 to 06/12/1946.

First Roman king

The title of king appears in the early Middle Ages. He was called the rulers of a number of historical kingdoms that arose in 395 after the collapse of the Roman Empire into two parts: Western and Eastern, known as Byzantium, which existed for another thousand years. Western was attacked by barbarians. The leader of one of these peoples, Odoacer, overthrew the last Roman emperor in 476 and was proclaimed the first king of Italy.

Zeno made him his governor. The entire structure of the Roman Empire was preserved. Odoacer became a Roman patrician. But the power under the control of Byzantium did not suit him, and he supported the commander Illus, who staged a rebellion against Zeno. The latter turned for help to Theodoric, the leader of the Ostgoths. His army, having crossed the Alps in 489, captured Italy. Theodoric becomes its king.

Duchy of Friuli - state of the Lombards

In 534 Byzantium declared war on the Ostrogoths, after 18 years their state ceased to exist, Italy became part of it. 34 years later, the Lombards invaded the Apennine Peninsula. They captured the interior regions of Italy, forming the state of the Lombards - the Duchy of Friuli. It is from this time that the name of the northern region of Italy - Lombardy comes from. The Byzantines from the territory of the former Western Roman Empire were left with coastal lands.

Joining Frankia

The actual rulers of the Italian lands under the rule of Byzantium were the popes, who feared the strengthening of the Lombards and the capture of Rome. The only ones who could resist these warlike long-bearded Germans were the Franks. The founder ruling dynasty of the Frankish-Carolingian kings Pepin the Short, crowned by Pope Stephen III and becoming king of Italy, helped to win back the Italian possessions of Byzantium for the papal throne. The Duchy of Rome, Umbria, the Ravenna Exarchate, the Pentapolis became the founding of the Papal State.

The capture of part of the papal territories by the Lombars in 772 forced the king of the Franks Charlemagne to enter into war with them. In 774, the Langobar state ceased to exist. Charlemagne declared himself king of Italy, or rather its northern part. After 5 years, Pope Adrian I officially crowned him.

In 840, the lands of the Franks were gripped by troubles, as a result of which Frankia was divided into several states. Italy became part of the Middle Kingdom, of which Lothair I became king. The Franks did not pay much attention to Italy, considering it an insignificant outskirts. The country was ruled in the same way as under the Lombars. The control center was located in the city of Pavia, which was considered its capital.

The entry of northern Italy into the Holy Roman Empire

Gradually, Italy, which was of no particular importance to the Franks, unofficially disintegrated into several feudal states, the government of which was in the hands of the local elite. In 952, the Italian king Berengar II fell into the hands of the German emperor Otto I. An attempt to free himself from subjugation to the Germans led to the fact that in 961 Emperor Otto took Pavia at the head of the army, deposed King Berengar and was crowned with the "iron crown of the Longobars". Northern Italy entered the Holy Roman Empire for many years.

Southern italy

In the south of Italy, events developed in a different way. The local princes often recruited the Normans into the service. As a result of his marriage in 1030 to the sister of the ruler of Naples Sergius IV, the Norman Reinulf received the gift of the county of Aversa, in which the first Norman state was formed. The Normans, gradually subjugating the territory of the South of Italy, ousting the Arabs and Byzantines, created a single state. Their power was blessed by the Pope.

By the beginning of the 15th century, the entire territory of Italy was divided into five large states playing a significant role (two republics - Florentine and Byzantine, the Duchy of Milan, the Papal State, the Kingdom of Naples), as well as five independent dwarf states: Genoa, Mantua, Lucca, Siena and Ferrara. Since the end of the 15th century, the so-called Italian wars took place on the territory of Italy, as a result of which some cities and provinces were under the rule of the French, Spaniards, and Germans.

Unification of Italy, creation of a kingdom

After Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed emperor of France in 1804, he became king of all possessions in Italy and even crowned with the iron crown of the Lombarres. The papacy is deprived of secular power. Three states were formed on the territory of Italy: the North-West was part of France, in the north-east and the Kingdom of Naples.

The struggle for the unification of Italy continued, but it was not until 1861 that the all-Italian parliament, which met in Turin, promulgated a document establishing the kingdom. It was headed by Victor Emmanuel - the king of Italy, before that the former king of Turin. As a result of the unification of Italy, Lazio and Venice were annexed. The formation of the Italian state continued.

But the time of monarchies has passed. Revolutionary trends also touched Italy. The first World War and the crisis of the 30s led to the rule of nationalists under the leadership of Mussolini. King Victor Emmanuel III stained himself with shameful non-interference in the internal affairs of the country, which led to the creation of a fascist regime. This completely turned the people away from royal rule. His son Umberto II ruled the country for 1 month and 3 days. In 1946, a republican system was established in the country by universal suffrage.