536 - 540 |
After arriving in Italy before the close of the previous year, General Belisarius captures Naples and entersRome, shortly before it is besieged by the Ostrogoth King Vittigis. The city suffers starvation until the siege is lifted in 537, and Belisarius pursues his opponents to Ravenna where they are defeated and Vittigis is killed in 540. |
|
540 - 553 |
Along with much of the rest of the country, Naples witnesses the to-and-fro battles betweenOstrogoths and the Eastern Roman military commanders who are based in Italy. The death of Totila in 552 at the Battle of Taginae allows Rome to be retaken by the Eastern Romans, who then govern Italy from Ravenna. A final defeat in battle near Mount Vesuvius in 553 means the death of the last Ostrogothic king and the end of their rule in Italy. The exarchate of Ravenna is now the main centre of power in Italy, although not the only one. Ravenna had been the home of the last Roman emperors, as well as the capital of the succeeding Goths and Ostrogoths, before serving the same role for the Eastern Romans |
|
575/576 - 581 |
Following the Lombard seizure of the region of Spoleto in 570, the Lombard military commander, Faroald, seizes Nursia and Spoleto to establish his own independent duchy. By this time, Benevento has become the capital of another Lombard commander, Zottone, and he is besieging Naples to the south, in an attempt to expand his new territory to cover all of southernItaly. The siege fails and is lifted in 581. Another siege is initiated by Zottone's successor, but this also fails. |
|
580 |
Eastern Roman Emperor Tiberius II reorganises the surviving Roman territories in Italy into five provinces which are given the Greek name eparchies. The new provinces are the Annonaria in northern Italy around Ravenna, the duchy of Calabria, the Campania, Emilia and Liguria, and the Urbicaria around the city of Rome (Urbs). To the north, the duchy of Venice remains nominally under the service of the Eastern Romans. |
|
early 600s |
The details of the reign of Duke Arechi ofBenevento seem to be fairly obscure, but he conquers Capua and Venafro in the Campania and also areas of the Basilicata and Calabria. Like his predecessor he besieges Naples, but again this attempt to conquer the south fails. |
|
616 - 617 |
John of Conza / Giovanni Consino |
Rebel who seized Naples. Killed by Eleutherius of Ravenna. |
616 - 617 |
Exarch Eleutherius puts to death all those who are implicated in the death of his predecessor, but immediately Naples is withdrawn from his control by one John of Conza. Eleutherius marches on the city, retakes it for Ravenna and kills the rebel. To make the situation worse the Lombards threaten to attack, so they have to be bought off with promises of an annual tribute. |
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Byzantine Dukes of Neapolis AD 638 - 755 In response to the rebellion of John of Conza in 616-617, the exarchate of Ravenna created the duchy of Naples, or Neapolis, the sixth such division ofEastern Roman territories in Italy. A military dux or duke was brought into Italy to command Naples, and he reported directly to the strategos of Sicily. The new duchy was similar in size and territory to the modern province of Naples. The earliest dukes are unknown, with the recorded list beginning only with the appointment of the first native duke in 661. |
|
|
638 - ? |
? |
First dux. Name(s) unknown. Answered directly to Sicily. |
661 |
Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is highly interested in affairs in southernItaly, which causes him to move his capital to Syracuse on Sicily. He appoints a native of Naples, one Basil, as the new dux, the military commander of the city. This is not the first dux to be appointed, but it seems to be the first about whom anything concrete is known, the previous incumbents being foreigners who had been forced to answer directly to the strategos of Sicily. Now Naples is its own master, with theoretical authority over the neighbouring seaports of Amalfi, Gaeta, and Sorrento (although these are de facto autonomous). Early medieval Naples was crowded behind its defensive walls, threatened by Lombards, and Saracens as well as neighbouring states |
|
661 - 666 |
Basil |
A native Neapolitan. |
666 - 670 |
Theophilatus I / Theophylactus I |
|
670 - 673 |
Cosmas |
|
673 - 677 |
Andrew I |
|
677 - 681 |
Caesarius I |
|
681 - 687 |
Stephen I |
|
687 - 696 |
Bonello |
|
696 - 706 |
Theodosius |
|
706 - 711 |
Caesarius II |
|
711 - 719 |
John I |
Died. |
717 |
Rimoaldo of Benevento is frequently in conflict with Spoleto and Naples during his reign. That also brings him into conflict withRome. After capturing the castle of Cumae from Duke John and ignoring pleas from Pope Gregory II to return it in lieu of compensation, the Pope funds an expedition by Naples to recapture the castle. Rimoaldo's men are soundly defeated and expelled from Cuma. |
|
719 - 729 |
Theodore I |
|
729 - 739 |
George |
Died. |
729 |
George's reign sees Naples defending the Italian coast between Terracina, which lies to the north of Gaeta, and Palermo, which is located at the western tip of Sicily. |
|
740 - 755 |
Gregory I |
|
752 - 755 |
The exarchate of Ravenna is recaptured by the Lombards, permanently ending Eastern Roman influence in much of Italy. In the south, the catepanate of Italy at Bari is reorganised so that the catepan there is the chief Byzantine authority in its remaining territories, incorporating Naples and Calabria. In Naples, however, the governing dukes soon decide that they can do without the diminished authority of Constantinople, and within three years they have declared their independence of outside control. |
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Independent Dukes of Naples AD 755 - 1139 The events of 752 in which Constantinople's central authority in Italy, at Ravenna, was permanently ended resulted in the former Eastern Roman dux becoming independent. As there was no break in rule, or any changes wrought by an external invader, the ruling office remained much as it did before the official split with Constantinople, and the numbering of dukes continued. Greek culture remained dominant, as it did throughout much of southern Italy, but Roman influence quickly began to make itself felt, and the office of duke became dynastic. (Additional information from Roger II of Sicily: Ruler between East and West, Hubert Houben (Graham A Loud & Diane Milburn, Trans, 2002), and from The Normans, Marjorie Chibnall (Wiley & Sons, 2006). |
|
|
755 - 766 |
Stephen II |
Appointed by the patrician of Sicily. Abdicated. Died 799. |
763 |
Duke Stephen is quick to recognise the new political situation in Italy now that the protection of Eastern Roman Ravenna has gone, and he accepts Papal suzerainty by this date. Duke Stephen governed Naples during Italy's transition from Byzantine domination to a series of patchwork states all vying for supremacy |
|
767 - 794 |
Gregory II |
Son. |
794 - 801 |
Theophilatus II / Theophylactus II |
Brother. |
801 - c.818 |
Anthemus / Anthimus |
Died. |
812 |
Anthemus demonstrates the removal of Naples from theEastern Roman sphere of influence by ignoring an order by the emperor to submit its forces to a naval fleet. The fleet is to be used against theIslamic forces on Sicily, but Naples feels that it does not need to be involved, while two of its own subject cities, Amalfi and Gaeta, make up their own minds to join the fleet. Naples clearly has about as much control over its own subjects as the Byzantine emperor does over Naples. |
|
818 |
The death of Anthemus prompts a war of succession in Naples. A number of would-be dukes come forward but Anthemus had not given his permission to the nobility for an election to take place. Left without a ruler, the city's populace unites with senior military figures to force the city council to send a delegation to Sicily. Theoctistus is appointed as the city's new duke without reference to or the approval of theEastern Roman emperor. |
|
c.818 - 821 |
Theoctistus |
Appointed by patrician of Sicily without imperial approval. |
821 |
Theodore II |
The emperor's replacement for Theoctistus. |
821 |
The unpopular Theodore is chased from the city by a disgruntled population and Stephen III is elected as his replacement. This duke makes the most of his position, and the waning influence ofEastern Roman Constantinople, by minting coins not with the initials of the Byzantine emperor but with his own. |
|
821 - 832 |
Stephen III |
Established the full independence of Naples. |
827 - 878 |
Eastern Roman Sicily is occupied by theAghlabids as part of theIslamic empire. This loss virtually severs communications between Constantinople andSardinia, leaving the island isolated. The political position in Naples also becomes less stable, with several pretenders vying for the ducal office. |
|
832 - 834 |
Bonus |
|
834 |
Leo |
Deposed by Andrew. |
834 - 840 |
Andrew II |
Father-in-law and usurper. |
836 |
Naples is largely a military city full of troops who are prepared to fight to defend their territory. The city's outlying countryside has already been lost to the Lombards, and now Benevento besieges the city itself, as Andrew has ceased paying tribute. Determined to defend Naples, help is requested of the Saracens, presumably the Aghlabids, and the siege is duly broken. However, during Andrew's reign, the subordinate city of Gaeta slips towards full independence. |
|
837 - 840 |
Warfare between Naples and Benevento continues, despite a peace treaty. Andrew calls on the Saracens for help again and when Sicardo, prince of Benevento dies in 839, Andrew calls for further help against his successor. Lothar I, king of Italy, sends Contardus to Naples to support the city's efforts. A worried Andrew plays politics by promising marriage between Contardus and his own daughter, Eupraxia, Leo's widow. Andrew continually delays the wedding into 840, so Contardus rises up and kills him, taking his place as duke of Naples. |
|
840 |
Contardo / Contardus |
[ Frankish](FranceFranks.htm#Western Franks) general under Lothar I, king of Italy, and usurper. |
840 - 864 |
Sergio I Contardo / Sergius I |
Former dux of Cumae. Made the succession hereditary. |
841 - 843 |
Continuing the beneficial alliance between Naples and the Saracens, Sergius aids the Aghlabid ruler, Muhammad I, in capturing Bari and Taranto (temporarily) in 841 and Apulia and Messina in 843. The emirate of Bari rules the south until 871. |
|
846 |
Naples has now realised that the Saracens have become too powerful, and Sergius is forced to ally himself with Naples' former subject cities, Amalfi, Gaeta, and Sorrento, to force the Saracens out of Ponza. An Aghlabid fleet sails up the River Tiber and attacks Rome. The residents at the foreign schools -[Franks](FranceFranks.htm#Western Franks),Saxons,Lombards and[ Frisians](FranceHolland.htm#House of Fries) - help defend the fortifications, along with Neapolitan forces and others, but further Saracen raids are to come. |
|
849 |
A further Aghlabid incursion threatensRome and other Italian coastal cities, so the pope organises the creation of a defensive league. The league, under the command of Caesar, son of Duke Sergius, sails out to meet the Saracen fleet at the Battle of Ostia. A storm divides the participants halfway through the fight and the Italians return safely to port while the Saracens are scattered. Their remnants are easily picked off or captured afterwards and the successful defence of Italy is celebrated. |
|
864 - 870 |
Gregory III |
Son. Co-regent from 850. |
870 - 877 |
Sergio II / Sergius II |
Son. Blinded and deposed by Athanasius. |
877 |
Sergio has been excommunicated byPope John VIII for his continued friendly relations with the Aghlabids. His brother, Bishop Athanasius, also opposes him, and in this year has Sergius blinded and deposed. Initially this is done with the support of the pope, but it only takes two years in which Athanasius has not yet broken communications with the Aghlabids for him also to be excommunicated (until 886). |
|
877 - 898 |
Athanasius |
Brother. Duke-Bishop Athanasius II of Naples. |
881 |
With the help ofEastern Roman troops, Athanasius besieges Capua, an object that he has long sought to capture. This time he is successful, and he rules Capua for some years, although in theory he is a vassal of Prince Guaimar I of Salerno. |
|
898 - 915 |
Gregory IV |
Son of Sergius II. Died months after Garigliano. |
915 |
As the latest in a series of conflicts with the Saracens, the forces of the newEastern Roman strategos of Bari, one Nicolaus Picingli, assemble alongside those of various other southern Italian princes in the Christian League. It includes Landulf I of Benevento, John I and Docibilis II of Gaeta, Gregory IV and John II of Naples,Pope John X, Guaimar II of Salerno, and Alberic I of Spoleto. The allied Byzantine-Lombard army fights and defeats the Fatamids at the Battle of Garigliano, a drawn-out combination of fights and a siege. The Saracens find themselves in a worsening situation and eventually attempt to flee, only to be captured and killed. It is a militarily significant victory in the fight against Islamic advances in Italy. The defeat of the Saracens at the Battle of Garigliano was a major triumph in the war against Islamic incursions into Italy |
|
915 - 919 |
John II |
Son. Also at Garigliano. |
919 - 928 |
Marino I / Marinus I |
Brother. |
928 - 968 |
John III |
Son. |
937 |
A massive invasion is conducted by theMagyars as they sweep around in a giant circle through central and Southern Europe. They begin from their base in Pannonia to enter into and ravage[ Bavaria](GermanyBavarians.htm#Duchy of Bavaria %28Welfs%29), [ Swabia](GermanySwabia.htm#Dukes of Swabia),Saxony,Franconia, andThuringia within theEast Frankish kingdom. From the Aachen area, the Magyars advance deep into the [West Frankish](FranceFranks.htm#Western Franks) kingdom, the kingdom of Provence, and then the territory of theMiddle (Italian) Franks. They attack Tuscany and the Papal States as far south as Naples, before returning to their adoptedHungarian homeland. |
|
968 - 975? |
Marino II / Marinus II |
Son. Co-regent from 944. |
975? - 999? |
Sergio III / Sergius III |
Son. |
999? - 1002 |
John IV |
Son. Held in captivity for much of his reign. |
999 - 1002 |
John is captured and taken prisoner. He is held first in Capua, and is then taken to Germany by Otto III following the latter's visit to St Nilus the Younger in Gaeta. During his absence, Naples apparently maintains its allegiance to theEastern Roman empire, although Ademar of Spoleto is theoretically the city's overlord in John's absence. John finally reappears in 1002, possibly following release by the new emperor, Henry II. |
|
1002 - 1027 |
Sergio IV / Sergius IV |
Son. Defeated and deposed by Capua. |
1027 - 1030 |
Pandulf IV of Capua defeats and deposes Sergius for giving asylum to his own enemy, the deposed Pandulf V of Capua, but his victory is short-lived. A Norman army under Rainulf Drengot, former ally of Pandulf, arrives in 1029 to dislodge him. A grateful Sergius grants Rainulf the county of Aversa in reward. Sergius later cements this newfound alliance with marriages, but when these break down, his Norman allies abandon him. |
|
1030 - 1036 |
Sergio IV / Sergius IV |
Restored. Abdicated and died shortly after second abdication. |
1034 |
Still scheming against Sergius, Pandulf IV instigates a revolt in Sorrento which allows him to annexe it to Capua. In the same year, Sergius' sister dies and Rainulf Drengot returns to Pandulf as his ally. Sergius is broken by these defeats, and within two years he retires to a monastery, the Holy Saviour in insula maris. |
|
1036 - 1050 |
John V |
Son. |
1036 |
Sergio IV / Sergius IV |
Returned briefly to act as regent in John's absence. |
1045 |
This year sees the death of Rainulf Drengot, who still holds the county of Aversa which had originally been granted to him by the duke of Naples. Despite the protestations of Guaimar IV of Salerno, the county passes to Rainulf's nephew, Asclettin Drengot. Later that same year, Guaimar opposes the succession of Asclettin's cousin, Rainulf Trincanocte, but again is overridden. These quarrels lead the once-loyal Aversa to return its allegiance to Pandulf of Capua (co-ruler of Benevento). War against Pandulf continues until 1047. |
|
1050 - 1082 |
Sergio V / Sergius V |
Son of John V. |
1082 |
? |
Name or names unknown. Possibly an interim regent. |
1082? - 1097 |
Sergio VI / Sergius VI |
Nephew of Sergius V. |
1097 |
? |
Name or names unknown. Possibly an interim regent. |
1097? - 1120 |
John VI |
Son of Sergius VI. |
1120 - 1137 |
Sergio VII / Sergius VII |
Son. Died without an heir. |
1137 - 1268 |
Naples has stood unconquered while all of the various Lombard and Greek states have been conquered. But now, Sergius surrenders his city to Roger II, the Norman duke of Apulia and Calabria, and count of Sicily. Pope Innocent II excommunicates his ardent enemy, Roger II, but further conflict follows during which the city of Benevento becomes an outlying possession of the Papal States. Most of the principality's lands fall under the control of Naples which is now governed by Roger through Sicily. As Sergius had no offspring of his own, Naples deliberates over a choice of successor. In 1139, Roger II absorbs the city into his own kingdom, ending its line of independent dukes for good. Naples remains part of this Norman kingdom until it is divided in 1268. |
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Angevin Kingdom of Naples AD 1268 - 1435 (Additional information by William Willems, from Histoire du diocèse et de la principauté de Liége, Joseph Daris (1890-1899, in French), and from External Links: Catholic Encyclopaedia, and Histoire de la Principauté de Liège, Joseph Grandjean (in French), and Les Belges, leur histoire (in French).) |
|
|
1266 - 1285 |
Charles I of Anjou |
Senator of Rome (1263-1284). King of Hungary (1308-1342). |
1267 |
A populist government controls the city ofRome. The Ghibelline party is crushed at the Battle of Tagliacozzo in 1268, and Charles of Anjou is able to retake control of the city and resume his post as senator. The energetic Charles I, best known as Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and founder of the second 'House of Anjou', count of Provence and Forcalquier within the Holy Roman empire, count of Anjou and Maine in France, king of Sicily, prince of Achaea, and king of Albania |
|
1271 |
Construction on Castel Nuovo in Naples is begun. |
|
1272 |
The much-travelled Charles of Anjou has spent a year carving out a territory which, in essence, replicates the former principality of Arbanon. Charles had acquired the rights to the region under the terms of the Treaty of Viterbo of 1267. He had also gained some rights to Latin dominions in the despotate of Epirus and in theMorea (not yet anEastern Roman state of its own). It had taken a further five years of diplomacy to be accepted by theAlbanians themselves, following which he is declared king ofAlbania. This ties it in personal union Charles' kingdom of Naples. |
|
1282 |
At the Sicilian Vespers of 30 March, Sicily revolts against and massacres its French occupiers. Pedro III of Aragon is invited in, and the Aragonese line begins there, with the Angevins continuing to rule Naples. All of the scheming with Venice by Charles of Anjou to build up a retaliatory force which will capture Constantinople from theEastern Romans comes to nothing through this act. His fleet, docked at Sicily, is destroyed during the uprising. |
|
1285 - 1309 |
Charles II |
Son. King of Naples & Albania. |
1309 - 1343 |
Robert of Anjou |
Senator of Rome (1314-1335). |
1312 - 1313 |
A populist revolt in Rome ousts the senators temporarily. TheHoly Roman empire's Henry VII travels to Rome in May 1312 to be crowned, accompanied by Theobald of Bar, prince-bishop of Liège (see feature link). Henry decides he wants to conquer Rome and Theobald is participating with him in street fights against Robert of Anjou, king of Naples, when he is fatally wounded. The prince-bishop dies in Rome, sword in hand. |
|
1331 - 1335 |
Azzone, lord of [ Milan](ItalyKingdom.htm#Lords of Milan), allies himself with Theodore I, marquess of Montferrat. Their common enemy is Robert of Anjou, and Azzone is keen to reclaim his possessions in north-western Italy. The following year, he takes Bergamo and Pizzighettone. Further conquests in 1335 include Crema, Cremona, Lodi, and Vercelli, along with other territories in Lombardy that had ceded control to the [Papal States](ItalyPopes.htm#Great Schism). |
|
1343 - 1382 |
Joanna I |
Murdered by Charles III. |
1382 - 1384 |
Joanna wills her lands to Louis I, duke of Anjou inFrance, who secures Provence, but her cousin Charles III conquers Naples. Louis dies in 1384. |
|
1382 - 1386 |
Charles III |
Charles II of Hungary (1385-1386). Assassinated. |
1386 - 1414 |
Ladislas |
Rival candidate for crown ofCroatia. Lord of Rome (1408-1414). |
1397 |
King Sigismund of Hungary and Croatia calls for the_sabor_ in city of Krizhevci. Croatian law states that no one should enter the sabor with arms so, on 20 February, the Croatian ban, Stjepan Lackovich and his supporters leave their arms in front of the church. The Hungarians are already in the church, fully armed. Sigismund has arranged for the ban and his followers to be murdered for supporting the opposing candidate for the throne, Ladislaus of Naples. The event is known as 'Bloody Sabor of Krizhevci'. |
|
1414 - 1435 |
Joanna II |
|
1435 - 1442 |
The Angevin line ends. The claim to Naples passes to René I the Good of Anjou, duke of[Lorraine](FranceLorraine.htm#Duchy 2), with Isabel his queen consort. By 1442 Alfonso V of Aragon and Sicily conquers the kingdom. In 1442, the kingdom of[Naples & Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Aragons United) is re-united under Alfonso. |
|
1435 - 1442 |
René I the Good of Anjou |
Duke of Bar. Duke of[Lorraine](FranceLorraine.htm#Duchy 2). |
1473 |
Upon the death of Nicholas of Anjou, the duchy of[Lorraine](FranceLorraine.htm#Duchy 2) passes to his aunt, Yolanda, the sister of the late Duke John II. She immediately passes all of the duties and responsibilities of the title to her son, René (her husband, Ferri/Frederick II, count of Vaudémont, had died in 1470). When she inherits the duchy of Bar upon the death of her father in 1480, she repeats the act. The dukes of Lorraine also continue to claim the kingship of Naples. |
|
1490 |
The death of Odoardo Colonna sees the duchy ofMarsi passing to one of his sons. Which one, however, seems to be a small matter of confusion with a family that seems to be relatively poorly recorded in the available material. Fabrizio Colonna, the first to bear that name, would seem to be the official duke, but Giordano has also been referred to as Odoardo's successor.Possibly he remains in Marsi to govern while his successful brother concentrates more on his role as the first great hereditary constable of the kingdom of Naples (from 1490). |
|
1495 - 1496 |
An alliance is formed between Naples, thePope, [ Milan](ItalyKingdom.htm#Duchy of Milan), Venice, and theEmperor in order to defend [Italy](ItalyKingdom.htm#Duchy of Milan) from Charles VIII ofFrance. The conflict sees Naples occupied by the French. |
|
1496 - 1501 |
Frederick IV (III) |
King of Naples. Deposed by Ferdinand II of Aragon. Died 1504. |
1501 |
After uniting Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon deposes his cousin in Naples and unites [Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Aragons United) and Naples to the Spanish joint kingdom ofCastile, Aragon, and Navarre. Local viceroys are given control of Sicily. |
|
1504 - 1507 |
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba |
Viceroy of Naples. Grandfather of Gonzalo II, governor ofMilan. |
1556 - 1557 |
Pedro Enríquez de Acevedo |
Count of Fuentes. Viceroy Naples. Gov Spanish Nthrlands & Milan. |
1559 |
The Italian War of 1551-1559 ends with the signing of the Peace of Cateau Cambrésis between England, France and Spain. Emmanuel Philibert regains his duchy of Piedmont and Savoy in full as part of the war's ending and he departs his post in the Spanish Netherlands to take up his duties. Corsica is restored to Genoa, while Spain is confirmed in its direct control of Milan, Naples, Presidi,Sardinia, and [Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Aragons United). |
|
1579 - 1582 |
Juan de Zúñiga y Requesens |
Viceroy of Naples. Brother of Governor Luis de Zúñiga ofMilan. |
1644 - 1646 |
Juan Alfonso Enríquez de Cabrera |
Viceroy of Naples. Viceroy of [Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Aragons United) (1641-1644). |
1647 - 1649 |
Gian Giacomo Teodoro Trivulzio |
Viceroy of Aragon (1642), & Sardinia (1649). Gov of Milan (1656). |
1662 - 1667 |
Francesco Caetani |
Governor of Milan (1660-1662). |
1670 - 1674 |
Claude Lamoral |
Governor of Milan (1674-1678). |
1678 - 1687 |
Francisco de Benavides de la Cueva |
Viceroy of Sardinia (1675-1677) & Naples (1687-1696). |
1696 - 1701 |
Pedro Manuel Colón de Portugal |
Duke of Veragua. Viceroy of Valencia (1679) & Sardinia (1706). |
1702 - 1715 |
Spain is involved in the War of Succession as [Austria](GermanyAustria.htm#Habsburg Archdukes),Britain, and[Portugal](IberiaPortugal.htm#Kingdom of Braganza) dispute the Bourbon accession. The conclusion of the war sees Spain giving up Milan, Naples,Sardinia, and the Spanish Netherlands (modernBelgium) to Austria, and [Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Aragons United) to the duchy of Savoy (in 1713). The Papal States are forced to hand over the territories of Parma and Piacenza to Austria, a definite blow to the papacy's prestige. Philip, duke of Anjou, is recognised as the Bourbon King Philip V of Spain, but only on the condition that the Bourbon crowns of Spain andFrance can never be united under a single ruler. |
|
1718 - 1718 |
Pedro Manuel Colón de Portugal |
A Spanish Netherlands Belgian. Viceroy of Sardinia (1717). |
1717 - 1720 |
King Philip V of Spain is unhappy with the arrangements set at the end of the War of Succession and occupies Sardinia and [Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Aragons United), triggering the War of the Quadruple Alliance. [Austria](GermanyAustria.htm#Habsburg Archdukes), Britain,France, and[Holland](FranceHolland.htm#House of Orange) unite to defeat Spain, and peace is again declared with the Treaty of The Hague which is signed in 1720. As part of this treaty, the duchy of Savoy trades the important island of Sicily to Austria for the far less important Sardinia, which is closer to its own territory. So as not to lose out on the trade, the former dukes are promoted, and Savoy is merged with Sardinia to form a single kingdom of Sardinia. The War of the Spanish Succession was fought to avoid a shift in the balance of power in Europe with the proposed unification of the Bourbon kingdoms of Spain and France |
|
1732 |
Otto Ferdinand von Abensberg und Traun |
Later [Austrian](GermanyAustria.htm#Habsburg Archdukes) governor of Milan (1736-1743). |
1733 - 1735 |
The War of the Polish Succession gains Naples and[Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Aragons United) for the Bourbons of Spain. The Spanish Philip V reunites his possessions as the kingdom of the [Two Sicilies](ItalySicily.htm#Two Sicilies) and gives them to a younger son under an agreement that the kingdom will not be reunited with Spain. In exchange, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI gains the duchy of Parma in addition to his existing Italian possessions. |
|
1799 |
The Parthenopean Republic is declared in Naples in January, but the Bourbons are restored in June of the same year. |
|
1805 |
The Bourbons are deposed by Napoleon Bonaparte's[French](FranceFranks.htm#First Empire) First Empire, and the emperor forms his own kingdom of [Naples](#Kingdom of Naples). Protected by the British Royal Navy, the Bourbons continue to rule from[Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Two Sicilies Reunited) but without any power over Naples. |
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Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples AD 1806 - 1815 The Bourbon kingdom of the [Two Sicilies](ItalySicily.htm#Two Sicilies Reunited) in southernItaly was conquered by the[French](FranceFranks.htm#First Empire) emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Napoleonic kingdom of Naples was created in its place, incorporating much of the former principality ofBenevento. |
|
|
1806 - 1808 |
Joseph Bonaparte |
Brother of Napoleon I of [France](FranceFranks.htm#First Empire). |
1808 - 1815 |
Joachim Murat |
Brother-in-law of Napoleon I. |
1814 - 1815 |
With Napoleon Bonaparte's return from exile on Elba, Joachim Murat launches an ill-advised campaign to the north of the kingdom, occupying Rome for a period. When Napoleon falls, Murat flees to Corsica, launches an attempt to retake Naples, and is arrested and executed by the rightful Bourbon king of Naples and [Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Two Sicilies Reunited).[Austria](GermanyAustria.htm#Habsburg Emperors) renews its control of northern[Italy](ItalyKingdom.htm#Austria Restored), and the Papal States are restored to Rome, which includes the medieval principality ofBenevento. |
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1860 |
Garibaldi defeats the Bourbons in his unification of Italy. The following year, [Sicily](ItalySicily.htm#Two Sicilies Reunited) and Naples are joined toSardinia and Italy. |
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