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Naples
Naples in southern
Italy and the adjacent
island of
Sicily have large swathes of shared history
dating back over two thousand years, but the first known signs of settlement around
Naples go back even further, to the second millennium BC. Greek settlements were established
in the Naples region shortly before the first millennium, and a major settlement called
Parthenope emerged during the ninth and eighth centuries BC. This city, now declining,
was re-established as Neapolis in the sixth century BC and it remained important during
subsequent domination by the
Roman republic.
Following centuries of domination by the
Roman empire, Naples' fate followed
the general course of events in Italy, with control being seized in turn by the
Gothic kingdom of Odoacer and then
by the Ostrogoths. A
resurgent Eastern Roman empire conquered
southern Italy in the sixth century AD, along with much of the Mediterranean coastline.
But the empire's control of Italy was never complete, and it had to face continual attacks
from the Lombards who had become
dominant in the north and areas of central Italy. The remaining Eastern Roman influence
in the south was gradually whittled away after the sudden rise of the
Islamic
empire, although the Norman counts of
Apulia finished off the Catepanate. |
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536 - 540 |
After arriving in Italy before the close of the previous
year, General Belisarius captures Naples and enters
Rome, 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 between
Ostrogoths 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.
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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
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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 southern
Italy. The siege fails and is lifted in
581. Another siege is initiated by Zottone's successor, but this also fails. |
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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. |
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early 600s |
The details of the reign of Duke Arechi of
Benevento 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 of
Eastern 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. |
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661 |
Eastern Roman
Emperor Constans II is highly interested in affairs in southern
Italy, 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).
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Early medieval Naples was crowded behind its defensive walls,
threatened by Lombards, and Saracens as well as neighbouring
states
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661 - 666 |
Basil |
A native Neapolitan. |
666 - 670 |
Theophilatus I / Theophylactus I |
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670 - 673 |
Cosmas |
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673 - 677 |
Andrew I |
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677 - 681 |
Caesarius I |
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681 - 687 |
Stephen I |
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687 - 696 |
Bonello |
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696 - 706 |
Theodosius |
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706 - 711 |
Caesarius II |
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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 with
Rome. 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 |
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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 |
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752 - 755 |
The exarchate of
Ravenna is recaptured by the
Lombards, permanently ending
Byzantine 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
Byzantine 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
Byzantine
Ravenna has gone, and
he accepts Papal suzerainty
by this date.
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Duke Stephen governed Naples during Italy's transition from
Byzantine domination to a series of patchwork states all vying
for supremacy
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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 the
Byzantine
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 the
Islamic
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 the
Byzantine
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 of
Byzantine
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 |
Byzantine
Sicily is occupied by the
Aghlabids
as part of the
Islamic
empire. This loss virtually severs communications between Constantinople and
Sardinia, leaving the island
isolated. The political position in Naples also becomes less stable, with
several pretenders vying for the ducal office. |
832 - 834 |
Bonus |
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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 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,
Saxons,
Lombards and
Frisians - help defend the fortifications, along with Neapolitan forces
and others, but further Saracen raids are
to come. |
849 |
A
further
Aghlabid incursion threatens
Rome 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 by
Pope 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 of
Byzantine
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 new
Byzantine
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.
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The defeat of the Saracens at the Battle of Garigliano was a
major triumph in the war against Islamic incursions into Italy
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915 - 919 |
John II |
Son. Also at Garigliano. |
919 - 928 |
Marino I / Marinus I |
Brother. |
928 - 968 |
John III |
Son. |
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 the
Byzantines,
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 |
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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 |
1266 - 1285 |
Charles I of Anjou |
Senator of
Rome
(1263-1284). King of
Hungary
(1308-1342). |
1267 |
A populist government controls the city of
Rome. 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. |
1271 |
Construction on Castel Nuovo in Naples is begun. |
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
in Sicily, with the Angevins continuing to rule Naples. |
1285 - 1309 |
Charles II |
King of Naples. |
1309 - 1343 |
Robert
of Anjou |
Senator of
Rome (1314-1335). |
1331 - 1335 |
Azzone, lord 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. |
1343 - 1382 |
Joanna I |
Murdered by Charles III. |
1382 - 1384 |
Joanna
wills her lands to Louis I, duke of Anjou in
France, who secures Provence, but her cousin
Charles III conquers Naples. Louis dies in 1384. |
1382 - 1386 |
Charles III |
Charles II of
Hungary (1385-1386). |
1386 - 1414 |
Ladislas |
Rival candidate for crown of
Croatia.
Lord of Rome (1408-1414). |
1414 - 1435 |
Joanna II |
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1435 - 1442 |
The Angevin line ends. The claim to Naples passes to René I
the Good of Anjou, duke of
Lorraine, with Isabel
his queen consort. By 1442 Alfonso V of
Aragon and
Sicily conquers the kingdom.
In 1442, the kingdom of
Naples & Sicily
is re-united under Alfonso. |
1435 - 1442 |
René I the Good of Anjou |
Duke of Bar. Duke of
Lorraine. |
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1473 |
Upon
the death of Nicholas of Anjou, the duchy of
Lorraine 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. |
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1490 |
The death of Odoardo Colonna sees the duchy of
Marsi 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). |
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1495 - 1496 |
An
alliance is formed between Naples, the
Pope,
Milan,
Venice, and the
Emperor in order to
defend Italy from Charles VIII of
France. The conflict
sees Naples occupied by the French. |
1496 - 1501 |
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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 and
Naples to the Spanish joint kingdom of
Castile,
Aragon, and
Navarre. Local viceroys
are given control of Sicily. |
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1504 - 1507 |
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba |
Viceroy of Naples. Grandfather of Gonzalo II, governor of
Milan. |
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1556 - 1557 |
Pedro
Enríquez de Acevedo |
Count of Fuentes. Viceroy Naples. Gov Spanish Nthrlands
& Milan. |
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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. |
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1579 - 1582 |
Juan
de Zúñiga y Requesens |
Viceroy of Naples. Brother of Governor Luis de Zúñiga of
Milan. |
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1644 - 1646 |
Juan
Alfonso Enríquez de Cabrera |
Viceroy of Naples. Viceroy of
Sicily (1641-1644). |
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1647 - 1649 |
Gian
Giacomo Teodoro Trivulzio |
Viceroy of
Aragon
(1642), & Sardinia (1649). Gov of
Milan (1656). |
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1662 - 1667 |
Francesco Caetani |
Governor of
Milan (1660-1662). |
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1670 - 1674 |
Claude Lamoral |
Governor of
Milan (1674-1678). |
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1678 - 1687 |
Francisco de Benavides de la Cueva |
Viceroy of
Sardinia (1675-1677) & Naples (1687-1696). |
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1696 - 1701 |
Pedro Manuel Colón de Portugal |
Duke of Veragua. Viceroy of Valencia (1679) &
Sardinia
(1706). |
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1702 - 1715 |
Spain
is involved in the War of Succession as
Austria,
Britain, and
Portugal
dispute the Bourbon accession. The conclusion of the war sees Spain giving up
Milan, Naples,
Sardinia,
and the Spanish Netherlands (modern
Belgium) to Austria, and
Sicily 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 and
France
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,
triggering the War of the Quadruple Alliance.
Austria,
Britain,
France, and
Holland
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.
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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
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1732 |
Otto Ferdinand von Abensberg und Traun |
Later
Austrian
governor of Milan
(1736-1743). |
1733 - 1735 |
The
War of the Polish Succession gains Naples and
Sicily for the
Bourbons of Spain. The
Spanish Philip V reunites his possessions as the kingdom of the
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. |
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1799 |
The Parthenopean
Republic is declared in Naples in January, but the Bourbons are restored in
June of the same year. |
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1805 |
The Bourbons are deposed by Napoleon Bonaparte's
French First
Empire, and the emperor forms his own kingdom of
Naples. Protected by the
British Royal Navy, the Bourbons continue to rule from
Sicily but without any power over Naples. |
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Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples
AD 1806 - 1815
The Bourbon kingdom of the
Two Sicilies in southern
Italy was conquered by
the
French emperor,
Napoleon Bonaparte, and
the Napoleonic kingdom of Naples was
created in its place, incorporating much of the former principality of
Benevento. |
1806 - 1808 |
Joseph Bonaparte |
Brother of Napoleon I
of France. |
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.
Austria
renews its control of northern
Italy, and the
Papal States are restored to Rome, which includes the medieval principality of
Benevento. |
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1860 |
Garibaldi defeats the
Bourbons in his unification of Italy. The following year,
Sicily and Naples are joined to
Sardinia and Italy. |
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