King of Italy
King of Italy ( Latin Rex Italiae , Italian Re d'Italia ) is a title that has been used by several rulers on the Italian peninsula since the fall of the Roman Empire . However, between the 6th century and the conquest of Rome under Victor Emmanuel II in 1870, no king ruled over the entire peninsula.
After the deposition of the western Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus in 476, the Skirische military leader Odoacer was recognized by the eastern Roman emperor Zenon as administrator of Italy (Dux Italiae) . He later called himself the King (Rex Italiae) , although he continued to see himself as an (Eastern) Roman officer. In 493 Odoacer was defeated by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great , who made his ruling family, the Amals , kings over Italy. The Ostrogoth dynasty ended in 552 with the conquest of Italy by theByzantine Empire .
But as early as 568 the Lombards invaded the peninsula under Alboin and again established a Germanic empire south of the Alps. Their rulership extended over large parts of Italy, with the exception of the Exarchate of Ravenna and the Duchies of Rome, Venice, Naples and Calabria, which also remained Byzantine.
In 774 the Longobards were defeated by the Franks under Charlemagne and the Longobard King Desiderius deposed. Charlemagne took the title Rex Langobardorum ("King of the Longobards") with the Iron Crown , which was synonymous with "King of Italy". In the centuries that followed, this kingdom was part of the Holy Roman Empire . The emperors following Otto I were crowned King of Italy in the Lombard city of Pavia on the way to the imperial coronation in Rome . However, this only affected the so-called Imperial Italy in the north, while a Kingdom of Sicily and a Kingdom of Naples emerged in the south . The title had become meaningless by the time of the Renaissance . After Charles V , no emperor was crowned King of Italy, although he officially continued to exist until 1648.
In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte , until then President of the Italian Republic , was crowned head of the French satellite state called the Kingdom of Italy with the Iron Crown in Milan Cathedral . This ceased to exist with Napoleon's abdication in 1814. In the following decades there was no longer a king of Italy. Napoleon's son Napoleon Franz Bonaparte , born in 1811, held the title of King of Rome until 1814 .
The title of King of Italy was reintroduced in connection with the unification of Italy into a nation state under the House of Savoy in 1861. In 1946 the monarchy was abolished as a form of government by referendum and replaced by a republic .
Rex Italiae
- 476-493 Odoacer
Ostrogothic Kingdom
- 493–526 Theodoric the Great , de facto since 493, de jure since 497
- 526-534 Athalaric
- 534-536 Theodahad
- 536-540 Witichis
- 540-541 Hildebad
- 541 Erarich
- 541-552 Totila
- 552 Teja
Lombard Kingdom
Frankish kings of Italy
- 774–781 Charles I the Great , in personal union ( Carolingians )
- 781–810 Pippin , King
- 810-812 Charles I the Great , in one person ( Carolingian ) (2nd time)
- 812–818 Bernhard , King
- 818–822 Ludwig I the Pious , in personal union
- 822–855 Lothar I , emperor
- 855–875 Ludwig II , as king, from 855 emperor
- 875–877 Charles II , the bald , emperor in personal union
- 877–879 Karlmann , King
- 879-888 Charles III. the fat one , emperor
- 888–889 Berengar I ( Unruochinger )
- 889–894 Guido von Spoleto , Emperor ( Guidonen )
- 894–896 Lambert von Spoleto , Kaiser ( Guidonen )
- 896–899 Arnulf of Carinthia , Emperor ( Carolingian )
- 899–905 Ludwig III., The blind , from 901 emperor ( Buviniden )
- 905–924 Berengar I, emperor from 915
- 924–926 Rudolf II. , King ( Welfen )
- 926–945 Hugo I , king ( bosonids )
- 945–950 Lothar II , king ( bosonids )
- 950–961 Berengar II , king
- 960–961 Adalbert , his son, fellow king
Kingdom of Italy in the Holy Roman Empire
- 951–973 Otto I , Kaiser ( Liudolfinger ) in personal union
- 973–983 Otto II , Kaiser (Liudolfinger) in personal union
- 983-1002 Otto III. , Kaiser (Liudolfinger) in personal union
- 1002–1004 Arduin from Ivrea , last “native” king of Italy until 1861
- 1004–1024 Heinrich II. , Emperor (Liudolfinger) in personal union
- 1027–1039 Conrad II , Emperor ( Salier ) in personal union
- 1046-1056 Heinrich III. , Emperor (Salier)
- 1084–1105 Heinrich IV. , Emperor (Salier)
- 1093-1098 Konrad (III.) , Co-king of the father (Salier)
- 1111–1125 Heinrich V , emperor (Salier)
- 1128-1135 Conrad III. , Roman-German King ( Staufer )
- 1154–1190 Friedrich I , Emperor (Staufer)
- 1191–1197 Heinrich VI. , Kaiser (Staufer)
- 1208–1212 Otto IV. , Emperor ( Welfen )
- 1311–1313 Henry VII , Emperor ( Luxembourger )
- 1327–1347 Ludwig IV , Emperor ( Wittelsbacher )
- 1355–1378 Charles IV , Emperor (Luxembourger)
- 1378–1400 Wenceslaus , Roman-German King (Luxembourger)
- 1410–1437 Sigismund , Roman-German King (Luxembourger)
- 1437–1439 Albrecht II , Roman-German King ( Habsburg )
- 1452–1493 Frederick III. , Emperor (Habsburg)
- 1519–1556 Charles V , Emperor (Habsburg), was crowned King of Italy in Bologna in 1530 as the last emperor.
Kingdom of Italy (1805-1814)
| king | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Surname | Life dates | Beginning of the term of office | Term expires |
| Napoleon Bonaparte | 1769-1821 | March 17, 1805 | May 25, 1814 |
Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)
| Kings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Surname | Life dates | Beginning of the term of office | Term expires |
| Victor Emmanuel II | 1820-1878 | March 17, 1861 | January 9, 1878 |
| Umberto I. | 1844-1900 | January 9, 1878 | July 29, 1900 |
| Victor Emmanuel III | 1869-1947 | July 29, 1900 | May 9, 1946 |
| Umberto II. | 1904-1983 | May 9, 1946 | June 18, 1946 |
See also
- List of Roman Emperors (800–924)
- List of Italian rulers (1003–1946)
- President of the Council of Ministers (since 1861)
- President of the Italian Republic (since 1946)
