Basic overview of italian government
Pre-History:
1. Ancient settlements found dating from the 37th to 5th century BC.
2. The Etruscans began to develop Italy around 800 BC.
3. Greeks began to settle Italy around 700 BC, especially in Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily.
The Roman Empire (5th Century BC to 5th Century AD):
1. Romulus and Remus found Rome in 735 BC.
2. Rome expanded and took over provinces, which became known as “Italia.”
3. Italia became an empire, which ended in 467 AD with the death of the emperor Augustus.
4. The empire divided into separate kingdoms.
The Middle Ages (6th to 14th Century)
1. In 493, a Germanic tribe, the Ostrogoths, conquered the peninsula.
2. The Lombards, another Germanic tribe, began another kingdom.
3. The popes began to build an independent state.
4. In 756, the French took over and gave the popes control.
5. At the end of the 11th century, four Italian cities (Genoa, Pisa, Amalfi and Venice) became important commercial and political powers.
6. The Italian cities, ruled by the Holy Roman Empire, petitioned for freedom, and became separate city states.
The Renaissance (14th to 16th Century)
1. The Italian Renaissance was a cultural movement that began in Tuscany in the 14th century, spreading from Florence to Siena.
2. The Medici family supported the arts.
3. Several Italian artists became famous, such as: Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Sandro Botticelli, Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarch.
4. Popes became to build Rome and other important cities and overall, Italy became more intellectual.
Foreign Rule (1559 to 1814)
1. In 1492, France conquered parts of Northern Italy.
2. In 1527, Spain and Germany attacked Rome.
3. In 1559, three Italian republics regained their independence – Piedmont Savoy, Corsica-Genoa and Venice.
4. In 1559 Spain controlled Milan, Naples, Sicily, Sardinia and southern Tuscany, and dominated the rulers of Tuscany, Genoa, and other smaller states in northern Italy. Spanish control of Italy lasted until 1713.
5. Italy enjoyed a time a peace. During the era of domination by Habsburg Spain (1559 to 1713) and Habsburg Austria (1713 to 1796), Italians enjoyed a long period of relative peace. During the Napoleonic era (
6. From 1796 to 1814, Italy was united by Napoleon as the Italian Republic and later the Kingdom of Italy, becoming a client state of the French Republic.
7. In 1814, the Congress of Vienna, divided Italy into eight parts, most under foreign rule.
Unification (1814 to 1861)
1. In 1815, the Risorgimento, a movement that lead to unification, began.
2. Two prominent figures in the unification movement were Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, who were eventually able to unify Italy.
Present Day Italy
1. Italy suffered mass exodus in the two World Wars.
2. However, Italy is today an important social and cultural center and one of the most popular tourist destinations.
3. Italy is one of the founding members of the European Union.
1. Ancient settlements found dating from the 37th to 5th century BC.
2. The Etruscans began to develop Italy around 800 BC.
3. Greeks began to settle Italy around 700 BC, especially in Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily.
The Roman Empire (5th Century BC to 5th Century AD):
1. Romulus and Remus found Rome in 735 BC.
2. Rome expanded and took over provinces, which became known as “Italia.”
3. Italia became an empire, which ended in 467 AD with the death of the emperor Augustus.
4. The empire divided into separate kingdoms.
The Middle Ages (6th to 14th Century)
1. In 493, a Germanic tribe, the Ostrogoths, conquered the peninsula.
2. The Lombards, another Germanic tribe, began another kingdom.
3. The popes began to build an independent state.
4. In 756, the French took over and gave the popes control.
5. At the end of the 11th century, four Italian cities (Genoa, Pisa, Amalfi and Venice) became important commercial and political powers.
6. The Italian cities, ruled by the Holy Roman Empire, petitioned for freedom, and became separate city states.
The Renaissance (14th to 16th Century)
1. The Italian Renaissance was a cultural movement that began in Tuscany in the 14th century, spreading from Florence to Siena.
2. The Medici family supported the arts.
3. Several Italian artists became famous, such as: Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Sandro Botticelli, Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarch.
4. Popes became to build Rome and other important cities and overall, Italy became more intellectual.
Foreign Rule (1559 to 1814)
1. In 1492, France conquered parts of Northern Italy.
2. In 1527, Spain and Germany attacked Rome.
3. In 1559, three Italian republics regained their independence – Piedmont Savoy, Corsica-Genoa and Venice.
4. In 1559 Spain controlled Milan, Naples, Sicily, Sardinia and southern Tuscany, and dominated the rulers of Tuscany, Genoa, and other smaller states in northern Italy. Spanish control of Italy lasted until 1713.
5. Italy enjoyed a time a peace. During the era of domination by Habsburg Spain (1559 to 1713) and Habsburg Austria (1713 to 1796), Italians enjoyed a long period of relative peace. During the Napoleonic era (
6. From 1796 to 1814, Italy was united by Napoleon as the Italian Republic and later the Kingdom of Italy, becoming a client state of the French Republic.
7. In 1814, the Congress of Vienna, divided Italy into eight parts, most under foreign rule.
Unification (1814 to 1861)
1. In 1815, the Risorgimento, a movement that lead to unification, began.
2. Two prominent figures in the unification movement were Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, who were eventually able to unify Italy.
Present Day Italy
1. Italy suffered mass exodus in the two World Wars.
2. However, Italy is today an important social and cultural center and one of the most popular tourist destinations.
3. Italy is one of the founding members of the European Union.