King of Italy
In the year 476, a barbarian warlord named Odoacer stood before the Roman Emperor Zeno in Constantinople. He had just deposed the last Western Emperor and claimed power over Italy. The Senate appointed him Dux Italiae, or Duke of Italy, but his soldiers soon proclaimed him Rex, King of Italy. This moment marked the end of ancient Roman rule in the west and the beginning of a new era for the Italian peninsula. Odoacer ruled from 433 until his death on the 15th of March 493. His reign ended when Theodoric the Great killed him in 493 to establish Ostrogothic control.
Emperor Zeno invited Theodoric the Great to take Italy from Odoacer and rule it in Zeno's name. Theodoric defeated Odoacer in 493 and established a new dynasty that lasted until 552. Officially, these kings acted as viceroys for Roman emperors while ruling their own Gothic people independently. Their greatest extent occurred during Theodoric's reign, which spanned from 454 to the 30th of August 526. The final Ostrogothic king fell to Emperor Justinian in 553 after Byzantine forces reconquered the territory. Queen Amalasuintha reigned briefly between October 534 and April 535 before being replaced by Theodahad.
In 568, the Lombards entered northern Italy under King Alboin and pushed back Byzantine Romans. They gradually captured most of the peninsula except for the Exarchate of Ravenna and several southern duchies. By the 750s, only the Exarchate remained under Roman control. Charlemagne defeated the last Lombard King Desiderius in 774 and took up the title King of the Lombards. He named his son Pepin as King of Italy in 781 while maintaining suzerainty over the land. After Charles the Fat died in November 887, Italy fell into instability known as the Feudal Anarchy that lasted until 962.
Otto I invaded Italy in 951 and was crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia. He became the founding emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and claimed Italy as a constituent realm. Subsequent emperors used the title Rex Italicorum until Henry II ruled from 1004 to 1024. The Iron Crown remained central to coronations through the reign of Charles V, who stopped being crowned king of Italy after January 1556. Imperial control receded to Trent and South Tyrol until the empire dissolved in 1806. Southern Italy never joined the Holy Roman Empire but remained under Byzantine fiefs before becoming part of the Kingdom of Naples.
Napoleon Bonaparte established a client state in northern Italy in 1805 called the Kingdom of Italy. He crowned himself King of Italy on the 17th of March 1805, while also serving as Emperor of the French. This kingdom existed only until the 11th of April 1814 when Napoleon was deposed. The Congress of Vienna later divided the region into independent duchies and kingdoms. Napoleon's full title appeared in Italian laws: [Name], by the Grace of God and the Constitutions, Emperor of the French and King of Italy. His rule lasted nine years before the monarchy collapsed entirely.
Sentiment for unification grew across the peninsula during the Revolutions of 1848. Giuseppe Garibaldi made common cause with the House of Savoy to overthrow the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Northern Italy came under domination of the Kingdom of Sardinia which ruled Piedmont and Savoy regions along the French border. People voted in a plebiscite to join Sardinia and form the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Victor Emmanuel II became the first king on the 17th of March 1861. The Papal States and Rome were annexed in 1870 completing the unification process that had taken decades to achieve.
The monarchy ended after World War II when an institutional referendum was held on the 2nd of June 1946. Voters chose to abolish the monarchy and establish the Italian Republic instead. Umberto II left the country on the 12th of June 1946 marking the formal end of royal rule. He reigned from the 9th of May 1946 until his exile just three weeks later. His father Victor Emmanuel III had been king since the 29th of July 1900 before abdicating in 1946. The House of Savoy lost its throne after nearly eight centuries of continuous presence in Italian history.
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Common questions
Who was the first King of Italy after Odoacer deposed the last Western Emperor in 476?
Odoacer became the first King of Italy when his soldiers proclaimed him Rex following his deposition of the Roman Emperor Zeno. He ruled from 433 until his death on the 15th of March 493.
When did Theodoric the Great establish Ostrogothic control over Italy and how long did it last?
Theodoric the Great defeated Odoacer in 493 to establish a new dynasty that lasted until 552. His reign spanned from 454 to the 30th of August 526 before the final Ostrogothic king fell to Emperor Justinian in 553.
Which monarchs held the title King of Italy during the Holy Roman Empire period between 951 and 1806?
Otto I invaded Italy in 951 and claimed it as a constituent realm while subsequent emperors used the title Rex Italicorum until Henry II ruled from 1004 to 1024. Imperial control receded to Trent and South Tyrol until the empire dissolved in 1806 after Charles V stopped being crowned king of Italy after January 1556.
Who was Napoleon Bonaparte and when did he crown himself King of Italy in 1805?
Napoleon Bonaparte established a client state called the Kingdom of Italy on the 17th of March 1805 while also serving as Emperor of the French. This kingdom existed only until the 11th of April 1814 when Napoleon was deposed by European powers.
When did Victor Emmanuel II become the first king of unified Italy following the plebiscite vote?
People voted in a plebiscite to join Sardinia and form the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 with Victor Emmanuel II becoming the first king on the 17th of March 1861. The Papal States and Rome were annexed in 1870 completing the unification process that had taken decades to achieve.
On what date did the Italian monarchy officially end and who was the last king to leave the country?
The monarchy ended after World War II when an institutional referendum was held on the 2nd of June 1946. Voters chose to abolish the monarchy and establish the Italian Republic instead while Umberto II left the country on the 12th of June 1846 marking the formal end of royal rule.