Italy in the Middle Ages

Deposition of the Last Western Roman Emperor and Ostrogothic Invasion of Italy

History of medieval Italy begins in 476 when the last

Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus was
deposed by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer who
proclaimed himself King of Italy. The Byzantine Emperor
Zeno (reigned 474-475 and 476-491) disliked Odoacer’s
action because he considered himself an heir to the
Western Roman Empire but he recognized Odoacer’s
authority in Italy. However, the Byzantine Emperor
eventually started to feel threatened by the first non-
Roman ruler of Italy and commissioned Theodoric the
Great, King of the Ostrogoths in 488 to capture Italy from
Odoacer. Theodoric invaded Italy one year later and killed
Odoacer in 493 during a celebration of an agreement that
made the two kings co-rulers. Theodoric the Great
became sole king of Italy but like his predecessor, he
nominally ruled Italy under Byzantine suzerainty until his
death in 526

Collapse of the Ostrogothic Kingdom and Arrival of the Lombards

The Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy was invaded by the

Byzantines under the command of Belisarius in 535 and
the Italian peninsula came under the Byzantine rule by
540. Belisarius’ departure in the same year, however,
was taken advantage by the Ostrogoths who recaptured
most of the lost territory by 542. Belisarius returned to
Italy but his second campaign was unsuccessful. He was
replaced by Narzes who decisively defeated the last
Ostrogothic king, Teias at the Battle of Mons Lactarius in
553 and returned Italy under the Byzantine rule.
However, the Byzantine domination over Italy came to
an end in 568 when the peninsula was invaded by the
Lombards led by their king Alboin
 Kingdom of the Lombards at Its Height and the Donation of Sutri

The Lombards captured a large part of the

Italian peninsula from the Byzantines and
established the Lombard Kingdom. Alboin
ubijen 572.  nesposobni vladari. 599. mir
pape Grgura I. i Langobarda 751. osvojili
Ravenski egzarhat

Donation of Pepin and Establishment of the Papal States

Pope Stephen II (752-757), feeling threatened by the Lombard expansion turned to the King of
the Franks, Pepin the Short (ruled 751-768) for military assistance in 754. Pepin responded to
the Pope’s appeal, invaded Italy and defeated the Lombard king. The territory that was lost to
the Lombards was returned to the Papacy in 754 with the so-called Donation of Pepin which
provided the legal basis for establishment of the Papal States encompassing the former
Exarchate of Ravenna 756, the Pentapolis, parts of the Lombard duchies of Spoleto and
Benevento in central and southern Italy, and part of Romagna.

Deposition of the Last Lombard King and the Papal Temporal Rule in Central Italy

Pepin’s successor Charlemagne (ruled

768-814) deposed the last King of the
Lombards, Desiderius in 774 and
incorporated the Lombard Kingdom in
northern Italy into the Frankish Kingdom.
Political Fragmentation of Italy in the 9th Century

Italy was fragmented into several political units by the

early 9th century. The Papal States covered a large part
of central Italy, the Lombard Kingdom in the north was
an integral part of the Carolingian Empire, the Lombard
duchies of Spoleto and Benevento only formally
accepted Charlemagne’s suzerainty, while the Byzantine
Empire controlled Sicily, parts of southern Italy and
several coastal cities including Venice. However, the
Byzantines lost Sicily to the Saracens in the mid-9th
century (827-902 Taormina), while the Lombard
Kingdom which came to be known as Kingdom of Italy
became a source of dispute between East Francia
(precursor of the Kingdom of France) and West Francia
(precursor of the Holy Roman Empire) after the
disintegration of the Carolingian Empire in mid-9th
century. In 962, the Kingdom of Italy became a
constituent kingdom of the Holy Roman Empire (Oton I,
Leon III)

Italian City-
States and the
Peace of
Constance
 Northern Italy in the 11th century was marked by the rise of the city-states. They had a unique
form of government and established themselves as the centers of trade, manufacturing and
later also banking. Many of them extended their influence and wealth in the 12th century also
due to their role in the Crusades and repulsed the attempt of the Holy Roman
Emperor, Frederick I Barbarossa (reigned 1155-1190) to assert his authority in Italy. The Holy
Roman Emperor was defeated by the Lombard League, an alliance of the northern Italian cities
which forced him to recognize independence of the Lombard cities under his nominal suzerainty
with the Peace of Constance in 1183.

Rivalry between the Italian City-States and the Emergence of Venice as the
Dominant Sea Power in Europe
 The northern Italian cities renewed their alliance against the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II
(ruled 1220-1250) when he tried to assert his authority in northern Italy in the early 13th
century. As soon as the external threat was gone, the Italian city-states focused on extension of
their influence and power which resulted in a rivalry for supremacy in the Mediterranean. Pisa
was about to rise as one of the leading sea powers after capturing Sardinia and Corsica from the
Saracens in the 11th century but it was virtually eliminated from the competition for supremacy
in the Mediterranean after the defeat against Genoa in 1284. The latter, however, was decisively
defeated by Venice which reached its height after the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) and
established itself as the dominant sea power in Europe by the end of the 14th century.

Florence under
the Medici Family

Other Italian city-states, in the first place Lucca, Siena, Milan and Florence played an important
role in history of Italy in the Middle Ages as well. The cradle of the Renaissance as Florence is
often referred to reached its golden age under the Medici family, especially Lorenzo de’ Medici
(ruled 1469-1494), also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent who made the city the cultural center
of Italy. He also played the key role in maintenance of peace and creation of balance among the
Italian states which collapsed shortly after his death and turned Italy into a battlefield.

Collapse of Byzantine Rule in Sicily and Muslim Conquests in Southern Italy

 History of southern and central Italy in the Middle
Ages was very different to that of northern Italy. Sicily
and parts of southern Italy were captured by the
Saracens in the mid-9th century who presented a
constant threat to the central Italy as well. They
penetrated deep into central Italy and the Popes
were forced to pay tribute after failing to organize a
military campaign to expel the Saracens. The
Byzantine Empire under the Macedonian dynasty
which came to power in 867 managed to recover
some of the lost territories in southern Italy but Sicily
was permanently lost in 902 when it was transformed
into the Emirate of Sicily.

Norman Conquest of Sicily and Southern Italy and the Hohenstaufen Rule

Both the Saracens and Byzantines were ousted from Sicily and southern Italy, respectively, by the Normans
led by the brothers Roger and Robert Guiscard by the end of the 11th century. Roger’s son, Roger II united
the Norman conquests in Sicily and southern Italy
and proclaimed himself King of Sicily in 1130. In
1194, the Kingdom of Sicily was acquired by the
Hohenstaufen dynasty whose rule was marked by a
constant conflict with the Papacy which was a
major contributor to the dynasty’s downfall. Pope
Urban IV (1261-1264) proclaimed the Kingdom of
Sicily a Papal possession in 1262 and offered the
crown to Charles of Anjou. The latter accepted the
Pope’s offer, invaded Sicily and deposed Manfred,
the last Hohenstaufen King of Sicily in 1266.

War of the Sicilian Vespers and Division of the Kingdom of Sicily into the Island-
Based Kingdom and the Kingdom of Naples

Angevin rule in Sicily did not last long. A rebellion, known as the War of the Sicilian Vespers
broke out in 1282, while the crown was offered to Peter III of Aragon. The latter invaded the
island and was crowned King of Sicily in 1282 but he failed to establish his authority in southern
 Italy where Charles of Anjou established an independent Kingdom of Naples. The war for the
island of Sicily continued until 1302 when the former Kingdom of Sicily was split into the island-
based and mainland kingdoms. The Kingdom of Naples was ruled by the Angevin dynasty until
1443 when Rene of Anjou was was forced to leave over Naples to Alfonso V of Aragon.

Angevin Claim to the Kingdom of Naples and the Outbreak of the Italian War

Sicily came under direct rule of the Aragonese kings in 1409 and was reunited with the mainland kingdom
in 1443 when Alfonso V of Aragon entered the city of Naples. However, the two kingdoms split apart
again after Alfonso’s death in 1448. The Kingdom of Naples went to his illegitimate son Ferdinand I
(reigned 1448-1494) whose rule was troubled by Angevin claims to the throne of Naples. After his death
in 1494, Italy was invaded by Charles VIII of France (reigned 1483-1498), an Angevin through his
grandmother to assert his claim to the Kingdom of Naples. Charles’ invasion of Italy marked the beginning
of the Italian Wars that ended in 1559
with foreign domination of the Italian
Peninsula except for the Republic of
Venice and the Duchy of Savoy that
retained their independence and
central Italy which remained under the
control of the Papal States.