King of Italy
King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers after the fall of the
Roman Empire.
Up until
1861, no
King of Italy ruled on the whole
Italian peninsula.
After the deposition of
Romulus Augustus in
476,
Heruli leader
Odoacer was appointed
dux Italiae (ruler of Italy) by emperor
Zeno. Later, he entitled himself
rex Italiae (king of Italy), though he always presented himself as an officer of the eastern government.
In
483,
Ostrogothic leader
Theodoric the Great defeated Odoacer, and started
a new dynasty of kings of Italy. Ostrogothic rule ended with the death of
Teias (
552), when
Italy was reconquered by the
Byzantine Empire.
Ostrogoths
*
Theodoric the Great 476-
526*
Athalaric 526-
534*
Theodahad 534-
536*
Witiges 536-
540*
Ildibad 540-
541*
Eraric 541*
Totila (Baduela)
541-
552*
Teia (Theia, Teja)
552-
553Ostrogothic Kingdom conquered by
Byzantine Empire.
Lombards
Alboin led the
Lombards into Italy in 568 and set up a barbarian state.
*
Alboin (
568 -
572)
*
Cleph (
572 -
574)
Rule of the Dukes (Ten year interregnum)*
Authari (
584 -
590), son of previous
*
Agilulf (
591 - c.
616), cousin of previous
*
Adaloald (c.
616 - c.
626)
*
Arioald (c.
626 -
636)
*
Rothari (
636 -
652)
*
Rodoald (
652 -
653)
*
Aripert I (
653 -
661)
*
Perctarit and
Godepert (
661 -
662)
*
Grimuald (
662 -
671)
*
Perctarit (
671 -
688) (restored from exile)
*
Alahis (
688 -
689), rebel
*
Cunincpert (
688 -
700)
*
Liutpert (
700 -
701)
*
Raginpert (
701)
*
Aripert II (
701 -
712)
*
Ansprand (
712)
*
Liutprand (
712 -
744)
*
Hildeprand (
744)
*
Ratchis (
744 -
749)
*
Aistulf (
749 -
756)
*
Desiderius (
756 -
774)
Pippin of Italy, third son of
Charlemagne, is crowned
King of Italy by
Pope Hadrian I in
781. He reigned over
Northern Italy, while
Central Italy became the
Papal States.
*
Pippin:
781-
810*
Bernard:
810-
818*
Lothair I:
818-
839*
Louis II:
839-
875*
Charles the Bald:
875-
877*
Carloman:
877-
879*
Charles the Fat:
879-
888Between 888 and 961, there were usually several claimants to the throne of Italy, and on occasion even several living crowned Emperors.
*
Berengar I:
888-
924, rival king; Emperor
915-
924*
Guy:
889-
894, rival king; Emperor
891-
894*
Lambert:
894-
898, rival king, co-ruler from
892; Emperor
894-
898*
Arnulf:
896-
899, rival king; Emperor
896-
899*
Louis III the Blind:
900-
905, rival king; Emperor
901-
905*
Rudolph:
922-
933, rival king
*
Hugh:
924-
947, rival king until 933
*
Lothair II:
947-
950*
Berengar II:
950-
961, nominally sub-king under
Otto I after
953**
Adalbert:
950-
963, co-king
*
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor:
962-
973*
Arduin of Ivrea:
1002-
1014From
962 until
1806, the kingdom of Italy was subsumed into the
Holy Roman Empire, and the emperors were also kings of Italy. The one serious independent claimant during this period was Arduin. However, after the reign of
Frederick Barbarossa (
1152-
1190), imperial authority in Italy was increasingly challenged by Italian city states and the Emperors had to base their rule on cooperation with some of these states.
During the Napoleonic period, a
Kingdom of Italy was formed in
Northern Italy.
*
Napoleon Bonaparte:
1805 -
1814 He was crowned with the
Iron Crown of Lombardy in the
Cathedral of Milan,
May 26, 1805.
At the end of
Italian unification process,
Vittorio Emmanuel II is crowned
King of Italy.
*
Vittorio Emmanuel II :
1861-
1878*
Umberto I :
1878-
1900*
Vittorio Emmanuel III :
1900-
1946*
Umberto II :
1946
