Italian Democratization
A history of Italian democratization.
Contents
City States
Republic of Venice
Venetia et Histria saw a series of devastating invasion by the Marcomanni, Visigoths, Huns, and Lombards between the 2nd and 6th centuries. Refugees founded Venice in the lagoon around 568.
The Byzantines organized this region as the exarchate of Ravenna. In 726, the Venetians elected Orso Ipato (Ursus) as doge of Venice. The Byzantines eventually recognized him as dux and hypatus, effectively recognizing Venice as a self-governing province.
Playing the Byzantines and the Carolingians against each other, Pietro Tradonico obtained recognition as an independent republic from Lothair I in 840.
Venice began to vassalize the Dalmatian city states in the 10th century. They secured their autonomy from the Holy Roman Empire through the Lombard League. Venice secured parts of Lombardy in the 15th century.
Also in the 15th century however, the Ottomans began to contest the Mediterranean. The Italian Wars checked Venetian power on the continent. Together, these ended the era of Venetian expansion.
Following a brief Napoleonic conquest, Venice was ceded to direct Austrian rule as a part of the Venetian Province. It was annexed by the Napoleonic kingdom of Italy in 1806 and finally reorganized as part of Lombardy-Venetia in 1815.
Republic of Genoa
Florentine Republic
Republic of Pisa
Risorgimento
The kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia was established by the Congress of Vienna under Austrian control. The insurrections of 1848 reached the kingdom during the reign of Ferdinand. Notably, the Five Days of Milan (Cinque giornate di Milano) saw the Austrian garrison ousted and a provisional government established. This caused the first War of Independence. By August however, Austria did reclaim control of these cities.
Under Franz Joseph, Lombardy-Venetia rapidly disintegrated. Lombardy was ceded to the kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont in the second War of Independence, and then the remainder was ceded in the third.
Kingdom of Italy
Occupation