Italy
...extends into the Mediterranean sea from southern Europe.
The country also includes two large islands, Sicily and Sardinia.
The History
Italy has had a long and colorful history. For much of its history,
Italy has been divided into many small and often warring city states. This
occurred after the break up of the Roman Empire when much of Europe became
feudal. In 476, Odoacer defeated the last emperor of ancient Rome, Romulus
Augustulus. Odoacer ruled for 13 years after gaining control. He was then
attacked and defeated by Theodoric, the king of a Germanic tribe named the
Ostrogoths. Both kings, Theodoric and Odoacer ruled jointly until Theodoric
murdered Odoacer. Theodoric continued to rule Italy with a government comprised
mostly of Italians and an army composed of Ostrogoths. During his rule, he
brought peace to the country but after his death in 526, the kingdom began to
grow weak. In 553, Justinian, the Byzantine emperor who ruled the eastern part
of the Roman Empire, defeated the Ostrogoths and expelled them. For a time, the
Old Roman Empire was united again. Byzantine rule in Italy collapsed as
increased attacks fr om Germanic tribes weakened the empire. Byzantine rule
collapsed in 572 when the Lombards invaded.
In the 400's and 500's the popes increased their influence in both
religious and political matters in Italy and elsewhere. The popes were usually
the ones who made attempts to protect Italy from foreign invasion or to soften
foreign rule. The popes for almost 200 years had opposed attempts by the
Lombards, who controlled most of Italy, to take over Rome. The popes defeated
the Lombards with the aid of two Frankish kings, Charlemagne and Pepin the Short.
The papal states were created out of land won for the popes by Pepin.
From the 10th century on, Italian cities began to grow rapidly and
became increasingly independent of one...
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