Early Modern States of Italy: Map & History

When Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, died on 13 August 1447, the city was thrown into confusion by his unexpected demise and the speed with which claimants to his title acted. Filippo Maria had no heir through male bloodlines and therefore a succession crisis occurred.

From Wikipedia: Golden Ambrosian Republic · History: Foundation (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sforza was coming close to Milan itself in his conquests, and decided that since it was too powerful to be taken by force, he would surround it and starve the populace into surrender. With the loss of the outer cities by conquest or defection, Milan experienced famine. Gonzaga offered Crema to Sforza, hoping he would be tempted to take it himself and betray the Venetians. But Sforza remained staunch, and instead offered Gonzaga the city of Tortona if he would abandon Crema. This was accepted, and Crema, without support, quickly capitulated.

From Wikipedia: Golden Ambrosian Republic · History: End of the Republic (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The name derives from the historical region of Savoy in the Alps between what is now France and Italy. Over time, the House of Savoy expanded its territory and influence through judicious marriages and international diplomacy. The house descended from Humbert I, Count of Sabaudia, also known as Umberto I "Biancamano" (1003–1047 or 1048). The ancestry of Humbert is uncertain, as contemporary documents make no mention of his father. His family was traditionally believed to have come from Saxony; more recent investigations into the 21st century pointed to the County of Vienne, where both Humbert and his relatives held extensive possessions, as a more plausible origin.

From Wikipedia: House of Savoy · History: Early history (CC BY-SA 4.0)

During the 3rd century BC, the Allobroges settled down in the region between the Rhône and the Alps. This region, named Allobrigia and later "Sapaudia" in Latin, was integrated to the Roman Empire. In the 5th century, the region of Savoy was ceded by the Western Roman Empire to the Burgundians and became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy.

From Wikipedia: Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861) · History: Early history of Savoy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Before 1847, only the island of Sardinia proper was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. The other mainland possessions, which primarily included the Duchy of Savoy, Principality of Piedmont, County of Nice, and Duchy of Genoa, among others, were held by the Savoys in their own right. This resulted in the formation a composite monarchy and a personal union. This personal union was formally referred to as the "States of His Majesty the King of Sardinia", such as in the documents of the Congress of Vienna.

From Wikipedia: Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861) · Government (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Major progress in the economy was achieved during the government of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour. Cavour believed that economic progress had to precede political change, and stressed the advantages of railroad construction in the peninsula. He was a strong supporter of transportation by steam engine, sponsoring the building of many railroads and canals. Between 1838 and 1842 Cavour began several initiatives in attempts to solve economic problems in his area. He experimented with different agricultural techniques on his estate, such as growing sugar beets, and was one of the first Italian landowners to use chemical fertilizers. He also founded the Piedmontese Agricultural Society.

From Wikipedia: Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861) · Economy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In 1792, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the other states of the Savoy crown joined the War of the First Coalition against the French First Republic, but was beaten in 1796 by Napoleon and forced to conclude the disadvantageous Treaty of Paris (1796), giving the French army free passage through Piedmont. On 6 December 1798 General Joubert occupied Turin and forced Charles Emmanuel IV to abdicate and leave for the island of Sardinia. The provisionary government voted to unite Piedmont with France. In 1799, the Austro-Russians briefly occupied the city, but with the Battle of Marengo (1800), the French regained control. The island of Sardinia, having defeated the armies of the French expedition to Sardinia without the royal army's help, stayed out of the reach of the French for the rest of the war.

From Wikipedia: Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861) · History: Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna (CC BY-SA 4.0)

King Ferdinand IV of Naples and his wife, Queen Maria Carolina of Austria, were fervent opponents of Revolutionary France and Napoleon Bonaparte, whom the queen called a "Corsican bastard, full of wickedness" in her correspondence with Marzio Mastrilli, the Neapolitan ambassador to France. In the lead up to the War of the Third Coalition in 1805, Maria Carolina assured the French ambassador to Naples, Charles-Jean-Marie Alquier, that her country would remain neutral during the conflict. In Paris, a treaty providing for Neapolitan neutrality in exchange for the evacuation of ports occupied by the French Army was even signed on 21 September by Mastrilli and French Foreign Minister Talleyrand. However, the Neapolitan sovereigns were playing a double game: a secret treaty had been signed on 10 September in Naples with Russian emissary Aleksandr Tatischev.

From Wikipedia: Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic) · Background (CC BY-SA 4.0)

On 27 December, the day after the signing of the Treaty of Pressburg between France and Austria, Napoleon declared at the Schönbrunn Palace: "The dynasty of Naples has ceased to reign. Its existence is incompatible with the peace of Europe and the honour of my crown." At the same time, General Gouvion Saint-Cyr marched on Naples at the head of an army of 40,000 men, formed on 9 December. He was first replaced by General André Masséna and then, by an imperial decree of 6 January 1806, by Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's older brother, who was promoted to general of division with the title of Lieutenant of the Emperor on this occasion. Napoleon intended to prolong the effect of the Battle of Austerlitz to drive the Austrian and Russian troops out of Italy while seizing the Kingdom of Naples, the last possession of the House of Bourbon in the peninsula.

From Wikipedia: Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic) · Background: French conquest of Naples (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Cisalpine Republic was for many years under the dominion of the House of Austria.

From Wikipedia: Cisalpine Republic · Government: First constitution (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In 1569, Cosimo de' Medici had ruled the Duchy of Florence for 32 years. During his reign, Florence purchased the island of Elba from the Republic of Genoa (in 1548), conquered Siena (in 1555) and developed a well-equipped and powerful naval base on Elba. Cosimo also banned the clergy from holding administrative positions and promulgated laws of freedom of religion, which were unknown during his time. Cosimo also was a long-term supporter of Pope Pius V, who in the light of Florence's expansion in August 1569, declared Cosimo Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title unprecedented in Italy.

From Wikipedia: Grand Duchy of Tuscany · Medici period: Foundation (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tuscany was divided into two main administrative districts: the stato nuovo (the new state) consisting of the former Republic of Siena, and the stato vecchio (the old state), the old Republic of Florence and her dependencies. The two areas were governed by separate laws. They were divided because the stato nuovo was a Spanish fief and the stato vecchio an Imperial one. Siena was ruled by a governor appointed by the grand duke. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor proclaimed Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence "for his lifetime, and after his death to be succeeded by his sons, male heirs and successors, of his body, by order of primogeniture, and failing them by the closest male of the Medici family, and likewise in succession forever, by order of primogeniture."

From Wikipedia: Grand Duchy of Tuscany · Government (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In addition to its regular army, the duchy maintained a citizen-militia. This was used both for the protection of towns and fortresses that the army was not able to garrison, and as a reserve from which semi-trained men would be drawn into the army. The militia had its origins in 1498, in the predecessor state of the Florentine Republic. By 1506, it numbered 20,000 men, of whom 70% carried pikes, 20% halberds/bills and hog-spears, and 10% either arquebuses or crossbows. However, the size and quality of the duchy's militia varied throughout its existence, as did its army.

From Wikipedia: Grand Duchy of Tuscany · Military: Army (CC BY-SA 4.0)

As Grand Prince Ferdinando, Gian Gastone's elder brother, predeceased Cosimo III, Gian Gastone succeeded his father in 1723. Gian Gastone for most of his life, kept to his bed and acted in an unregal manner, rarely appearing to his subjects, to the extent that, at times, he had been thought dead. Gian Gastone would repeal his father's puritan laws. In 1731, the Powers gathered at Vienna to decide who would succeed Gian Gastone. They drew up the Treaty of Vienna, which gave the grand ducal throne to Don Carlos, Duke of Parma. Gian Gastone was not as steadfast in negotiating Tuscany's future as his father was. He capitulated to foreign demands, and instead of endorsing the claim to the throne of his closest agnatic relative, the Prince of Ottajano, he allowed Tuscany to be bestowed upon Don Carlos.

From Wikipedia: Grand Duchy of Tuscany · Medici period: The last years of the Medicis (CC BY-SA 4.0)

San Marino has the political framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic: the captains regent are heads of state, and there is a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Although there is no formal head of government, the secretary for foreign and political affairs is in many ways equal to the prime minister in other countries. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Grand and General Council. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. San Marino is considered to have the earliest written governing documents still in effect, as the Statutes of 1600 are still at the core of its constitutional framework.

From Wikipedia: San Marino · Government and politics (CC BY-SA 4.0)

San Marino is a developed country, and although it is not a European Union member it is allowed to use the euro as its currency by arrangement with the Council of the European Union; it is also granted the right to use its own designs on the national side of the euro coins. It is one of six sovereign nations that use the Euro but are not part of the EU. The other nations are Kosovo, Monaco, Andorra, Vatican City, and Montenegro. Before the euro, the Sammarinese lira was pegged to, and exchangeable with, the Italian lira. The small number of Sammarinese euro coins, as was the case with the lira before it, are of interest to coin collectors. San Marino's GDP per capita and standard of living are comparable to that of Italy. Key industries include banking, electronics, and ceramics. The main agricultural products are wine and cheese. San Marino imports staple goods, mainly from Italy.

From Wikipedia: San Marino · Economy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In San Marino, football is the most popular sport. Basketball and volleyball are also popular. The three sports have their own federations, the San Marino Football Federation, the San Marino Basketball Federation and the San Marino Volleyball Federation. San Marino has a club in the Italian football league system called A.S.D.V. San Marino and a domestic amateur league, the Campionato Sammarinese, whose teams also participate in European club competitions. Together with Italy, San Marino held the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, with teams playing at the Stadio Olimpico in Serravalle. With Italy being the sole automatic qualifiers, the Sammarinese team did not participate in the final tournament. The San Marino national football team has had little success, being made up of part-timers.

From Wikipedia: San Marino · Culture: Sport (CC BY-SA 4.0)

During the French Revolutionary Wars, the Papal States, under the temporal authority of the pope in Rome, was part of the First Coalition. After defeating the Kingdom of Sardinia early in the Italian campaign of 1796–1797, General Napoleon Bonaparte turned his attention south of Piedmont to deal with the Papal States. Bonaparte, skeptical over divided command for the invasion, sent two letters to the French Directory. The letters convinced the Directory to delay the invasion of the Papal States for a while. On 3 February 1797, the French defeated the pope's army at the Battle of Faenza. Under the Treaty of Tolentino, signed on 19 February, Pope Pius VI was forced to accept an ambassador of the French First Republic.

From Wikipedia: Roman Republic (1798–1799) · Background (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Roman Republic's constitutional organization was heavily influenced by that of the French Constitution of 1795, which itself was inspired by and loosely based on that of the ancient Roman Republic. Executive authority was vested in five consuls. The legislative branch was composed of two chambers, a 60-member Tribunate and a 30-member Senate, which elected the consuls.

From Wikipedia: Roman Republic (1798–1799) · Government (CC BY-SA 4.0)