Naples is the regional capital of Campagna southern Italy is a major European port. It is
also an important base for military intelligence. It is one of the gastronomic capitals of Italy
with extensive cultural artistic and musical contributions to society.
It is a city which excels in the best and the worst excesses. Life in Naples, is
as inspiring as it can at times be hair raising, just try crossing the road(!)
Naples has been populated from the neolithic period. In the sixth century bc. Neápolis
was one of the major cities of Magna Graecia this was the Greek colonisation of southern Italy
the legacy of these Greek colonies remains to this day in Neapolis (new city) which is now known
as Naples. Neapolis was the first Greek city which merged into the Roman republic in 327 bc
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Neapolis grew strong ties with Syracuse of Sicily and joined the Roman republic to fight Carthage
during the Punic wars between Carthage and Rome. The Carthaginian general Hannibal failed
to pierce the defensive walls of Neapolis. Despite the Romans, Naples retained its Greek
culture at the same time enjoying the benefits of Roman infrastructure such as villas aqueducts
and public baths. Emperors including Claudius and Tiberius would often take holidays in Naples
Virgil the famed Roman poet who wrote the Aeneid, was part educated in Naples.
It is said Christianity first arrived in Naples with the Apostles Peter and Paul. Januarius,
the patron saint of Naples was martyred here in the city in the 4th century a.d.
With the fall of the Western Roman empire. Naples was overrun by the Ostrogoths, a Germanic tribe.
The last western Roman Emperor Romulus Augustulus, was held here in exile by the Germanic king
Odoacer in the 5th century a.d. Belisarius the Byzantine general captured Naples in 536
He and his troops took advantage of the fabulous Roman infrastructure
and sneaked in past the defenses via an aqueduct. In 543, Totila the Ostrogoth general
briefly seized the city before being beaten back by the Byzantines at the Battle of Mons Lactarius
which was fought against the dramatic backdrop of Vesuvius.
Naples was ruled by the Exarchate of Ravenna the Byzantine capital on the Italian mainland.
In 661 the Byzantine Emperor Constance ii granted Naples the right to appoint a local duke
this decision would marginalize Byzantine influence on the area.
Naples was the capital of the duchy of Naples and its influence included the areas around Vesuvius,
Sorrento, Ischia, Capri and the Duchy of Amalfi. By 763 Duke Stephen II of Naples made a pivotal
action which was to abandon Constantinople as an ally and side instead with Rome and the Pope.
This had mixed results he now had to resist both the Byzantine empire as well as the Lombards
however Duke John 1st did receive the Pope's financial support to subsequently confront the
Duke of Benevento, Romuald II of Benevento. By the 9th century the Neapolitan dukes were
pushing for full independence as tensions simmered with the Byzantine empire
In 813 Leo V the Armenian the Byzantine emperor requested support to battle the Saracen pirates
attacking the Sicilian coastline. Duke Anthimus refused. Interestingly, Amalfi and Gaeta did send
support because they were well aware they were also at risk of attacks by Saracen pirates
in 818 Anthimus had still not nominated a successor. This caused a lot of tension
Theoctistus was appointed as ruler of Naples and Byzantine influence was restored
he was followed by Theodore ii. Now Theodore proved unpopular and in 821
was ousted from the city by the general population. Stephen iii was elected and
finally gained full independence for Naples. Naples proved a fickle ally
in 836. Naples relied on the Saracens to beat back the Lombard troops from the Duchy of Benevento
In 849, it joined forces to defeat the Saracen pirates at the battle of Ostia. During the 850s,
Muhammad I Abu 'l-Abbas reneged on a deal and led Saracen troops to sack Naples
and leave with piles of plunder. Gregory iv and John ii joined forces with Pope John x
to defeat the Saracens at the Battle of the Garigliano in 915.
After the battle the Byzantine empire dominated southern Italy and Naples had lost its power.
In 1027 Duke Sergius iv of Naples made the disastrous mistake of hiring the Norman mercenary
Rainulf Drengot to fight the principality of Capua. He also tried to make political
alliances through marriage with the Normans but this failed and his mercenaries abandoned him.
Naples was the last stronghold to fall to the Normans. Duke Sergius vii surrendered to Roger ii
the King of Sicily who was controversially appointed by the anti-pope Anacletis. Roger ii
the Norman king of Sicily appointed Alfonso of Capua as Duke of Naples. The independence of
Naples was now long time passed. In 1191, Sicily fell to Henry vi Holy Roman emperor. Naples resisted
Disease forced the Germans to abandon the siege of Naples and retreat
Conrad ii duke of Bohemia and Philip I Archbishop of Cologne died at this time.
Royal titles were assigned to the Normans by the Popes Innocent ii and Innocent iv
but they retained Vatican rights over the kingdom and the ability
and the power to appoint the kingdom to someone else.
King Tancred of Sicily captured Empress Constance and held her at Castel dell’Ovo before being
forced to release her in 1192 on the threat of being excommunicated by Pope Celestine iii
In 1194, Henry vii Holy Roman empire resumed his attack on Naples on the death of Tancred,
this time Naples surrendered without a fight. The university of Naples was founded by Frederick ii
in 1224. Charles I Anjou has adopted Castel Nuovo , Naples. Charles would proceed to
crush Manfred the Hohenstaufen heir at the battle of Benevento. Queen Joanna I of Naples
was regularly challenged by attacks by Louis the Great the Angevin king of Hungary.
Joanna of Naples was childless and adopted first
Louis I duke Anjou as an heir much to the rage of her cousin Prince of Durazzo
Angevin conflict with the Aragonese ended in 1373 after Queen Joan I of Naples renounced
her claim in the treaty of Villeneuve. Once Queen Joan had signed the treaty
she was soon after murdered by Prince of Durazzo in 1382 and he became Charles iii of Naples.
Alfonso v conquered the kingdom of Naples in 1442. Alfonso's death in 1458 predictably
triggered the war of Neapolitan Succession whereby Naples was inherited by Ferrante,
Alfonso's illegitimate son. In this period, Naples was the focus of the Renaissance, hosting
Laurana, da Messina, Sannazzaro and Poliziano in the city. Charles viii of France used the opportunity of
Ferrante's death in 1494 to invade Italy and reclaim Naples. The Italian wars had
begun. Charles viii claimed Naples in 1495 but soon retreated before Ferdinand ii of Aragon.
Louis xii repeated the French claims to Naples. In 1501, Louis xii took Naples. The war between
Aragon and France ended as the Spanish won back Naples at the battle of Garigliano in 1503.
Aragon troops led by Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordova expelled the French troops from this area.
The French would eventually renounce their claims to Naples in 1559. Naples now remained part of
the Spanish empire with Spanish viceroys resolving disputes. One such viceroy Pedro Álvarez de Toledo
caused a number of beneficial reforms in the city. An attack by Barbary pirates in 1544 caused 7000
people to be taken away as slaves. One of the most important cities in the Spanish empire,
Naples retained economic and military might on behalf of the Spanish. During this period
the Spanish levied heavy taxes on Naples to pay for their military campaigns elsewhere
Naples supported the Spanish in 80 years war and paid for Spanish garrisons in Tuscany.
The wealth of Naples was huge and initially, the taxes did not cripple it economically...