History of Naples

{{Short description|none}} {{Redirect|Palaepolis}} {{Expand Italian|Storia di Napoli|date=June 2023|topic=hist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Quote box | width = 30em | bgcolor = #B0C4DE | title = Historical affiliations | fontsize = 80% | quote = [[#Parthenope|Parthenope]] 8th century–507 BCE [[#The refoundation as Neapolis|Neapolis]] 507–326 BCE [[#Roman Era|Neapolis]] 326–89 BCE ∟ ''ally of [[Roman Republic]]'' [[Roman Republic]] 199–89 BCE ∟ ''municipium of [[#Roman Era|Neapolis]]'' [[Roman Republic]] 89–27 BCE [[Roman Empire]] 27 BCE–395 CE [[Western Roman Empire]] 395–476 [[Odoacer#Duke of Italy|Kingdom of Italy]] 476–493 [[Ostrogothic Kingdom]] 493–535 [[Eastern Roman Empire]] 535–661 [[Eastern Roman Empire]] 661–763 ∟ [[Duchy of Naples]] 661–763 [[Duchy of Naples]] 763–840 ∟ ''client state of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]'' [[Duchy of Naples]] 840–1137 [[Kingdom of Sicily]] 1137–1194 [[Kingdom of Sicily]] 1194–1254 ∟ ''personal union with the [[Holy Roman Empire]]'' {{Flag|Kingdom of Sicily|1258}} 1254–1282 {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1282}} 1282–1442 {{flag|Crown of Aragon}} 1442–1458 ∟ {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1442}} {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1442}} 1458–1501 {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1501}} 1501–1504 ∟ ''personal union with the [[Kingdom of France]]'' {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1516}} 1504–1647 ∟ ''[[Viceroy#Spanish Empire|Spanish viceroyalty]]'' {{Flagicon image|Coat of arms of the Most Serene Republican Monarchy of Naples.svg}} [[Most Serene Republic of this Kingdom of Naples]] 1647–1648 ∟ ''protectorate of the [[Kingdom of France]]'' {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1516}} 1648–1714 ∟ ''[[Viceroy#Spanish Empire|Spanish viceroyalty]]'' {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1714}} 1714–1734 ∟ ''ruled by [[Habsburg monarchy|Austrian monarchy]]'' {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1738}} 1734–1799 {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Parthenopaean Republic.svg}} [[Parthenopean Republic]] 1799 ∟ ''client state of the [[First French Republic]]'' {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1738}} 1799–1806 {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Naples (1811).svg}} [[Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic)|Kingdom of Naples]] 1806–1815 ∟ ''client state of the [[First French Empire]]'' {{Flag|Kingdom of Naples|1815}} 1815–1816 {{Flag|Kingdom of the Two Sicilies}} 1816–1861 {{Flag|Kingdom of Italy}} 1861–1946 {{Flag|Italian Republic}} 1946–present }}

[[File:Palaeopolis und neapolis.jpg|thumb|300px|Map of Parthenope (Palaeopolis) and Neapolis]] The '''history of [[Naples]]''' is long and varied, dating to Greek settlements established in the Naples area in the [[2nd millennium BC]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=David J. Blackman |author2=Maria Costanza Lentini |title=Ricoveri per navi militari nei porti del Mediterraneo antico e medievale: atti del Workshop, Ravello, 4–5 novembre 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GhB4VDYuJXsC&pg=PA99 |year=2010 |publisher=Edipuglia srl |isbn=978-88-7228-565-7 |page=99}}</ref> During the end of the [[Greek Dark Ages]] a larger mainland colony – initially known as Parthenope – developed on the Pizzofalcone hill in the 8th century BC,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.archemail.it/notizie2011.htm#21/10/2011_Napoli,_Gli_scavi_della_Linea_6_portano_alla_luce_una_novit%C3%A0_clamorosa:_la_Napoli_greca_%C3%A8_stata_fondata_nell%C2%B4ottavo_secolo_a._C.,_non_nel_settimo__%28Repubblica%29 |title=Archemail.it |access-date=27 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329184949/http://www.archemail.it/notizie2011.htm#21/10/2011_Napoli,_Gli_scavi_della_Linea_6_portano_alla_luce_una_novit%C3%A0_clamorosa:_la_Napoli_greca_%C3%A8_stata_fondata_nell%C2%B4ottavo_secolo_a._C.,_non_nel_settimo__%28Repubblica%29 |archive-date=29 March 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was refounded as Neapolis in the 6th century BC:<ref>Daniela Giampaola, Francesca Longobardo, Naples Greek and roman, Electa Naples 2000</ref> it held an important role in [[Magna Graecia]]. The Greek culture of Naples was important to later Roman society. When the city became part of the [[Roman Republic]] in the central province of the [[Roman Empire|Empire]], it was a major cultural centre.<ref>[http://utenti.multimania.it/notonlynaples/NAPOLI_STORIA.HTM History of Naples] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020134513/http://utenti.multimania.it/notonlynaples/NAPOLI_STORIA.HTM |date=20 October 2010 }}</ref>

It served as the capital of the [[Duchy of Naples]] (661–1139), of the [[Kingdom of Sicily]], of the [[Kingdom of Naples]] (1282–1816) and finally of the [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies|Two Sicilies]] until the [[unification of Italy]] in 1861. The city has seen the rise and fall of several civilisations and cultures, each of which has left traces in its art and architecture, and during the [[Renaissance]]<ref>[https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/umanesimo_(Enciclopedia-dei-ragazzi) Treccani.it]</ref> and the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] was a major centre of culture.<ref>[https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/52647/Shahibzadeh_Master.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Duo.uio.no p.4]</ref> It was also a capital of the [[Baroque]], beginning with the artist [[Caravaggio]]'s career in the 17th century, and the artistic revolution he inspired.

During the [[Neapolitan War]], the city rebelled against the Bourbon monarchs, spurring the early push towards [[Unification of Italy|Italian unification]].

Today, Naples is part of the [[Italy|Italian Republic]], the third largest municipality (central area) by population after [[Rome]] and [[Milan]], and has the [[List of metropolitan areas of Italy|second or third largest metropolitan area of Italy]].

==Origins== The earliest traces of human habitation date back to the [[Neolithic|Middle Neolithic]] period, as evidenced by traces of the Serra d'Alto culture found near the [[Santa Maria degli Angeli a Pizzofalcone]] [[Minor basilica|basilica]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Boenzi |first=Giuliana |date=1 January 2013 |title=Interazione tra attività vulcanica e vita dell'uomo: evidenze archeologiche nell'area urbana di Napoli |url=https://www.academia.edu/37867137 |journal=SCUOLA ESTIVA AIQUA 2013 Napoli 27 {{!}} 31 Maggio 2013, Miscellanea INGV 18}}</ref> Traces dating back to the [[Chalcolithic]] and Early/Middle [[Bronze Age]] were also found in the same area.<ref name=":0" />

The [[Gaudo culture]] can be observed in the [[Chalcolithic|Eneolithic]] tombs of Materdei.

Discoveries of [[ceramic]]s in the vicinity of Pizzofalcone hill, adjacent to the [[Port of Naples]] and dating from the late [[Bronze Age]] to the early [[Iron Age]], suggest the presence of a site engaged in coastal activities, likely of a productive nature.<ref name=":0" />

In the second millennium BC, a first Mycenaean settlement arose not far from the geographical position of the future city of Parthenope.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GhB4VDYuJXsC&q=afragola&pg=PA99 Books.google.it]</ref>

==Classical antiquity== [[File:Shepherd-vicinity of Naples.jpg|thumb|300px|Ancient Sites in the vicinity of Naples]]

===Parthenope=== [[File:Monte Echia, Napoli, Italia - 2024.jpg|thumb|Walls of Parthenope – Monte Echia]] [[File:Napoli - Castel dell'Ovo.JPG|thumb|Megaride with the [[Castel dell'Ovo]]]] The city of Parthenope was founded by [[Cumae]], the earliest Greek city on mainland Italy, at the end of the 8th century BC.<ref> CASABLANCA - Conferenza "Napoli in epoca romana: i commerci, gli otia, i banchetti", https://iicrabat.esteri.it/iic_rabat/it/gli_eventi/calendario/2015/03/napoli-in-epoca-romana-i-commerci-gli-otia-i-banchetti.html</ref> Parthenope was named after the [[Parthenope (Siren)|siren]] in Greek mythology, said to have washed ashore at [[Castel dell'Ovo|Megaride]], having thrown herself into the sea after she failed to bewitch [[Odysseus|Ulysses]] with her song. The settlement was built on the Pizzofalcone promontory allowing control of sea traffic in the area.

Little archaeology for Parthenope has come to light, but a [[necropolis]] of the 7th century BC was discovered in via Nicotera. A ceramics waste dump dated to the Archaic Age was discovered in via Chiatamone where it had slid from the hill of Pizzofalcone. A [[tuff]] wall of the 6th c. BC was found in via S. Giacomo, near the town hall, which was a part of the port and may have had both boundary and defensive purposes.<ref>Topography of the Castel Nuovo area: between Parthenope and Neapolis https://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1425</ref>

When the colony began to be more frequented due to the abundance and amenity of the places, the Cumaens, worried that their city would be abandoned, decided to «destroy» it.<ref>Taking into account that the news of the destruction comes from a source interested in presenting Cuma's behavior under a particularly negative light, the all suggests a reading of the story in reference to political and institutional factors rather than to concrete material realities to be eliminated and reintegrated. On the other hand, also the terminology used in the source, for which the birth of Partenope had been an ''urbem constituere'' and the give life back a ''nuova institutio'', proposes this vision of the circumstances (M. Lombardo e F. Frisone, Colonie di colonie. ''Le fondazioni sub-coloniali greche tra colonizzazione e colonialismo'', Proceedings of the International Conference of Studies, Lecce, 22-24 giugno 2006, Galatina 2010 p.185)</ref>{{Clarify|reason=This doesn't make sense.|date=September 2025}}

===The refoundation as Neapolis=== Neapolis (New City) was founded by the Cumaen aristocracy expelled by the tyrant [[Aristodemus of Cumae|Aristodemus]] after the [[War between Clusium and Aricia|victory of Aricia]] in 507 BC.

The oligarchs decided to establish Neapolis as a "second Cumae", similar to the city from which they came; for example, the continuation of cults such as that of [[Demeter]] and the faithful resumption of the organisation in ''phrenias'' confirm this. This chronology is confirmed by archaeological finds.<ref>IL PROGETTO “ceraNEApolis”: UN SISTEMA INFORMATIVO CARTOGRAFICO DELLE PRODUZIONI CERAMICHE A NEAPOLIS (IV A.C.-VII D.C.) http://www.archcalc.cnr.it/indice/PDF28/02_Amodio_et_al.pdf</ref>

The original center of Parthenope on the Pizzofalcone hill was simply called '' Palaipolis '' (Latin: '' Palaepolis ''), the "old city", and survived as a second peripheral pole of Neapolis.

The new city complex was designed on a rectangular grid of streets. It was built on a plateau sloping from north to south which allowed space for a new city. Swamps made routes to the hinterland difficult and prevented its possession of extensive agricultural lands (''ager'') that most of Campania benefitted from, and made Neapolis focus on the sea and trade for its livelihood.

The city eventually became one of the foremost cities of [[Magna Graecia]] and long retained its Greek culture even after defeat by the Romans.

Neapolis had an acropolis (area of Sant'Aniello in Caponapoli), ''[[agora]]'' (area of Piazza San Gaetano ) and necropolis (various examples remain, the most famous of which is the necropolis of Castel Capuano). It also eventually had strong walls (5th century), an [[Odeon (building)|odeon]], a [[theatre]] and the temple of the city's [[Tutelary deity|patron gods]], the [[Dioscuri]].

=== Athenian and Syracusan influence===

Neapolis was soon able to replace Cumae in maritime trade and to take control of the stretch of sea from the Cumaean gulf to the Neapolitan gulf. Its commercial success was made possible thanks to the decline of the tyranny of the [[Deinomenids]] in Syracuse (466 BC) and the abandonment of Pithecusae ([[Ischia]]) by the Syracusan garrison, due to a violent earthquake (or more likely a volcanic eruption of [[Mount Epomeo]]). The immediate occupation of Ischia by Neapolis indicates the tensions between the city and the Syracusans.

The Athenians soon created a network of commercial relations in the Tyrrhenian sea. Their interest in Campania, but also in Sicily and the Adriatic, was due to the need for foodstuffs especially cereals to satisfy the needs of an increasing population.<ref>L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER Hoepli.it iBS Libreriauniversitaria.it p 301-5</ref> The results of the Attic presence in the city were numerous: the great development in the port area and even closer ties with centres located in flat areas suitable for the cultivation of wheat (Alifae, Capua, Nola, Cumae, Dicearchia).

One obstacle stood between Athens and the thriving Campanian market: the Syracusan attempts to dominate the Tyrrhenian Sea even after the end of tyrants. In 413 BC the Athenian expedition against Syracuse in the [[Peloponnesian War]] ended in disaster and together with the plague, which substantially undermined the economy of [[Attica]], relations between Neapolis and Athens underwent an attenuation.

===The Samnites=== {{See also|Samnite Wars}}

At the end of the 5th century BC the political and social equilibrium of Neapolis was severely threatened by the [[Samnites]], an [[Oscan]]-speaking tribe expanding towards the more fertile plains.<ref>Lombardo M. e Frisone F., Colonie di colonie: le fondazioni sub-coloniali greche tra colonizzazione e colonialismo, Atti del Convegno Internazionale di studi, Lecce 22-24 giugno 2006, Congedo Ed., Galatina 2010 {{ISBN|978-88-8086-699-2}} pp.193- https://www.academia.edu/1538894/Colonie_di_colonie_le_fondazioni_sub_coloniali_greche_tra_colonizzazione_e_colonialismo_atti_del_convegno_internazionale_Lecce_22_24_giugno_2006?auto=download</ref>

In 423 BC [[Capua]], the great Etruscan stronghold-granary,<ref>Sanniti, La conquista dell'Agro Campano, http://www.sanniti.info/agrocamp.html</ref> was conquered by the Samnites<ref>Liv. 4.37, 7.38</ref> and the original Oscan-speaking citizens were given more freedom.<ref>Capua http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DC%3Aentry+group%3D5%3Aentry%3Dcapua-geo</ref> In 421 BC Cumae also had to capitulate after a heavy and bloody siege.<ref>Diodorus Siculus XII 44</ref> Many of its fleeing inhabitants found refuge within the walls of Neapolis who thus paid their debt of gratitude to the founders. Neapolis managed to safeguard its own safety and political sovereignty by admitting the Oscan elites to the main public offices of the city. However, due to this behaviour, Neapolis profoundly damaged its relations with Cumae.<ref>Lombardo M. e Frisone F., Colonie di colonie: le fondazioni sub-coloniali greche tra colonizzazione e colonialismo, Atti del Convegno Internazionale di studi, Lecce 22-24 giugno 2006, Congedo Ed., Galatina 2010 {{ISBN|978-88-8086-699-2}} pp.185-</ref>

In the second half of the 4th century, during the First Samnite War, Neapolis made an alliance with the Samnites against Rome, which had already taken Capua.<ref>Lombardo M. e Frisone F., Colonie di colonie: le fondazioni sub-coloniali greche tra colonizzazione e colonialismo, Atti del Convegno Internazionale di studi, Lecce 22-24 giugno 2006, Congedo Ed., Galatina 2010 {{ISBN|978-88-8086-699-2}} pp.185-</ref>

In 327 the [[Second Samnite War]] resulted from tensions which arose from Roman actions in Campania and partly from actions by Neapolis. Although [[Livy]]'s history may be biased, he said that Neapolis attacked Romans who lived in Campania and, after Rome's request for redress was rebuffed, it declared war and the two consular armies headed for Campania.<ref>Livy VIII 8.22</ref>

In 326, after having devastated the ''[[Ager Campanus]]'', the Roman army led by the consul [[Quintus Publilius Philo|Publilius Philo]] marched on the city and besieged it. In the meantime, about four thousand Samnites and [[Nola]]n soldiers had arrived to defend Neapolis. The Romans set up camp between the old and new cities and after a year long siege, betrayal by the Greek citizens led surrender to the Romans. However, Rome left the city with wide autonomy and allowed its customs, its language and its traditions of Greek origin to survive, preferring rather to make a sort of solidarity pact and thus creating what was called ''foedus Neapolitanum'' with particular attention to its already strong and important maritime role.

===Roman era===

In 280 BC, after the battle of Eraclea, when [[Pyrrhus of Epirus|Pyrrhus]] realised that there was no possibility of an agreement with the Romans, he counter-attacked, advancing his army towards the north. He diverted to Neapolis with the intent of capturing it or inducing it to rebel against Rome. The failed attempt wasted time to the advantage of the Romans; when he reached Capua, he found it already garrisoned.

In 211 BC, during the [[Second Punic War]], Capua was severely punished by the Romans due to its alliance with [[Hannibal]], and its domination of Campania waned in favour of Neapolis.

From 199 BC its role as a maritime power began to diminish to the advantage of its nearby competitor [[Puteoli]]. The promotion of Neapolis to a Roman [[municipium]] meant the loss of part of its autonomy, although the administration of Greek tradition still remained in force.

Neapolis sided with [[Gaius Marius the Younger|Marius]] in the [[Sulla's civil war|civil war]] of 82 BC, and was consequently devastated by the armies of his opponent [[Sulla]]. The war deprived Neapolis of its fleet and of the island of Ischia, and compromised its trade to the advantage of Puteoli. However, the city continued to function as a regional port, as evidenced by the abundant archaeological finds in Piazza del Municipio.

Then in 50 BC the city supported [[Pompey]] in the [[Caesar's Civil War|Civil war]] with [[Julius Caesar]]. Having again chosen the losing side the city declined economically. [[Misenum]] became the major naval base on the Tyrrhenian Sea and even [[Baiae]] was a strong competitor for tourism and thermal bathing.

Under [[Augustus]] the city began to recover and the city became a flourishing centre of [[Hellenistic]] culture that attracted Romans who wished to perfect their knowledge of [[Greek culture]]. The Neapolitan Isolympic Games (''Italika Romaia Sebasta Isolympia''), or ''Sebasta''' were initiated by Augustus in 2 AD as an equivalent to those at [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]] and became one of the most important games events in the west.<ref>The Augustan Games of Naples, Archaeology April 2008 https://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/isolympics/</ref> As Italian archaeologist [[Amedeo Maiuri]] said:

:''Naples was the only city of the Western Roman world to host games in honour of Augustus. This was not so much due to the Emperor's personal influence or for any political agenda, but rather to the city's Greek culture. In fact, during the general decline of Hellenism in Magna Graecia and Sicily, Neapolis was still using the Greek language, institutions, cults, rites and customs. As such Neapolis could be considered the metropolis of Western Hellenism during the first period of the Roman Empire.''<ref>M. Napoli & A. Maiuri, “Napoli,” EAA 5 (1963)</ref>

The games were held every 5 years and attracted contestants from all over the empire. Augustus attended in 14 AD.<ref>Suetonius Augustus</ref>

The pleasant climate made it a renowned resort, as recounted by [[Virgil]] and manifested in the numerous luxurious villas that lined the coast from the Gulf of [[Pozzuoli]] to the [[Sorrento|Sorrentine]] peninsula. [[Lucullus]] built a vast [[Villa of Lucullus|villa estate]] here covering large parts of what would become the later city. The famous district of [[Posillipo]] takes its name from the ruins of Villa ''Pausílypon'', meaning, in Greek, "a pause, or respite, from worry". Romans connected the city to the rest of Italy with their famous roads, excavated galleries to link Naples to Pozzuoli, enlarged the port, and added public baths and [[Roman aqueduct|aqueduct]]s to improve the quality of life in Naples. The city was also celebrated for its many feasts and spectacles.

Further set-backs occurred with the earthquakes of 62 and 64 AD and the eruption of [[Vesuvius]] in 79.

According to legend, the saints [[St. Peter|Peter]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] came to the city to preach. Christians had a prominent role in the late years of the [[Roman Empire]], and there are several notable [[catacomb]]s, especially in the northern part of the city. The first palæo-Christian basilicas were built next to the entrances to the catacombs. The greatly popular patron of the city, [[San Gennaro]] (St. Januarius), was decapitated in nearby [[Pozzuoli]] in 305, and, since the 5th century, he has been commemorated by the basilica of [[San Gennaro extra Moenia]]. The [[Cathedral of Naples]] is also dedicated to St. Gennaro.

It was in Naples, in Lucullus's villa in what is now the [[Castel dell'Ovo]], that [[Romulus Augustulus]], the last nominal [[Western Roman Empire|western]] emperor, was exiled after being deposed in 476.

Naples suffered much during the [[Gothic War (535–552)]] between the [[Ostrogoths]] and the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]]. In 536, it was garrisoned by Goths<ref>Procopius De Bello Gothico I.III</ref> and decided to resist the Byzantine commander [[Belisarius]]'s invasion. However, in the resulting [[Siege of Naples (536)]], his troops captured the city by entering through its aqueduct.<ref>Procopius, De Bello Gothico I.X</ref> With the changing tide of the war in the 540s, it was starved into surrender by the Ostrogoth [[Totila]], who then treated it leniently. During [[Narses]]'s expedition during the 550s, it was captured by the Empire once again. When the [[Lombards]] invaded and conquered much of Italy in the following years, Naples remained loyal to the Eastern Roman Empire.

==Sites==

==The Duchy of Naples== {{main|Duchy of Naples}} {{see also|List of the dukes of Naples}} [[File:P. sannazaro.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Fontana della Sirena'' by Onofrio Buccino, 1869, perpetuates the image of [[Parthenope (Siren)|Parthenope]] as patroness.]]

At the time of the [[Lombards|Lombard]] invasion, Naples had a population of about 30,000-35,000. In 615, under Giovanni Consino, Naples rebelled for the first time against the [[Exarchate of Ravenna|Exarch]] of [[Ravenna]], the [[Eastern Roman Empire|emperor's]] plenipotentiary in [[Italy]]. In reply, the first form of duchy was created in 638 by the Exarch [[Isaac the Armenian|Isaac]] or [[Eleutherius (Exarch)|Eleutherius]] (exarchic chronology is uncertain), but this official came from abroad and had to answer to the ''[[strategos]]'' of [[Sicily]]. At that time the Duchy of Naples controlled an area corresponding roughly to the present day [[Province of Naples]], encompassing the area of [[Vesuvio|Vesuvius]], the [[Campi Flegrei]], the [[Sorrento|Sorrentine]] peninsula, [[Giugliano]], [[Aversa]], [[Afragola]], [[Nola]] and the islands of [[Ischia]] and [[Procida]]. [[Capri]] was later part of the [[duchy of Amalfi]]

In 661 Naples, with the permission of the emperor [[Constans II]], was ruled by a local duke, [[Basil of Naples|Basilius]], whose allegiance to the emperor soon became merely nominal. In 763 the duke [[Stephen II (Naples)|Stephen II]] switched his allegiance from [[Constantinople]] to the [[Pope]]. In 840 Duke [[Sergius I (Naples)|Sergius I]] made the succession to the duchy hereditary, and thenceforth Naples was ''de facto'' totally independent. At this time the city was mainly a military centre, ruled by an aristocracy of warriors and landowners, even though it had been forced to surrender to the neighbouring Lombards much of its inland territory. Naples was not a merchant city as were other [[Campania]]n sea cities such as [[Amalfi]] and [[Gaeta]], but had a respectable fleet that took part in the [[Battle of Ostia]] against the [[Saracens]] in 849. In any event, Naples did not hesitate to ally itself with infidels if it proved advantageous to do so: in 836, for example, Naples asked for support from the [[Saracens]] in order to repel the siege of [[Lombards|Lombard]] troops coming from the neighbouring [[Duchy of Benevento]]. Later, [[Muhammad I Abu 'l-Abbas]] led its [[Muslim]] conquest of Naples and managed to sack it and take huge amount of its wealth.<ref name=mag>{{harvnb|Magnusson|Goring|1990}}</ref><ref>Hilmar C. Krueger. "The Italian Cities and the Arabs before 1095" in ''A History of the Crusades: The First Hundred Years'', Vol.I. Kenneth Meyer Setton, Marshall W. Baldwin (eds., 1955). University of Pennsylvania Press. p.48.</ref> After Neapolitan dukes rose to prominence under the [[Athanasius of Naples|Duke-Bishop Athanasius]] and his successors (among these, [[Gregory IV of Naples|Gregory IV]] and [[John II of Naples|John II]] participated at the [[Battle of the Garigliano]] in 915), Naples declined in importance in the 10th century until it was captured by its traditional rival, [[Pandulf IV of Capua]].

In 1027, duke [[Sergius IV (Naples)|Sergius IV]] donated the [[Aversa#Aversa County|county of Aversa]] to a band of [[Normans|Norman]] mercenaries led by [[Rainulf Drengot]], whose support he had needed in the war with the [[principality of Capua]]. In that period he could not imagine the consequences, but this settlement began a process which eventually led to the end of the independence of Naples.

Last of the rulers of such independent southern Italian states, [[Sergius VII of Naples|Sergius VII]] was forced to surrender to [[Roger II of Sicily]] in 1137; Roger had had himself proclaimed [[Kingdom of Sicily|king of Sicily]] seven years earlier. Under the new rulers, the city was administered by a ''compalazzo'' (palatine count), with little independence left to the Neapolitan patriciate. In this period Naples had a population of 30,000 and was sustained by its holdings in the interior; commerce was mainly delegated to foreigners, mainly from [[Republic of Pisa|Pisa]] and [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]].

Apart from the church of [[San Giovanni a Mare, Naples|San Giovanni a Mare]], Norman buildings in Naples were mainly lay ones, notably castles ([[Castel Capuano]] and [[Castel dell'Ovo]]), walls and fortified gates.

[[File:The Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino) (front view). Naples, Campania, Italy, South Europe.jpg|thumb|The [[Castel Nuovo]] ("New Castle") was renovated and chosen as his palace by Charles I of Anjou. The entrance is decorated by a Renaissance Arch of Triumph celebrating the entrance in the city of the Aragonese king Alfonso I (15th century).]]

==Normans, Hohenstaufen, and Anjou== {{Main|Kingdom of Naples}} After a period of Norman rule, in 1189 the [[Kingdom of Sicily]] was in a succession dispute between [[Tancred, King of Sicily]] of an illegitimate birth and the [[House of Hohenstaufen|Hohenstaufens]], a German [[dynasty|royal house]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.naplesldm.com/swabian.php |publisher=naplesldm.com |title=Swabian Naples |date=7 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319225929/http://www.naplesldm.com/swabian.php |archive-date=19 March 2017 |access-date=7 February 2019 }}</ref> as its Prince Henry had married [[Constance I of Sicily|Princess Constance]] the last legitimate heir to the Sicilian throne. In 1191 Henry invaded Sicily after being crowned as [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor]] and many cities surrendered, but Naples resisted him from May to August under the leadership of [[Richard, Count of Acerra]], [[Nicholas of Ajello]], [[Aligerno Cottone]] and [[Margaritus of Brindisi]] before the Germans suffered from disease and were forced to retreat. [[Conrad II, Duke of Bohemia]] and [[Philip I, Archbishop of Cologne]] died of disease during the siege. In light of this Tancred achieved another unexpected achievement that his contender Constance, now empress, was captured at [[Salerno]] while those cities surrendered to Germans resubmitted to Tancred. Tancred had the empress imprisoned at [[Castel dell'Ovo]] at Naples before her release in May 1192. In 1194 Henry started his second campaign upon the death of Tancred, but this time Aligerno surrendered without resistance, and finally Henry conquered Sicily, putting it under the rule of Hohenstaufens.

[[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II Hohenstaufen]] founded the [[university]] in 1224, considering Naples as his intellectual capital while [[Palermo]] retained its political role. The university remained unique in southern Italy for seven centuries. After the defeat of Frederick's son, [[Manfred of Sicily|Manfred]], in 1266 Naples and the kingdom of Sicily were assigned by [[Pope Clement IV]] to [[Charles I of Naples|Charles of Anjou]], who moved the capital from [[Palermo]] to Naples. He settled in his new residence in the [[Castel Nuovo]], around which a new district grew up, marked by palaces and residences of the nobility. During Charles' reign new [[gothic architecture|Gothic]] churches were also built, including [[Santa Chiara (Naples)|Santa Chiara]], [[San Lorenzo Maggiore (Naples)|San Lorenzo Maggiore]] and the [[Cathedral of Naples]].

After the [[Sicilian Vespers]] (1284), the kingdom was split in two parts, with an Aragonese king ruling the island of Sicily and the Angevin king ruling the mainland portion; while both kingdoms officially called themselves the Kingdom of Sicily, the mainland portion was commonly referred to as the [[Kingdom of Naples]]. The [[History of Hungary|Hungarian]] Angevin king [[Louis the Great]] captured the city several times. The kingdom had been divided in two, but Naples grew in importance: Pisan and Genoese merchants were joined by [[Toscana|Tuscan]] bankers, and with them came outstanding artists such as [[Giovanni Boccaccio|Boccaccio]], [[Francesco Petrarca|Petrarca]], and [[Giotto]].

==The Aragonese period== [[File:Nuremberg chronicles - NEAPOLIS.png|thumb|Idealized depiction of Naples from the 1493 ''[[Nuremberg Chronicle]]'']] In 1442 [[Alfonso V of Aragon]] conquered Naples after [[Aragonese conquest of Naples|his victory]] against the last [[House of Valois-Anjou|Angevin]] king, [[Rene I of Naples|Rene]], and made his triumphal entry into the city in February 1443. The new dynasty enhanced commerce by connecting Naples to the Iberian peninsula and made Naples a centre of the Italian [[Renaissance]]: artists who worked in Naples in this period include [[Francesco Laurana]], [[Antonello da Messina]], [[Jacopo Sannazzaro]] and [[Angelo Poliziano]]. The court also granted land holdings in the provinces to the nobility; this, however, had the effect of fragmenting the kingdom.

After the brief conquest by [[Charles VIII of France]] in 1495, the two kingdoms were united under Aragonese rule in 1501. In 1502 Castilian general [[Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba]] entered in the city. Although Fernández de Córdoba was Castilian, he conquered under the command of [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]]. Ferdinand and his wife [[Isabella I of Castile]] ruled their kingdoms jointly in personal union during their marriage. But the partnership of the [[Catholic Monarchs]] ceased with Isabella's death in 1504, and Ferdinand expelled the Castilians from leadership in Aragonese possessions in Italy, including Naples.<ref>Charles E. Nowell, "Old World Origins of the Spanish-American Viceregal System" in ''First Images of America''. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press 1976, p. 225.</ref> The conquest began nearly two centuries of rule of the almost omnipotent ''viceré'' ("[[viceroy]]s") in Naples. [[File:Napoli - Palazzo Reale19.jpg|thumb|left|Palazzo Reale ("Royal Palace") was the seat of Spanish and Austrian viceroys.]]

Under the viceroys Naples grew from 100,000 to 300,000 inhabitants,{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} second only to [[Istanbul]] in [[Europe]].{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} The most important of them was don [[Pedro Álvarez de Toledo]]: he introduced heavy taxation and favoured the [[Inquisition]], but at the same time improved the conditions of Naples. He opened the main street, which still today bears his name; he paved other roads, strengthened and expanded the walls, restored old buildings, and erected new buildings and fortresses, essentially turning the city of Naples by 1560 into the largest and best fortified city in the Spanish empire. In the 16th and 17th century Naples was home to great artists such as [[Caravaggio]], [[Salvator Rosa]] and [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini|Bernini]], philosophers such as [[Bernardino Telesio]], [[Giordano Bruno]], [[Tommaso Campanella]] and [[Giambattista Vico]], and writers such as [[Gian Battista Marino]], thus confirming itself among the most important capitals of Europe. All these cultural figures contributed to the aesthetic and intellectual transformations leading to a new era, commonly defined as Baroque.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Giardino|first1=Alessandro|title=Corporeality and Performativity in Baroque Naples|date=2017|publisher=Lexington Books Press|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=978-1-4985-6398-7}}</ref> Patrons and salon-holders such as [[Aurora Sanseverino]], Isabella Pignone del Carretto and Ippolita Cantelmo Stuart had a significant role in the artistic and cultural life in Naples.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Astarita|first1=Tommaso|title=A Companion to Early Modern Naples|date=2013|publisher=BRILL|location=Leiden|isbn=978-90-04-23670-7}}</ref>

All the strains of an increasingly over-populated city exploded in July 1647, when the legendary [[Masaniello]] led the populace in violent rebellion against the foreign, oppressive rule of the Spanish. Neapolitans declared a [[Neapolitan Republic (1647)|Republic]] and asked [[France]] for support, but the Spaniards suppressed the insurrection in April of the following year and defeated two attempts by the French fleet to land troops. In 1656 the [[Naples Plague (1656)|plague]] killed almost half of the inhabitants of the city; this led to the beginning of a period of decline.

===1714 to 1799=== {{Main|Neapolitan Republic (1799)}} [[File:Admiral Byng's Fleet at Naples.jpg|thumb|View of the [[Bay of Naples]] with a British fleet commanded by Admiral [[George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington|George Byng]] at anchor, 1 August 1718, just before the [[Battle of Cape Passaro]]. Painting by [[Gaspar Butler]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/explore/object.cfm?ID=BHC0349|title=View of the Bay of Naples with Admiral Byng's Fleet at Anchor, 1 August 1718|publisher=National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London}}</ref>]] The Spanish Habsburgs were replaced in 1714 by [[Austria]]n ones, until in 1734 the two kingdoms were united under a single independent crown (''Utriusque Siciliarum''), that of [[Charles III of Spain|Charles of Bourbon]]. Charles renovated the city with the [[Villa di Capodimonte]] and the [[Teatro di San Carlo]], and welcomed the philosophers [[Giovan Battista Vico]] and [[Antonio Genovesi]], the jurists [[Pietro Giannone]] and [[Gaetano Filangieri]], and the composers [[Alessandro Scarlatti|Alessandro]] and [[Domenico Scarlatti]]. This first king of the [[House of Bourbon]] tried to introduce legislative and administrative reforms, but they were stopped as the first news of the [[French Revolution]] reached the city. By that time, Charles' son, [[Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies|Ferdinand IV]] was king, and he entered an anti-French [[First Coalition|Coalition]] with [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]], [[Imperial Russia|Russia]], [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], [[Kingdom of Spain|Spain]], and [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]]. [[File:Naples-vernet.jpg|thumb|''The Bay of Naples'', by [[Joseph Vernet]], 1748]]

The population of Naples at the beginning of the 19th century was mostly made up of a mass of people, who were called the ''lazzarone'' and lived in extremely poor conditions. As well, there was a strong royal bureaucracy and an élite of landowners. When in January 1799 [[French First Republic|French]] [[French Revolution|revolutionary]] troops entered the city they were hailed by a pro-revolutionary minor part of the middle class, but had to face strong resistance by the [[royalist]] ''lazzari'', who were fervidly religious and did not support the new ideas. The short-lived [[Parthenopaean Republic|Neapolitan Republic]] tried to gain popular support by abolishing feudal privileges, but the mass of the people rebelled and in June 1799 the republicans surrendered. Upon the order of the restored monarchy, Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]] arrested the leaders of the revolution and handed them over for execution [[Francesco Caracciolo (naval officer)|Francesco Caracciolo]], [[Francesco Mario Pagano|Mario Pagano]], [[Ettore Carafa]], and [[Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel]].<ref name="North">{{cite book |last1=North |first1=Jonathan |title=Nelson at Naples, Revolution and Retribution in 1799 |date=2018 |publisher=Amberley |location=Stroud |isbn=978-1445679372 |pages=304}}</ref> Nelson was rewarded by being made Duke of Bronte by the king.<ref name="North" />

===1799 to 1861=== [[File:Exterior San Carlo 01.JPG|thumb|The Theatre of San Carlo was built during the reign of Charles I of Bourbon.]] The [[Parthenopaean Republic]] in Naples was suppressed by the British and Russians in 1799, and was following in 1805 by a full [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Naples|invasion]]. In early 1806 [[Napoleon]] conquered the Kingdom of Naples. The Emperor Napoleon first named his brother [[Joseph Bonaparte]] to be King and then his brother-in-law and [[Marshal]] [[Joachim Murat]] in 1808, when Joseph was given the Spanish crown. The latter created a communal administration led by a mayor, which was left almost intact by Ferdinand in 1815 as he regained his kingdom after the 1815 [[Neapolitan War]] in which the Austrians defeated Murat. In 1839 Naples was the first city in Italy to have a railway, with the Napoli-[[Portici]] line.

In spite of a little cultural revival and the proclamation of a Constitution on 25 June 1860, in the last years of the kingdom the gap between the court and the intellectual class continued to grow.

On 6 September 1860, the kingdom [[Expedition of the Thousand|was conquered by the Garibaldines]] and was handed over to the [[King of Sardinia]]: Garibaldi entered the city by train, descending in the square that today still bears his name. In October 1860 a plebiscite sanctioned the end of the Kingdom of Sicily and the birth of a new Italian state, the united [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Kingdom of Italy]].

[[File:Napoli BW 2013-05-16 14-11-46 1 DxO.jpg|thumb|left|[[Galleria Umberto]], 1887–91]]

==Contemporary age== The opening of the [[funicular]] railway to [[Mount Vesuvius]] was occasion for the writing of the famous song "[[Funiculì, Funiculà]]", one more song in the centuries long tradition of [[Music of Naples|Neapolitan song]]. Many Neapolitan songs are also famous outside of Italy, as for example "[['O sole mio]]", "Santa Lucia" and "Torna a Surriento". On 7 April 1906 nearby [[Mount Vesuvius]] erupted, devastating [[Boscotrecase]] and seriously damaging [[Ottaviano]].

During [[World War II]], Naples was the first Italian city to rise up against the [[Nazi]] military occupation; between 28 September and 1 October 1943 the people of the city rose up and pushed the Germans out, in what became known as the "[[four days of Naples]]". British Armoured patrols of the [[1st King's Dragoon Guards|King's Dragoon Guards]] were the first allied unit to reach Naples. They were followed by the [[Royal Scots Greys]] followed by troops of the US [[82nd Airborne Division]]; they found Naples already free, and continued on instead towards [[Rome]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Fifth Army History, Volume 1|year=1945|publisher=Historical Section, Headquarters Fifth Army|page=47|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LfBmAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>

In 1944 another devastating eruption from Vesuvius occurred; images from this eruption were used in the film ''[[The War of the Worlds (1953 movie)|The War of the Worlds]]''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}}

Napoli has turned into the most important transportation hub of southern Italy. The airport of [[Capodichino]] has connections across Europe. The city also has an important port that connects to many Tyrrhenian Sea destinations, including [[Cagliari]], [[Genoa]] and [[Palermo]], often with fast ferries. Naples also has ferry connections to nearby islands and [[Sorrento, Italy|Sorrento]], and fast rail connections to [[Rome]] and the south. It is noted for the light railway [[Circumvesuviana]].

Organised crime is deeply rooted in Naples. The [[Camorra]], the feuding Neapolitan gangs and families, have a long history. During 2004 over 120 people died in Naples in Camorra killings; many of the deaths were related to the drug trade.

Unemployment remains very high in Naples, with some estimates running above 20% among working-age males{{when|date=August 2016}}. The industrial base is still small and a number of earlier and ambitious enterprises such as automobile manufacturing plants on the outskirts have closed and gone elsewhere. There is a large "submerged economy"—meaning the black market—and it is difficult to have reliable statistics on the amount of wealth generated by such activity. Social services in the city have come under recent strain in attempting to deal with the increase in immigration. [[File:Napoli 1943, entrata degli alleati (1).jpg|thumb|People in Naples welcoming Allied troops on 1 October 1943]] Italy's first Metropolitan railway (now Linea 2) was opened in Naples in 1925.

Four funicular railways were opened between 1889 and 1931. Two of these link the residential area of Vomero to the historic centre of the city. One links Vomero with Chiaia and one, in the western part of the city, links Mergellina with Posillipo.

In 1927 Naples absorbed some nearby communities; the 1860 population of 450,000 increased to 1,250,000 in 1971.

Cosmetically, at least, Naples improved in the two decades either side of the turn of the 21st century: [[Piazza del Plebiscito]], for example, has returned to its historic role as the [[List of city squares by size|largest open square]] in the city instead of being the squalid parking lot that it was between the end of WWII and 1990; city landmarks such as the [[Teatro di San Carlo|San Carlo theater]] and the [[Galleria Umberto]] have been restored; a major ring road, the ''[[tangenziale di Napoli]]'', has alleviated traffic through and around the city; and major construction continues on the new underground railway system, the [[Naples Metro]] (''metropolitana di Napoli''), which, even its current{{when|date=August 2016}} unfinished state now provides easy transportation for the first time in the history of the city from the upper reaches of the Vomero hill section of the city into the downtown area. As a result of at least some of these improved conditions in the city, tourism has increased. Naples became the world's 91st richest city by purchasing power in 2005, with a [[GDP]] of US$43 billion, surpassing [[Budapest]] and [[Zürich]],<ref name="citymayors.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/richest-cities-2005.html |title=City Mayors reviews the richest cities in the world in 2005 |publisher=Citymayors.com |date=11 March 2007 |access-date=25 January 2010}}</ref> and unemployment decreased dramatically between the 1990s and 2010.<ref name="epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu">{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tgs00010 |title=Site3-TGM table |publisher=Epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu |access-date=25 January 2010}}</ref>

==See also== * [[Timeline of Naples history]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==Bibliography== {{see also|Timeline of Naples#Bibliography}} * {{cite encyclopedia | editor1-last = Magnusson | editor1-first = Magnus | editor2-last = Goring | editor2-first = Rosemary | title = Cambridge Biographical Dictionary | isbn = 0-521-39518-6 | year = 1990 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | location = Cambridge, UK }}

[[Category:History of Naples| ]] [[Category:Histories of cities in Italy|Naples]]