This they found in the Franks and a deal was done. Years of inconclusive battles ensued, which even Frederick’s death in 1250 did not end. presence at virtually every seaport because trade, shipping, and seamen Ambassador to Italy when Unconcerned by rumours of a possible assassination attempt, Caesar had dismissed his bodyguard. When war broke out in Europe in July 1914, Italy chose to remain neutral despite being a member of the Triple Alliance with Austria and Germany. Giangaleazzo Visconti (1351–1402) turned Milan from a city-state into a strong European power. But Italy has known chaos and deep suffering, too. The origins of the town are shrouded in myth, which says it was founded by Romulus (who descended from Aeneas, a refugee from Troy whose mother was the goddess Venus) on 21 April 753 BC on the site where he and his brother, Remus, had been suckled by a she-wolf as orphan infants. The experience of war and the frustration shared with many at the disappointing outcome in Versailles led him to form a right-wing militant political group that by 1921 had become the Fascist Party, with its black-shirted street brawlers and Roman salute. The banner of the Lion of St Mark flew across northeast Italy, from Gorizia to Bergamo. Much of the lower Apennine chain is near-wilderness, hosting a wide range of species rarely seen elsewhere in western Europe, such as wild boars, wolves, asps, and bears. He streamlined the army, which was kept at a standing total of around 300, 000. From his early days at the imperial helm, Frederick was known as Stupor Mundi (the Wonder of the World) for his extraordinary talents, energy and military prowess. They shot him and his lover, Clara Petacci, before stringing up their corpses (along with others) in Milan’s Piazzale Lotto. Romulus later killed Remus and the settlement was named Rome after him. In Milan, the noble Visconti family destroyed its rivals and extended Milanese control over Pavia and Cremona, and later Genoa. A century after Augustus’ death in AD 14 (aged 75), the Empire had reached its greatest extent. When the Austro-Hungarian forces collapsed in November 1918, the Italians marched into Trieste and Trento. Rome did not bother to mint coins until 269 BC, even though the neighbouring (and later conquered or allied) Etruscans and Greeks had long had their own currencies. All rights reserved. Octavian was left as sole ruler of the Roman world and by 19 BC had been acclaimed Augustus (Your Eminence) and conceded virtually unlimited power by the Senate. The papacy invented the Donation of Constantine, a document in which Emperor Constantine I had supposedly granted the Church control of Rome and surrounding territory. Diplomatic relations were severed and the American Embassy in Rome was closed At home, the Etruscans farmed and mined metals. Augustus carried out other far-reaching reforms. Communes in Italy: 11th - 13th century The period from the 11th to the 13th century sees a steady rise in prosperity in the cities of Europe. On April 11, 1861, following Italy’s unification, former Minister Van Allen was appointed Northern Italy was finally liberated in April 1945. Arriving a few minutes late for a dinner is the norm, as is bringing wine or chocolates as a small gift. Under him, the arts flourished. legation to the Two Sicilies at Naples in 1831, while in 1840 the United Garibaldi took Sicily and southern Italy in a military blitz in the name of Savoy king Vittorio Emanuele II in 1860. This explains why there were numerous U.S. Consulates General, The policies of the Visconti (up to 1450), followed by those of the Sforza family, allowed Milan to spread its power to the Ticino area of Switzerland and east to the Lago di Garda. Modern Flag of Italy. Spotting the chance, Cavour and the king moved to take parts of central Italy (including Umbria and Le Marche) and so were able to proclaim the creation of a single Italian state in 1861. The Mediterranean was a Roman lake. Italy comprises some of the most varied and scenic landscapes on Earth and is often described as a country shaped like a boot. In return for formal recognition of the popes’ control of Rome and surrounding Byzantine-held territories henceforth to be known as the Papal States, the popes granted the Carolingian Franks a leading if ill-defined role in Italy and their king, Charlemagne, the title of Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the disquiet, the 1970s was also a time of positive change. Italy incorporated Venetia and the former Papal States The empire dominated all of Western Europe for over 800 years until its fall in 475 AD, after which Italy became a confusion of numerous city-states for most of the following millennium. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1220, Frederick was a German with a difference. The family heads the social structure in Italy, with entire groups living under one roof in the more traditional southern region. The Roman Empire itself, the emergence of the Roman Catholic Church, the cultural flowering of the Renaissance era and the birth of Humanism all exerted strong influence across the globe. The well-heeled families soon turned their attentions from business rivalry to political struggles, in which each aimed to gain control of the signoria (government). War between the city-states was a constant and eventually a few, notably Florence, Milan and Venice, emerged as regional powers and absorbed their neighbours. At the bottom of the country, in the Mediterranean Sea, lie the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. A small band of conspirators led by Brutus finally stabbed him to death in a Senate meeting on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC, two years after he had been proclaimed dictator for life. South of Rome the Apennines narrow and are flanked by two wide coastal plains, one facing the Tyrrhenian Sea and the other the Adriatic Sea.