Italy

The  Italian Republic


 * Historical Summary

 || Historical Timeline

|| Historical enemies || || Map of Country
 * Historical Conflicts

|| Flag and Significance

||  || Traditional Clothing  || Traditional Foods ||
 * Traditional Cultures

History Summary: HOW ITALY GOT IT’S NAME….

In the “toe” of Italy’s present day peninsula, is where the Itali lived. Their name came from Vitulus- which ment veal or calf. When the Romans conquered that territory, the name “Italoi” was inherited. And from this came the name “Italy” was extended by the Romans through-out the peninsula. The history of Italy is largely the history of Rome. Rome, the Eternal City, is the capital of Italy. Rome was the capital of the ancient world, it was founded in 753 BC. The Roman Empire extended from England, to Germany, all the way to Turkey and Iraq, and included the northern coast of Africa.

ANCIENT ROME….

Rome is known as one of the largest empires in the Ancient World. Rome was founded in 753 BC by twin brothers Romulus and Remus, but in a quarrel over who was going to give their name to the city- and reign as king- Romulus killed Remus, and the city was named Rome. Early Rome was governed by kings, but after only 7 of them had ruled, the Romans took power over their own city and ruled themselves- and instead they had a council known as the ‘senate’ which ruled over them. From then on, it was called the ‘Roman Republic.’ The Roman Republic was a vey successful government. It lasted from 510 BC until 23 BC- almost 500 years. (Compared to the United States, which only began in 1776, so less than 250 years) The greatest challenge the Roman Republic faced was the Carthaginians. Carthage was a very powerful city in North Africa which, like Rome, controlled it’s own Empire. The fight between both sides was a long one and it took place on land and sea. The most famous incident was when the Carthaginian general Hannibal invaded Italy. Rome won and Carthage was completely destroyed in the year 146 BC.

IMPORTANT ROMAN CITIZENS:

Rome's most famous citizen was no doubt Julius Caesar. He was a Roman politician and general who, without having any orders to do so, conquered the vast territory of the Gauls to the north of his province in France. In the year 49 BC Caesar crossed the small river between his province and Italy, called the river Rubicon, and conquered Rome itself which he then ruled as a dictator. His life though was ended as he was infamously murdered in the senate in Rome. Julius Caesar was so famous and respected that a month of the year is still named after him and his heirs today, July (after **//Julius//** Caesar).


 * ** Augustus ** || Rome's first emperor. He also added many territories to the empire. ||
 * ** Claudius ** || He conquered Britain. ||
 * ** Nero ** || He was insane. He murdered his mother and his wife and threw thousands of Christians to the lions. ||
 * ** Titus ** || Before he was emperor he destroyed the great Jewish temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. ||
 * ** Trajan ** || He was a great conqueror. Under his rule the empire reached its greatest extent. ||
 * ** Hadrian ** || He built 'Hadrian's Wall' in the north of Britain to shield the province from the northern barbarians. ||
 * ** Diocletian ** || He split the empire into two pieces - a western and an eastern empire. ||
 * ** Constantine ** || He was the first Christian emperor. He united the empire again chose his capital to be the small town Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. ||
 * ** Romulus Augustus ** || He was the last emperor of Rome, nicknamed Augustulus which means 'little Augustus'. ||
 * ** Justinian ** || He was the last 'great' emperor. He conquered many territories, created the 'Justinian Code' and built the fantastic church Santa Sophia. ||
 * ** Constantine XI ** || The last emperor of Constantinople. He died defending his great city against the Turks. ||

THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE….

When Theodosius died in 395 AD, he left the Roman Empire to his two sons, Honorius and Arcadius. Honorius to the west and Arcadius took the east. But neither of them were very good at ruling, or even very interested. It didn’t take long for the Germans and Goths to realize that the new young emperors were weak, and so this was a good time to attack. Roman generals also saw this weakness and revolted. Constantine III declared himself emperor at York. He took all the Roman troops out of England, across the English Channel to France, and he marched his army through France, collecting the French troops so they could all march on Rome. But in the end Constantine was killed. The Roman Empire at that time was spread too far and wide in order to cover it’s borders, and the territories it had conquered. So in Italy, the Visigoths were attacking. They had been living inside the Roman Empire since the Battle of Adrianople. But they had not been treated very well- and when Honorius said no to giving them gold, the Visigoths took over the city and sacked it (They wrecked things, killed people and took what they wanted). And since the Roman Empire was spread too thin- it crumbled from the inside out.

Historical Timeline:
 * (900 BC) ** Iron Age: communities established in river valleys in Etruria


 * (800 BC) ** Greeks settled in Southern Italy and Sicily


 * (753 BC) ** Legendary founding of Rome by Romulus


 * (616 BC) ** Etruscans became rulers of Rome


 * (509 BC) ** Last Etruscan king forced out of Rome; Roman Empire established


 * (499 BC) ** Romans defeated Latins and Etruscans in Battle of Lake Regillus


 * (265 BC) ** Romans took over last Etruscan city


 * (216 BC) ** Romans defeated at Battle of Cannae


 * (191 BC) ** Romans captured Gaulish territory


 * (168 BC) ** Third Macedonian War ended


 * (146 BC) ** Third Punic War ended


 * (49 BC) ** Julius Caesar forces Pompey out of Rome


 * (44 BC) ** Julius Caesar murdered; Roman Republic brought to an end


 * (27 BC) ** Augustus became first Roman Emperor


 * (AD 79) ** Pompeii and Herculaneum destroyed by eruption of Mt. Vesuvius


 * (80) ** Coliseum hosted first games


 * (476) ** Odoacer sacks Rome; Roman Empire ends


 * (485) ** Atilla the Hun invaded Italy


 * (1347-49) ** Black Death pandemic occurred; hundreds of thousands died


 * (1796) ** Napoleon conquered northern Italy, became part of French Empire


 * (1805) ** Napoleon declared himself Italian Emperor


 * (1814) ** Napoleon abdicated his throne; Italy divided into small kingdoms


 * (1870) ** Italian forces occupied Rome


 * (1871) ** Rome named capital of Italy


 * (1915) ** Italy joined World War I on side of Allies


 * (1918) ** Allies won World War I
 * (1940) ** Italy entered World War II as ally of Germany


 * (1943) ** Italy surrendered to Allied forces; Mussolini forced to resign; Italy declared war on Germany


 * (1946) ** Italians voted to end monarchy and established a republic


 * (1955) ** Italy joined United Nations


 * (1986) ** 338 Mafia members convicted of criminal activities


 * (1992) ** Scandals of political corruption led to fall of Christian Democratic party; Judge Giovanni Falcone killed in Sicily by Mafia


 * (1998) ** Italy joined the EU, or European Union


 * (1999) ** Italy adopted Euro as it currency; Carolo Ciampi elected President of Italy

Historical Enemies: During World War II, Italy sided with Germany- which caused all of Germany's enemies to become Italy's as well. The countries included, France, Great Britian, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Eithopia, Albania, Greece, Yugoslavia, USA, China, Brazil, Portugal (and later when Italy switched to the other side....) Russia, and Germany.

Historical Conflicts: After the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century, Italy was the target of several invasions. Italy- which was previously a united country- broke apart into many smaller bodies, where for years Italy was weak and unsable from lack of a strong government. And finally, in 1848-49 a series of revolutions broke out, prompting many states to implement new constitutions. At the time Austria had main possession of Italy, so when France and Austria went to war, they ended up destabalizing Italy, and allowed many states to vote to merge. So in 1870 (with a few small exceptions) Italy was now a unified state.

Map of Italy: Italy lies in south-western Europe, it's peninsula extends out into the Mediterranean Sea. Italy's neighboring countries are Switzerland and Austria (to the north), Slovenia (to the east), and France (to the west). The bodies of water bordering Italy are, the Adriatic Sea (to the east), the Tyrrhenian Sea (to the west), and the Mediterranean Sea.

Flag and Significance: ** The Italian Flag indicates a tricolor green, white and red. **  · ** White- peace and honesty ** · ** Red- hardiness, bravery, strength, and valour ** · ** Green- hope, joy and love **

Traditional Culture: Elements which are famous of the Italian culture are its opera, and music. it’s iconic gastronomy (which is the study of the relationship between culture and food) and food. Which are commonly regarded amongst the most popular in the world. It’s cinema, and it’s collections of priceless works of art.

Traditional Clothing:

Patterned fabrics, usually velvets and brocades, were more popular than materials of a single color from about 1480 to 1510. During this period of the Renaissance, Italian styles dominated European fashion. Men's garments became shorter and wider, with lower necklines. Women's skirts also became shorter, and the long, trailing gown disappeared.

Traditional Foods: Italy doesn't have a "national" cuisine, but there are alot of common Italian foods that you can find almost anywhere... Foods like- Lasanga, pasta and marinara sauce, macaroni and cheese, linguine, chicken alfrado, and of course pizza.