Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Italian: Regno delle Due Sicilie)[1] was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of a cadet branch of the Spanish Bourbons.[2] The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and land area in Italy before the Italian unification, comprising Sicily and most of the area of today's Mezzogiorno (southern Italy) and covering all of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States.
This article is about the kingdom from 1816 to 1860. For the kingdom from 1130 to 1282, see Kingdom of Sicily.
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Administrative: Latin and Italian
In use: Neapolitan and Sicilian
Sicilian, Neapolitan
- Absolute monarchy (1816–1848)
- Constitutional monarchy (1849–1861)
1816
1815
1860
20 March 1861
The kingdom was formed when the Kingdom of Sicily merged with the Kingdom of Naples, which was officially also known as the Kingdom of Sicily. Since both kingdoms were named Sicily, they were collectively known as the "Two Sicilies" (Utraque Sicilia, literally "both Sicilies"), and the unified kingdom adopted this name. The king of the Two Sicilies was overthrown by Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860, after which the people voted in a plebiscite to join the Kingdom of Sardinia. The annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies completed the first phase of Italian unification, and the new Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861.
The Two Sicilies were heavily agricultural, like other Italian states.[3]
Name[edit]
The name "Two Sicilies" originated from the partition of the medieval Kingdom of Sicily. Until 1285, the island of Sicily and the Mezzogiorno were constituent parts of the Kingdom of Sicily. As a result of the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302),[4] the King of Sicily lost the Island of Sicily (also called Trinacria) to the Crown of Aragon, but remained ruler over the peninsular part of the realm. Although his territory became known unofficially as the Kingdom of Naples, he and his successors never gave up the title King of Sicily and still officially referred to their realm as the Kingdom of Sicily. At the same time, the Aragonese rulers of the Island of Sicily also called their realm the Kingdom of Sicily. Thus, there were two kingdoms called Sicily:[4] hence, when they were reunited, the result was named the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.
Military[edit]
The Army of the Two Sicilies was the land forces of the Kingdom, it was created by the settlement of the Bourbon dynasty in Southern Italy following the events of the War of the Polish Succession. The army collapsed during the Expedition of the Thousand.
The Real Marina was the naval forces of the Kingdom. It was the most important of the pre-unification Italian navies.
In 1860–61 with influence from Great Britain and William Ewart Gladstone's propaganda, the kingdom was absorbed into the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the title dropped. It is still claimed by the head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
1816–1848; 1849–1860 flag
1848–1849 flag
1860–1861 flag
Royal standard 1829–1861
