King of Italy

King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Up until 1861, no King of Italy ruled on the whole Italian peninsula.

Germanic kings

See List of rulers of Italy in the period 476–773

After the deposition of Romulus Augustus in 476, Heruli leader Odoacer was appointed dux Italiae (ruler of Italy) by emperor Zeno. Later, he entitled himself rex Italiae (king of Italy), though he always presented himself as an officer of the eastern government.

In 483, Ostrogothic leader Theodoric the Great defeated Odoacer, and started a new dynasty of kings of Italy. Ostrogothic rule ended with the death of Teias (552), when Italy was reconquered by the Byzantine Empire.

Ostrogoths

Ostrogothic Kingdom conquered by Byzantine Empire.

Lombards

Alboin led the Lombards into Italy in 568 and set up a barbarian state.

Alboin (568 - 572)
Cleph (572 - 574)

Rule of the Dukes (Ten year interregnum)

Authari (584 - 590), son of previous
Agilulf (591 - c.616), cousin of previous
Adaloald (c.616 - c.626)
Arioald (c.626 - 636)
Rothari (636 - 652)
Rodoald (652 - 653)
Aripert I (653 - 661)
Perctarit and Godepert (661 - 662)
Grimuald (662 - 671)
Perctarit (671 - 688) (restored from exile)
Alahis (688 - 689), rebel
Cunincpert (688 - 700)
Liutpert (700 - 701)
Raginpert (701)
Aripert II (701 - 712)
Ansprand (712)
Liutprand (712 - 744)
Hildeprand (744)
Ratchis (744 - 749)
Aistulf (749 - 756)
Desiderius (756 - 774)

Frankish kings

Pippin of Italy, third son of Charlemagne, is crowned King of Italy by Pope Hadrian I in 781. He reigned over Northern Italy, while Central Italy became the Papal States.

Pippin: 781-810
Bernard: 810-818
Lothar I: 818-839
Louis II: 839-875 (actual control was exercised by his father, Lothar, until the latter's death in 855)
Charles the Bald: 875-877
Carloman: 877-879
Charles the Fat: 879-888

Between 888 and 961, there were usually several claimants to the throne of Italy, and on occasion even several living crowned Emperors.

Berengar of Friuli: 888-924; Emperor 915-924
Guy of Spoleto: 889-894, rival king; Emperor 891-894
Lambert of Spoleto: 894-898, rival king; co-ruler from 891; Emperor 894-898
Arnulf of Carinthia: 896-899, rival emperor
Louis III: 900-905, rival king; Emperor 901-905
Rudolf II of Burgundy: 922-933, rival king.
Hugh of Arles: 924-947
Lothar II of Arles: 947-950
Berengar of Ivrea: 950-961 (nominally sub-king under Otto I after 953)

Kings under the Holy Roman Empire

From 962 until 1806, the kingdom of Italy was subsumed into the Holy Roman Empire, and the emperors were also kings of Italy. The one serious independent claimant during this period was Arduin. However, after the reign of Frederick Barbarossa (1152-1190), imperial authority in Italy was increasingly challenged by Italian city states and the Emperors had to base their rule on cooperation with some of these states.

Napoleonic era

During the Napoleonic period, a Kingdom of Italy was formed in Northern Italy.

Napoleon Bonaparte: 1805 - 1814 He was crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in the Cathedral of Milan, May 26, 1805.

House of Savoy

At the end of Italian unification process, Vittorio Emmanuel II is crowned King of Italy.

Politics of Italy | Lists of monarchs | Italy-related lists