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Duchy of Naples
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Duchy of Naples
The Duchy of Naples (Latin: Ducatus Neapolitanus, Neapolitan: Ducato di Napule) began as a Byzantine province in Southern Europe that was constituted in the seventh century, in the lands roughly corresponding to the current province of Naples that the Lombards had not conquered during their invasion of Italy in the sixth century. It was one of the tyrrhenian duchies along with the duchy of Gaeta, Amalfi and Sorrento which took their independence from Naples in the early 9th century.
It was governed by a military commander (dux), and rapidly became a de facto independent state, lasting more than five centuries during the Early and High Middle Ages. Naples remains a significant metropolitan city in present-day Italy.
In the 7th century the Duchy included, in addition to Naples, the areas that the Lombards had failed to conquer. It extended into the area of the current metropolitan City of Naples, including, the Vesuvius zone, the Sorrento Peninsula and the island of Capri, the Phlegraean area and the islands of Ischia and Procida, the Afragola, the territories of Pomigliano d'Arco, Caivano, Sant'Antimo, Giugliano, the Nola area, as well as areas of the current province of Caserta. In 866 the island of Capri was donated to Duchy of Amalfi following a treaty. The population of the capital, Naples, fluctuated at that time between thirty thousand and thirty-five thousand inhabitants. The ducal palace was located in the ancient Nile district, between the current Monterone hill and Spaccanapoli. The complex was characterized by courtyards, porticoes and gardens.
In 661, Naples obtained from the emperor Constans II the right to be ruled by a local duke, one Basil, whose subjection to the emperor soon became merely nominal. Among his titles were patrikios ("patrician") and hypatos ("consul"). At that time the Ducatus Neapolitanus controlled an area corresponding roughly to the present day Province of Naples, encompassing the area of Vesuvius, the Campi Flegrei, the Sorrentine Peninsula, Giugliano, Aversa, Afragola, Nola, and the islands of Ischia and Procida. Capri was later part of the duchy of Amalfi. He had authority over the neighbouring seaports of Gaeta, Amalfi, and Sorrento, though each of these was largely autonomous, especially during the later years of the Neapolitan duchy.
In this era, the duchy coined monies with the effigy of the emperor and Greek inscriptions. Greek was the official language, though the population was Latin-speaking.
The Neapolitan patriciate of the ducal era was represented by the so-called "magnate families", enrolled in the seats of the medieval city: among them the families of the Capece, Ferrario, Melluso, Piscicelli, Pappansogna, Boccia, de Gennaro, Russo and of the Morfisa, had particular importance in the civil life of the city starting from the 10th century.
In 763, the duke Stephen II switched his allegiance from Constantinople to Rome, putting Naples under papal suzerainty. Already during the reign of the imperially appointed John I (711- ca 719), the papacy had come to the duke's aid against the Lombards, while Byzantine assistance seemed remote. Stephen II's reign is considered a period of transition in the history of Naples: it moved away from the iconoclastic East and towards the papal West. The Byzantine Greeks were soon to become as much a threat to the Neapolitans as the Lombards.
Sometime around the beginning of the ninth century, the dukes began striking coinage with Latin inscriptions, as Latin replaced Greek in official usage.[citation needed] Saint Januarius replaced the emperor on the coins. Acts were still dated by the imperial reign, but the emperor was of no consequence in regular Neapolitan affairs. In 813, when Leo V the Armenian called for the fleet of the entire ducatus to aid the Byzantine admiral in combating the Saracen pirates preying on Sicily, Duke Anthimus could ignore the order; only Amalfi and Gaeta responded with contingents. Apparently, the Neapolitans felt themselves practically independent already and their underlings felt themselves independent of Naples.
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Duchy of Naples
The Duchy of Naples (Latin: Ducatus Neapolitanus, Neapolitan: Ducato di Napule) began as a Byzantine province in Southern Europe that was constituted in the seventh century, in the lands roughly corresponding to the current province of Naples that the Lombards had not conquered during their invasion of Italy in the sixth century. It was one of the tyrrhenian duchies along with the duchy of Gaeta, Amalfi and Sorrento which took their independence from Naples in the early 9th century.
It was governed by a military commander (dux), and rapidly became a de facto independent state, lasting more than five centuries during the Early and High Middle Ages. Naples remains a significant metropolitan city in present-day Italy.
In the 7th century the Duchy included, in addition to Naples, the areas that the Lombards had failed to conquer. It extended into the area of the current metropolitan City of Naples, including, the Vesuvius zone, the Sorrento Peninsula and the island of Capri, the Phlegraean area and the islands of Ischia and Procida, the Afragola, the territories of Pomigliano d'Arco, Caivano, Sant'Antimo, Giugliano, the Nola area, as well as areas of the current province of Caserta. In 866 the island of Capri was donated to Duchy of Amalfi following a treaty. The population of the capital, Naples, fluctuated at that time between thirty thousand and thirty-five thousand inhabitants. The ducal palace was located in the ancient Nile district, between the current Monterone hill and Spaccanapoli. The complex was characterized by courtyards, porticoes and gardens.
In 661, Naples obtained from the emperor Constans II the right to be ruled by a local duke, one Basil, whose subjection to the emperor soon became merely nominal. Among his titles were patrikios ("patrician") and hypatos ("consul"). At that time the Ducatus Neapolitanus controlled an area corresponding roughly to the present day Province of Naples, encompassing the area of Vesuvius, the Campi Flegrei, the Sorrentine Peninsula, Giugliano, Aversa, Afragola, Nola, and the islands of Ischia and Procida. Capri was later part of the duchy of Amalfi. He had authority over the neighbouring seaports of Gaeta, Amalfi, and Sorrento, though each of these was largely autonomous, especially during the later years of the Neapolitan duchy.
In this era, the duchy coined monies with the effigy of the emperor and Greek inscriptions. Greek was the official language, though the population was Latin-speaking.
The Neapolitan patriciate of the ducal era was represented by the so-called "magnate families", enrolled in the seats of the medieval city: among them the families of the Capece, Ferrario, Melluso, Piscicelli, Pappansogna, Boccia, de Gennaro, Russo and of the Morfisa, had particular importance in the civil life of the city starting from the 10th century.
In 763, the duke Stephen II switched his allegiance from Constantinople to Rome, putting Naples under papal suzerainty. Already during the reign of the imperially appointed John I (711- ca 719), the papacy had come to the duke's aid against the Lombards, while Byzantine assistance seemed remote. Stephen II's reign is considered a period of transition in the history of Naples: it moved away from the iconoclastic East and towards the papal West. The Byzantine Greeks were soon to become as much a threat to the Neapolitans as the Lombards.
Sometime around the beginning of the ninth century, the dukes began striking coinage with Latin inscriptions, as Latin replaced Greek in official usage.[citation needed] Saint Januarius replaced the emperor on the coins. Acts were still dated by the imperial reign, but the emperor was of no consequence in regular Neapolitan affairs. In 813, when Leo V the Armenian called for the fleet of the entire ducatus to aid the Byzantine admiral in combating the Saracen pirates preying on Sicily, Duke Anthimus could ignore the order; only Amalfi and Gaeta responded with contingents. Apparently, the Neapolitans felt themselves practically independent already and their underlings felt themselves independent of Naples.
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