This is a list of the heads of state of Italy. The first to take the title was

Odoacer Odoacer ( ; – 15 March 493 AD), also spelled Odovacer or Odovacar, was a soldier and statesman of barbarian background, who deposed the child emperor Romulus Augustulus and became Rex/Dux (476–493). Odoacer's overthrow of Romulus Augustul ...

, a

barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...

military leader, in the late 5th century, followed by the

Ostrogothic kings The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...

up to the mid-6th century. With the Frankish conquest of Italy in the 8th century, the

Carolingians The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

assumed the title, which was maintained by subsequent Holy Roman Emperors throughout the Middle Ages. The last Emperor to claim the title was Charles V in the 16th century. During this period, the holders of the title were crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. From the unification of Italy in 1861 to 1946 the head of state was the King of Italy, who was the same person as the

King of Sardinia The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia, in particular, of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica from 1323 and then of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1479 to 1861. Early history Owing to the absence of written sources, little ...

according to the Constitution. Italy became a republic under the Constitution of 1948 and the monarch was replaced by a President.

Monarchs

As "Rex Italiae"

(476–493) :vassal of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Ostrogothic Kingdom (493 – 553)

* Theoderic the Great (493 – 526) *

Athalaric Athalaric (; 5162 October 534) was the king of the Ostrogoths in Italy between 526 and 534. He was a son of Eutharic and Amalasuntha, the youngest daughter of Theoderic the Great, whom Athalaric succeeded as king in 526. As Athalaric was only ...

(526 – 534) * Theodahad (534 – 536) * Witiges (536 – 540) * Ildibad (540 – 541) *

Eraric Eraric (died 541) was briefly King of the Ostrogoths, elected as the most distinguished among the Rugians in the confederation of the Ostrogoths. The Goths were vexed at the presumption of the Rugians, but nevertheless they recognized Eraric. He sum ...

(541) * Totila (541 – 552) *

Teia Teia (died 552 or 553 AD), also known as Teja, Theia, Thila, Thela, and Teias, was the last Ostrogothic King of Italy. He led troops during the Battle of Busta Gallorum and had noncombatant Romans slaughtered in its aftermath. In late 552/early 5 ...

(552 – 553)

Kingdom of the Lombards (568 – 814)

* Alboin (568 – 572) * Cleph (572 – 574) * '' Rule of the dukes'' (ten-year interregnum) * Authari (584 – 590) * Agilulf (591 – c. 616) * Adaloald (c. 616 – c. 626) *

Arioald Arioald was the Lombard king of Italy from 626 to 636. Duke of Turin, he married the princess Gundeberga, daughter of King Agilulf and his queen Theodelinda. He was, unlike his father-in-law, an Arian who did not accept Catholicism. Arioald de ...

(c. 626 – 636) *

Rothari Rothari (or Rothair) ( 606 – 652), of the Harodingi, house of Arodus, was king of the Lombards from 636 to 652; previously he had been duke of Brescia. He succeeded Arioald, who was an Arianism, Arian like himself, and was one of the most energe ...

(636 – 652) * Rodoald (652 – 653) *

Aripert I Aripert I (also spelled ''Aribert'') was king of the Lombards (653–661) in Italy. He was the son of Gundoald, Duke of Asti, who had crossed the Alps from Bavaria with his sister Theodelinda. As a relative of the Bavarian ducal house, his was ca ...

(653 – 661) * Perctarit and Godepert (661 – 662) * Grimoald (662 – 671) * Perctarit (671 – 688), restored from exile * Alahis (688 – 689), rebel * Cunincpert (688 – 700) * Liutpert (700 – 701) * Raginpert (701) *

Aripert II Aripert or Aribert may refer to: * Aripert I, king of the Lombards from 653 to 661 AD * Aripert II, king of the Lombards from 701 to 712 AD {{Hndis ...

(701 – 712) * Ansprand (712) * Liutprand (712 – 744) *

Hildeprand Hildeprand (died after 744), sometimes called the Useless, was the king of the Lombards from around 735 in association with his uncle, Liutprand. After Liutprand's death in 744, Hildeprand ruled in his own name until he was overthrown later that y ...

(744) *

Ratchis RatchisAlso spelled ''Rachis'', ''Raditschs'', ''Radics'', ''Radiks''. (died after 757) was the Duke of Friuli (739–744) and then King of the Lombards (744–749). Ratchis was the son of Duke Pemmo of Friuli and the nephew of the Lombard kin ...

(744 – 749) * Aistulf (749 – 756) * Desiderius (756 – 774) * Charlemagne (774 – 814)

Kingdom of Italy (781 – 962)

Carolingian dynasty (781 – 888)

* Pippin (781 – 810) * Bernard (810 – 818) * Louis I (818 – 822) *

Lothair I Lothair I or Lothar I (Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario'') (795 – 29 September 855) was emperor (817–855, co-ruling with his father until 840), and the governor of Bavar ...

(822 – 855) * Louis II (844 – 875) *

Charles II the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...

(875 – 877) * Carloman (877 – 879) *

Charles III the Fat Charles III (839 – 13 January 888), also known as Charles the Fat, was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 888. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandson ...

(879 – 887)

Instability (888 – 962)

After 887, Italy fell into instability, with many rulers claiming the kingship simultaneously: *

Berengar I Berengar I ( la, Berengarius, Perngarius; it, Berengario; – 7 April 924) was the king of Italy from 887. He was Holy Roman Emperor between 915 and his death in 924. He is usually known as Berengar of Friuli, since he ruled the March of Friu ...

(888 – 896) :vassal of the German King

Arnulf of Carinthia Arnulf of Carinthia ( 850 – 8 December 899) was the duke of Carinthia who overthrew his uncle Emperor Charles the Fat to become the Carolingian king of East Francia from 887, the disputed king of Italy from 894 and the disputed emperor from Feb ...

, reduced to Friuli 889-894, deposed by Arnulf in 896. * Guy of Spoleto (889 – 894) :opponent of Berengar, ruled most of Italy but was deposed by Arnulf. *

Lambert of Spoleto Lambert (c. 880 – 15 October 898) was the King of Italy from 891, Holy Roman Emperor, co-ruling with his father from 892, and Duke of Spoleto and Camerino (as Lambert II) from his father's death in 894. He was the son of Guy III of Spoleto and ...

(891 – 896) :subking of his father Guy before 894, reduced to Spoleto 894–895. *

(894 – 899)Bryce, James ''The Holy Roman Empire'' (1913), pg. xxxv ** Ratold (sub-king 896) In 896, Arnulf and Ratold lost control of Italy, which was divided between Berengar and Lambert: *

(896 – 924) :seized Lambert's portion upon the latter's death in 898. *

(896 – 898) * Louis III of Provence (900-905) :opposed Berengar 900-902 and 905. * Rudolph II of Burgundy (922 – 933) :defeated Berengar but fled Italy in 926. *

Hugh of Arles Hugh (c. 880–947), known as Hugh of Arles or Hugh of Provence, was the king of Italy from 926 until his death. He belonged to the Bosonid family. During his reign, he empowered his relatives at the expense of the aristocracy and tried to estab ...

(926 – 947) :elected by Berengar's partisans in 925, resigned to Provence after 945. * Lothair II of Arles (945 – 950) *

Berengar II of Ivrea Berengar II ( 900 – 4 August 966) was the King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961. He was a scion of the Anscarid and Unruoching dynasties, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Berengar I. He succeeded his father as Margrav ...

(950 – 961) :jointly with his son: *

Adalbert of Ivrea Adalbert (born 932/936, died 971/975) was the king of Italy from 950 until 961, ruling jointly with his father, Berengar II. After their deposition, Adalbert continued to claim the Italian kingdom until his defeat in battle by the forces of Otto ...

(950 – 961) In 951

Otto I of Germany Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of Henr ...

invaded Italy and was crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. In 952, Berengar and Adalbert became his vassals but remained kings until being deposed by Otto.

Holy Roman Empire (962 – 1556)

Ottonian dynasty The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...
(962 – 1024)

Salian dynasty (1027 – 1125)

Süpplingenburg dynasty Lothair III, sometimes numbered Lothair II and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg (1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected King of Germany in 1125 before ...
(1125 – 1137)

Hauteville dynasty (1130 – 1154)

Roger II used the title ''King of Sicily and Italy'' until at least 1135; later he used only the title ''King of Sicily, Apulia and Calabria''. Although his realm included the southern Italian mainland, he never exerted any control over the official Kingdom of Italy, and none of his successors claimed the title King of Italy.

House of Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...
(1128 – 1197)

House of Welf The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconia, Franconian family from ...
(1208 – 1212)

House of Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...
(1212 – 1254)

House of Luxembourg (1311 – 1313)

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...
(1327 – 1347)

House of Luxembourg (1355 – 1437)

House of Habsburg (1437 – 1556)

Charles V was the last emperor to be crowned king of Italy, or to officially use the title. The Habsburg emperors claimed the Italian crown until 1801. The empire continued to include Italian territories until its dissolution in 1806.

Kingdom of Italy (1805–1814),
House of Bonaparte Italian and Corsican: ''Casa di Buonaparte'', native_name_lang=French, coat of arms=Arms of the French Empire3.svg, caption=Coat of arms assumed by Emperor Napoleon I, image_size=150px, alt=Coat of Arms of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, typ ...

Full title

This title is present on Italian laws proclaimed by Napoleon I: ame', by the Grace of God and the Constitutions, Emperor of the French and King of Italy''.

Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946),
House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

The succession to the throne of Italy was the same as the succession to the throne of the Sardinia.

Provisional head of state

After the

constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

which took place at the same time as the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

54.3% voted for a republic. The Constituent Assembly which had the power to rule Italy until a new constitution for the republic was drawn up. The provisional Head of State after Alcide De Gasperi who exercised the powers after the King of Italy left was Enrico De Nicola who was proclaimed in 1946 but he was called ''Temporary Chief of State'' because he did not want to be called ''President of the Republic'' until the constitution was law.

Presidents

Under the Constitution, the first constitution of the Republic of Italy, the President replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state. The President was elected by Parliament and Regional governments for a seven-year term. In the event of a vacancy the President of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

served as

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

President. ; Parties ''Traditionally, Presidents have not been members of any political party during their tenure, in order to be considered above partisan interests. The parties shown are those to which the President belonged at the time they took office.'' *1946–1993: *Since 1994: ;Status

Styles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heads of state of Italy . Heads of state Heads of state Italy Heads of state Heads of state