The Duchy of Naples (, ) began as a
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
province that was constituted in the seventh century, in the lands roughly corresponding to the current
province of Naples
The province of Naples (; ) was a province in the Campania region of Italy.
In 2014/2015, the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990 and Law 56/2014), replaced the province of Naples with the Metropolitan City of Naples.
Demographics
The p ...
that the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...
had not conquered during their invasion of Italy in the sixth 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
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...
.
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
remains a significant
metropolitan city in present-day
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
Territory
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
The Metropolitan City of Naples () is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Naples. The province was established on 1 January 2015 and contains 92 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). ...
, 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.
First local duchy
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
The province of Naples (; ) was a province in the Campania region of Italy.
In 2014/2015, the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990 and Law 56/2014), replaced the province of Naples with the Metropolitan City of Naples.
Demographics
The p ...
, encompassing the area of
Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius ( ) is a Somma volcano, somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuv ...
, the
Campi Flegrei, the
Sorrentine Peninsula
The Sorrento Peninsula or Sorrentine Peninsula is a peninsula located in southern Italy which separates the Gulf of Naples to the north from the Gulf of Salerno to the south.
Geography
Overview
The peninsula is named after its main town, Sor ...
,
Giugliano,
Aversa
Aversa () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical dome ...
,
Afragola,
Nola, and the islands of
Ischia and
Procida.
Capri
Capri ( , ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A popular resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, its natural beauty ...
was later part of the
duchy of Amalfi. He had authority over the neighbouring seaports of
Gaeta
Gaeta (; ; Southern Latian dialect, Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a seaside resort in the province of Latina in Lazio, Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples.
The city has played ...
,
Amalfi, and
Sorrento
Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...
, 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.
Papal suzerainty
In 763, the duke
Stephen II switched his allegiance from
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, putting Naples under
papal suzerainty
A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy">polity.html" ;"title="state (polity)">state or polity">state (polity)">st ...
. 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.
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
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...
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.
The duchy was not yet hereditary; in 818, the patrician of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
appointed
Theoctistus without imperial approval. He revoked this appointment, and appointed one
Theodore II in 821, but he was chased from the city the same year in favour of the elected
Stephen III. This Stephen first began to mint pieces with his own initials on them and not those of the Eastern Emperor.
Hereditary duchy
In 840, Duke
Sergius I made the succession to the duchy hereditary, and thenceforth Naples was ''de facto'' independent. In this age, the city was mainly a military centre, ruled by an aristocracy of warriors and landowners, even though it had been compelled to surrender to the neighbouring Lombards much of its inland territory. Naples was not a merchant city as other
Campania
Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...
n sea cities like Amalfi and Gaeta, but had a respectable fleet who took part in the
Battle of Ostia
The naval Battle of Ostia took place in 849 in the Tyrrhenian Sea between a Muslim fleet and an Italian league of Papal States, Papal, Duchy of Naples, Neapolitan, Duchy of Amalfi, Amalfitan, and Duchy of Gaeta, Gaetan ships. The battle ended in ...
against the
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
in 849. Anyway, Naples did not hesitate to ally with infidels if this turned to its advantage: in 836, for example, it asked for support from the
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
in order to push off the siege of
Lombard troops coming from the neighbouring
Duchy of Benevento. After its dukes rose to highest prominence under the
Duke-Bishop Athanasius and his successors—of whom
Gregory IV and
John II participated at the
Battle of the Garigliano in 915—Naples declined in importance in the tenth century, until it was captured by its traditional rival,
Pandulf IV of Capua.
Struggles for relevance in the Norman South
In 1027, duke
Sergius IV donated the
county of Aversa to a band of
Norman mercenaries led by
Rainulf Drengot, whose support he had needed in the war with the
principality of Capua
The Principality of Capua ( or ''Capue'', Modern ) was a Lombards, Lombard state centred on Capua in Southern Italy. Towards the end of the 10th century the Principality reached its apogee, occupying most of the Terra di Lavoro area. It was ori ...
. In that period he could not imagine the consequences, but this settlement began a process which eventually led to the end of Naples' independence itself. Sergius cemented his position with marital alliances with the Normans, but when these broke down, he was abandoned by his mercenaries and retired to a monastery. His son,
John V, cosied up to
Guaimar IV of Salerno
Guaimar IV (c. 1013 – 2, 3 or 4 June 1052) was Prince of Salerno (1027–1052), Duke of Amalfi (1039–1052), Duke of Gaeta (1040–1041), and Prince of Capua (1038–1047) in Southern Italy over the period from 1027 to 1052. ...
and eventually did homage to him.
Naples was the last of the southern Italian states which the Normans had met when they first entered Italy. It survived the fall of the Lombard principalities: Capua, Salerno, Benevento. It had survived the fall of its fellow Greek duchies: Amalfi, Gaeta, Sorrento. In 1137, Duke
Sergius VII was forced to surrender to
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek language, Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Kingdom of Sicily, Sicily and Kingdom of Africa, Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon, C ...
, who had had himself proclaimed
King of Sicily
The monarchs of Sicily ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1130 until the "perfect fusion" in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816.
The origins of the Sicilian monarchy lie in the Norman conquest of southern Italy which oc ...
seven years earlier.
Under the new rulers the city was administered by a ''compalazzo'' (palatine count), with little independence left to the Neapolitan patriciate. In this period Naples had a population of 30,000 and yet got its sustenance from the inland country: commerce activities were mainly delegated to foreign people, mainly from
Pisa
Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
and
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
.
Apart from the church of
San Giovanni a Mare, Norman buildings in Naples were mainly lay ones, notably castles (
Castel Capuano and
Castel dell'Ovo), walls, and fortified gates.
See also
*
Duke of Naples
References
Further reading
*Skinner, Patricia. ''Family Power in Southern Italy: The Duchy of Gaeta and its Neighbours, 850-1139''. Cambridge University Press: 1995.
Naples in the Dark Agesby David Taylor and Jeff Matthews.
*
Chalandon, Ferdinand. ''Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et en Sicilie''. Paris, 1907.
*''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani''. Rome, 1960–Present.
*
Oman, Charles. ''The Dark Ages 476-918''. Rivingtons: London, 1914.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naples, Duchy of
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Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
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