Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
According to legend, traders from Rhodes established the city on the island of Megaris
(where Castel dell'Ovo now stands) in about 680 BC. Originally called Parthenope, in
honour of the siren whose body had earlier washed up there (she drowned herself after
failing to seduce Ulysses), it was eventually incorporated into a new city, Neapolis, foun-
ded by Greeks from Cumae (Cuma) in 474 BC. However, within 150 years it was in Ro-
man hands, becoming something of a VIP resort favoured by emperors Pompey, Caesar
and Tiberius.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Naples became a duchy, originally under the Byz-
antines and later as an independent dukedom, until it was captured in 1139 by the Nor-
mans and absorbed into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The Normans, in turn, were re-
placed by the German Swabians, whose charismatic leader Frederick II injected the city
with new institutions, including its university.
The Swabian period came to a violent end with the victory of Charles I of Anjou at the
1266 battle of Benevento. The Angevins did much for Naples, promoting art and culture,
building Castel Nuovo and enlarging the port, but they were unable to stop the Spanish
Aragons taking the city in 1442. However, Naples continued to prosper. Alfonso I of
Aragon, in particular, introduced new laws and encouraged the arts and sciences.
In 1503 Naples was absorbed by Spain, which sent viceroys to rule as virtual dictators.
Despite Spain's heavy-handed rule, Naples flourished artistically and acquired much of its
splendour. Indeed, it continued to bloom when the Spanish Bourbons re-established
Naples as the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1734. Aside from a Napoleon-
ic interlude under Joachim Murat (1806-15), the Bourbons remained until unseated by
Garibaldi and the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.
