# Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

| Kingdom of the Two Sicilies*Regno delle Due Sicilie*  (Italian) *Regnum Utriusque Siciliae*  (Latin) |
| --- |
| 1816–1861 |
|
Top: 1816–1848; 1849–1860
 Bottom: 1860–1861

Coat of arms

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| **Anthem:** Inno al Re "Hymn to the King"  |
| The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1839 |
| Status | Sovereign state |
| Capital | Palermo (1816–1817) Naples (1817–1861) |
| Official languages | Italian |
| Common languages | Neapolitan, Sicilian, Italian, Arberesh, Molise Croatian, Griko, Greek-Bovesian, Gallo-Italic of Sicily |
| Religion  | Roman Catholicism |
| Government | Absolute monarchy (1816–1848; 1849–1861) Constitutional monarchy (1848–1849) |
| King |   |
|  |
| • 1816–1825  | Ferdinand I (first) |
| • 1859–1861  | Francis II (last) |
|  |
| History |   |
|  |
| • Bourbon Restoration  | 20 May 1815 |
| • Founded  | 8 December 1816 |
| • Expedition of the Thousand  | 1860–1861 |
| • Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy  | 17 March 1861 |
|  |
| Area |
| 1860 | 111,900 km2 (43,200 sq mi) |
| Population |
|  |
| • 1860  | 8703000 |
|  |
| Currency | Two Sicilies ducat |
|

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| **Preceded by** | **Succeeded by** |
|

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | Kingdom of Sicily |
|  | Kingdom of Naples |

 |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Kingdom of Italy |  |

 |

 |
| Today part of |  Italy |

A map showing the whole of Italy with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in *red* at the bottom.
The **Kingdom of the Two Sicilies** (Italian: *Regno delle Due Sicilie*) was a kingdom in southern Italy from 1816 until 1861. It was created by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, after the Congress of Vienna of 1814, by uniting the Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples, which had been ruled by Joseph Bonaparte who conferred the title "Prince of Naples" to be hereditary on his children and grandchildren, during the reign of Napoleon. The ruling dynasty was a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon.

The capital of the kingdom was Naples. Roman Catholicism was the state religion. The kingdom was full of corruption and poverty: mainly because of this, most of the population welcomed the Risorgimento with the unification of southern Italy to the rest of Italy in 1861.

In 1861, Giuseppe Garibaldi and his men, who were known as "red shirts", captured Sicily. This was welcomed by the local population. Garibaldi then crossed the Strait of Messina and captured Naples. South Italy and Sicily then joined the Kingdom of Italy.

## Administrative division

The peninsula was divided into fifteen "departments" and the island of Sicily was divided into seven departments.

After the Two Sicilies were conquered by Garibaldi, the departments became provinces of Italy.

## Royal family

For a time the heir to the throne was given the title of "Hereditary Prince of Naples". But this was later changed to the **Duke of Calabria** after the uniting of the two kingdoms. Collectively the royal family generally lived at the Palace of Caserta. Children of the monarch were born with the style of *Royal Highness* as well as the title of Prince/ss of the Two Sicilies. Several males in the family were given titles such as "Duke of Castro", "Count of Caserta", "Prince of Salerno", a majority of which were lost due to a lack of male heirs. The present pretending monarch is Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, who does use the title of Duke of Calabria.

. King Joseph I of Naples and the two Sisleys|

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|  | Peninsula | Capital |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 |  Abruzzo Ultra I | Teramo |
| 2 |  Abruzzo Ultra II | Aquila |
| 3 |  Abruzzo Citra | Chieti |
| 4 |  Contado di Molise | Campobasso |
| 5 |  Terra di Lavoro | Capua, from 1818 Caserta |
| 6 |  Province of Naples | Naples |
| 7 |  Principato Ultra | Avellino(\*) |
| 8 |  Principato Citra | Salerno |
| 9 |  Capitanata | originally San Severo, then Foggia |
| 10 |  Terra di Bari | Bari |
| 11 |  Terra d'Otranto | Lecce |
| 12 |  Basilicata | Potenza |
| 13 |  Calabria Citra | Cosenza |
| 14 |  Calabria Ultra II | Catanzaro |
| 15 |  Calabria Ultra I | Reggio |

 |   |

|  | Insular | Capital |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 16 |  Caltanissetta | Caltanissetta |
| 17 |  Catania | Catania |
| 18 |  Girgenti | Girgenti |
| 19 |  Messina | Messina |
| 20 |  Noto | Noto |
| 21 |  Palermo | Palermo |
| 22 |  Trapani | Trapani |

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\* The city of Benevento was formally included in this department, but it was occupied by the Papal States and was *de facto* an exclave of that country.