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| Naples 1648-1707 |
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Two Sicilies, 1735-1799 |
| The Kingdom of Naples, 1707-1735 |
At the outset of the War of Spanish
Succession (1701-1714), the
Kingdoms of Naples, Sicily
and Sardinia were
Spanish. In 1706, the Austrian army achieved a decisive victory in the Italian
theatre of war; in 1707, Austrian troops entered Naples without encountering
resistance. Sardinia
was taken in 1708. The landing of a small Spanish force on
the island, intending to rally the pro-Spanish segment of the population to
revolt against the pro-Austrian administration in 1710 was foiled by an English
fleet. In 1708/1712, the
Stato dei Presidii, except for Porto Longone on Elba,
was taken by an Austro-English expedition. In the Treaties of Utrecht
1713 / Rastatt 1714, Austria was awarded
Milan, Naples, ardinia and the hitherto
Spanish Netherlands. The status of the
King of Naples as a vassall of the pope was ignored by the signatories.
To the Emperor, residing in Vienna, the Kingdoms of Naples and Sardinia were remote possessions; Austria lacked a fleet in the Mediterranean and only began to develop Trieste and Fiume into seaports of importance. In 1717, a Spanish fleet took Sardinia with ease, in 1718 the Spanish retook Sicily, which the Treaty of Utrecht had awarded to the Duke of Savoy-Piemont. In the War of the Quadruple Alliance 1718-1720, Spain was forced to return her conquests. Austria and Savoy-Piemont swapped Sicily for Sardinia (in 1720 to Austria). Emperor Charles VI., in 1722, had himself be enfiefed by pope Innocent XIII. with the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily.
The Kingdom of Naples, the tax revenues of which were hardly sufficient to finance the administration of the country, was one of the more neglected provinces of the Austrian Habsburgs' Empire. Naples was governed by a viceroy.
During the War of Polish Succession (1733-1735), in 1734, a Spanish force retook Naples. The peace treaty of 1738 awarded the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily to Spain; the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was established, under a sideline of the Spanish Bourbon Dynasty.
The population of the Kingdom, for 1700, is estimated at about 3,300,000, that of the city of Naples 215,588 - Italy's largest city.
Until 1713, the Austrian administration of the Kingdom of Naples was provisional by nature, as the War of Spanish Succession still went on and the final status of the kingdom had not been decided yet. King was Charles III., residing in Barcelona 1707-1712; the various viceroys of Naples ruled in his name.
Papal support for the French candidate to the Spanish throne provided the new Austro-Spanish administration with a reason to take measures against the outflow of Neapolitan revenue into the Papal State. Estates of clergymen who did not reside in the kingdom were confiscated, the transfer abroad of money forbidden. Pope Clement XI. in return mobilized an army; Neapolitan forces invaded the Papal State, temporarily occupying Bologna. In 1709 a peace treaty was concluded; Austrian troops held Comacchio (Papal State) occupied until 1725.
Projects such as the construction of an Austro-Neapolitan fleet, political matters such as the proposed restoration of a confiscated lecture hall, used since Spanish times as a garrison, to the University of Naples, petitions for political reform were positively received, but proceeded at a snail's pace; it took years for a few warships to be built (of substandard quality, as funds were syphoned off); the lecture hall was restored to the university - after the Austrian Habsburg administration had been replaced by a Spanish Bourbon administration.
In 1720, Sicily (population c. 1,200,000) was acquired in exchange for Sardinia (population c.300,000). During the 7 (5) years of Piemontese rule, attempts had been made to stimulate the island economy, by bringing in new industries, and to reform her administration. The Austrian administration continued in this policy, yet few manufactures emerged. In 1728 an arrangement was reached with the papal administration concerning ecclesiastic jurisdiction. The inquisition on Sicily (in the Kingdom of Naples, there was none) continued to exist, and occasionally to condemn persons to be burnt at the stake.
In the few years of Austrian rule, the Kingdom of Naples saw 12 viceroys come and go, none of them native to the kingdom. Emperor Charles VI. and his viceroys in Naples saught to rule with the support of the country's nobility, and of those burghers with a university degree in law. Thus Austrian policy did not aim at abolishing the privileges of the barons, but rather at improving the lot of the peasants by regulating their burden and taking measures to curb excessive treatment from the side of the barons.
The Austrian administration had succeeded, by comparison to her Spanish predecessors, to raise the revenues of the kingdom; however, they did not suffice to pay for state expenses. Much of state revenues were spent for the military, the construction of an Austrian fleet. Postal services in the Habsburg territories, including the Kingdom of Naples, were nationalized. The plan, to declare Pozzuolo near Naples a free port, did not materialize. Incentives were given for the creation of a Neapolitan merchant marine.
To the Emperor, residing in Vienna, the Kingdoms of Naples and Sardinia were remote possessions; Austria lacked a fleet in the Mediterranean and only began to develop Trieste and Fiume into seaports of importance. In 1717, a Spanish fleet took Sardinia with ease, in 1718 the Spanish retook Sicily, which the Treaty of Utrecht had awarded to the Duke of Savoy-Piemont. In the War of the Quadruple Alliance 1718-1720, Spain was forced to return her conquests. Austria and Savoy-Piemont swapped Sicily for Sardinia (in 1720 to Austria). Emperor Charles VI., in 1722, had himself be enfiefed by pope Innocent XIII. with the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily.
The Kingdom of Naples, the tax revenues of which were hardly sufficient to finance the administration of the country, was one of the more neglected provinces of the Austrian Habsburgs' Empire. Naples was governed by a viceroy.
During the War of Polish Succession (1733-1735), in 1734, a Spanish force retook Naples. The peace treaty of 1738 awarded the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily to Spain; the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was established, under a sideline of the Spanish Bourbon Dynasty.
The population of the Kingdom, for 1700, is estimated at about 3,300,000, that of the city of Naples 215,588 - Italy's largest city.
Until 1713, the Austrian administration of the Kingdom of Naples was provisional by nature, as the War of Spanish Succession still went on and the final status of the kingdom had not been decided yet. King was Charles III., residing in Barcelona 1707-1712; the various viceroys of Naples ruled in his name.
Papal support for the French candidate to the Spanish throne provided the new Austro-Spanish administration with a reason to take measures against the outflow of Neapolitan revenue into the Papal State. Estates of clergymen who did not reside in the kingdom were confiscated, the transfer abroad of money forbidden. Pope Clement XI. in return mobilized an army; Neapolitan forces invaded the Papal State, temporarily occupying Bologna. In 1709 a peace treaty was concluded; Austrian troops held Comacchio (Papal State) occupied until 1725.
Projects such as the construction of an Austro-Neapolitan fleet, political matters such as the proposed restoration of a confiscated lecture hall, used since Spanish times as a garrison, to the University of Naples, petitions for political reform were positively received, but proceeded at a snail's pace; it took years for a few warships to be built (of substandard quality, as funds were syphoned off); the lecture hall was restored to the university - after the Austrian Habsburg administration had been replaced by a Spanish Bourbon administration.
In 1720, Sicily (population c. 1,200,000) was acquired in exchange for Sardinia (population c.300,000). During the 7 (5) years of Piemontese rule, attempts had been made to stimulate the island economy, by bringing in new industries, and to reform her administration. The Austrian administration continued in this policy, yet few manufactures emerged. In 1728 an arrangement was reached with the papal administration concerning ecclesiastic jurisdiction. The inquisition on Sicily (in the Kingdom of Naples, there was none) continued to exist, and occasionally to condemn persons to be burnt at the stake.
In the few years of Austrian rule, the Kingdom of Naples saw 12 viceroys come and go, none of them native to the kingdom. Emperor Charles VI. and his viceroys in Naples saught to rule with the support of the country's nobility, and of those burghers with a university degree in law. Thus Austrian policy did not aim at abolishing the privileges of the barons, but rather at improving the lot of the peasants by regulating their burden and taking measures to curb excessive treatment from the side of the barons.
The Austrian administration had succeeded, by comparison to her Spanish predecessors, to raise the revenues of the kingdom; however, they did not suffice to pay for state expenses. Much of state revenues were spent for the military, the construction of an Austrian fleet. Postal services in the Habsburg territories, including the Kingdom of Naples, were nationalized. The plan, to declare Pozzuolo near Naples a free port, did not materialize. Incentives were given for the creation of a Neapolitan merchant marine.
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EXTERNAL FILES |
Naples, Kingdom of, from infoplease;
Naples, from Catholic Encyclopedia The Royal House of the Two Sicilies, History, from The Royal House of Bourbon Article Kingdom of Naples, from EB 1911 Article Naples from Catholic Encyclopedia Il Settecento, from La Storia di Napoli, in Italian Civitella, from Walled Cities |
| DOCUMENTS |
List of Kings etc., from World Statesmen : Italian
States, 1760-1860 by Ben Cahoon, scroll down Article Neapel, from Zedlers Universallexikon (1732), posted by Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, in German, 18th century font |
| REFERENCE |
History of Italian Regions : Naples / Two Sicilies, from History Book Reviews
The 18th Century : the Era of Enlightened Reforms, in : Christopher Duggan, A Concise History of Italy, Cambridge : Cambridge Univ. Pr. 1994, pp.75-86 Franz Pesendorfer, Österreich - Grossmacht am Mittelmeer ? Das Königreich Neapel unter Kaiser Karl VI. (1707/20-1734/35) (Austria - Great Power in the Mediterranean ? The Kingdom of Naples under Emperor Charles VI., 1707/20-1734/35), Wien : Böhlau 1998, in German [G] |
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