Two Sicilies
From IBWiki
| |
| National motto: Emendandus. | |
| Languages | |
| Official | Neapolitan Sicilian |
| Other | Italian Sardinian Arabic |
| Capital | Naples |
| Important Cities | Palermo Cagliari Tunis |
| Monarch | Carlo V d''e Dùie Sicilie |
| Prime Minister | ... |
| Area | 291,389 sq. km |
| Population | 30,850,000 (2007) |
| Establishment | 1704 |
| Currency | lira |
| Organizations | Aragonese League |
Contents |
General information
Administration
Government
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies has as its head of state Charles VI of Aragon (locally, Carlo V d''e Dùie Sicilie), but the monarch spends most of his time in his home country, leaving the regular administration of the country to the parliament and Prime Minister.
The parliament of the Two Sicilies is a group of representatives elected from each of the country's four reggioni. The parliament currently consists of 64 representatives, 24 from Cartago, 25 from Nàpule, 9 from Sicilia, and 8 from Sardigna. Half of the parliament is reelected every three years so that in total any given representative may serve a total of six years in parliament. Every year, the parliament selects its Prime Minister, a member of the political party which controls a plurality of seats. If there is a tie, the tied parties alternate years, beginning with whichever party selected a Prime Minister most recently.
Administrative Divisions
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies is divided into four reggioni (regions, singular reggione):
- Nàpule (mainland Two Sicilies)
- Sicilia (the island of Sicily)
- Sardigna (the island of Sardinia)
- Cartago (the Two Sicilian province in Africa)
History
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies got its start on the island of Sicily, centered at Palermo. It was founded by the Norman de Hautvilles. Their influence and rule spread to the southern peninsula, south of the Holy See. After the Battle of Benevento (1266), the de Hautvilles moved their capital to lovely Naples.
After the uprising of 1282, the Sicilian Vespers, the island of Sicily became a dependency of Aragon, though it was still a kingdom under de Bourbon rule. The de Hautvilles ruling the mainland still claimed the island, of course, and also retained the name of Sicily for the mainland portion of their realm.
Reality caused this part to be generally called the Kingdom of Naples, however. De Hautville rule passed on to the de Bourbon house (who also ruled over the other Sicily) and back again. The kings of Naples had long been traditionally referred to as kings of the Two Sicilies regardless of house.
Sicily was conquered by Napoleon in 1798 along with Malta. Though Malta revolted with English help, the two Sicilies were formally reunited under the restored de Hautville kings of Naples in 1816, who owed allegience to Napoleon in typical fashion. After the Napoleonic Incident, the Two Sicilies continued on with no particular ties to France. There was no unification in 1861, so the Two Sicilies was not assumed by the new Kingdom of Italy, as *here*.
Francois I reined over a reunited Two Sicilies from 1816 to 1825, Louis I from 1825 to 1830, Francois II from 1830 to 1859, Joseph Philippe from 1859 to 1869, Marc Antoine from 1869 to 1888, Francois III from 1888 to 1912, and Francois IIII, whose reign ended with assassination, from 1912 to 1915.
During GW1, there was a revolution which embroiled partisans from Naples, Umbria, the Patrimony, Tuscany, Romagna and Venetia who were dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in "Italy". In 1916, they announced the formation of the (short-lived) Roman Republic and made Rome their capital.
Naples was lost in 1918 to Sicilian forces; Venetia and Tuscany were liberated by Lombardy before 1921. The Republic held on to Romagna, eastern Florence (Lombard territory) and Abruzzi (Sicilian territory) until 1929. At the behest of the Pope who had escaped to Naples, Lombard, Sicilian and Dalmatian forces allied themselves with the remnants of the Pope's armies and at last brought an end to the Roman Republic.
In 1929, at the Lateran, a treaty was signed by which territory was exchanged for the help received in restoring the Holy See. Romagna became Lombard; the South Marches (north of Abruzzi) went to Sicily. Dalmatia was paid for its services.
Marc Philippe ruled from 1919 to 1940; Louis Napoleon from 1940 to 1942; Jean Guillaume from 1942 to 1963; Marie Francoise (the Great) from 1963 to 1994; Jean Luc (nephew of Marie) from 1994 to the present.
An ardent reformer, Marie Francoise, in conjunction with regional leaders and politicians, decreed a change in the form of Sicilian governance. A constitution was adopted in 1974, that provided for a prime minister, a senate and all the other trappings of democracy that the other constitutional monarchies had adopted.
Geography
The Two Sicilies is located on the island of Sicily and the south of the Italian Peninsula. The African portion of the Two Sicilies is known as the Empire of Tunisia.
Borders
The peninsular part of the Two Sicilies borders the Papal States and Italy on the north. The Empire of Tunisia borders the Maghreb Caliphate on the south and Libya on the west. In 1911, the Kingdom of Tripolitana in the federation of Libya became a condominium shared with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Economy
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Culture
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Languages
Napolitan, Sicilian
