History of Italy: A Captivating Guide to Italian History, Starting from the First Settlements through the Middle Ages to the Modern Period

by Captivating History

It is not an easy job to draw the border between the history of Italy and the history of Rome. In so many places, the two political and geographical entities collide. They wouldn’t be possible without each other, but they each have their own story. Rome’s history is only a small fragment of Italy’s history. Although it is just a city, Rome was the birthplace of the republic, a great empire, and notable philosophers, poets, and artists. But on a larger scale, Rome expanded its borders, spreading not only through Italy but also through the whole known world. In that context, Rome ceased being only a city; it also became a universal imperial symbol and the pride of Italy.

Italy wasn’t a united nation until the 19th century, which means the history of this country is very fragmented. It is the job of historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, linguists, and various scientists to pick up the pieces of the peninsula’s past and put them together. Only then will we have a clear picture, a mosaic if you will, of the past of one of the most significant nations of Europe and the world. And after it is pieced together, we need to deconstruct the mosaic and take a look at each fragment to learn about the different peoples, cultures, and religions that were and still are a part of Italy.

In History of Italy: A Captivating Guide to Italian History, Starting from the First Settlements through the Middle Ages to the Modern Period, you will discover topics such as
The Bronze Age in Italy and the Early Settlements
Iron Age and Pre-Roman Italy
Italy in the Roman Period
Barbarian and Byzantine Italy
The Kingdom of the Lombards and the Emergence of the Papal States
Italy’s Place in the Holy Roman Empire
Italy’s Renaissance
The Modern History of Italy
And much, much more!

Genres: History, Italy, European History, Nonfiction

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2020

Reviews

[Anil Swarup · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the grandeur of the Roman Empire and how it came into being after initial settlements, the book takes you through centuries of turmoil in this peninsula before it emerged as a nation in the 19th Century. It also touches upon the tragedy of the Two World Wars that it fought. In the first one, it was on the winning side and yet it lost and the second one it lost in any case.

[Lorraine Bauman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

The region now known as Italy has had a very long history (starting during the Paleolithic Era -- from about 2.6 million to about 10,000 years ago). It is where the Mediterranean world connects Europe with the Far East through trade and migration.  This overview states that the Adriatic Sea level was much lower then; thus Italian land that today is underwater was at one-time a larger area of fertile plains with lakes.

Many groups of peoples migrated across Italy over the generations and by the time of Emperor Octavian Augustus,  Italy was considered to be the motherland, provinces were ruled by governors, and some Italian cities were considered to be Roman colonies.  Italy was divided into 11 different regions, but Italy was not a unified country yet. One interesting concept of the times was that a soldier claimed two homelands -- Italy and the city where he was born.

Romans of Octavian's time only lived to about 35-years because of the high death rate due to nearly-constant wars and the high childhood mortality rates.  Children rarely lived to reach 15-years. 
 
The concept of empire changed in 330 CE, with Constantine the Great when he moved his capital to Constantinople and declared Christianity to be the official religion. Constantine's movement of the capital to the East caused the eventual decline of the Western Roman Empire.  He gathered taxes from the Western Empire and used them for building and road construction in the East. Also, the lack of a standing army in Rome led to its sacking and ultimate fall.

In spite of the efforts of many groups, Italy was still not unified by the Middle Ages or even the early Renaissance.  Different regions of Italy vied for ascendancy during the Renaissance. Rome fell into ruins during this period.  The popes became corrupt and it led to various religious wars.  However, the Enlightenment of the French philosophers eventually arrived in Italy and the people insisted that their foreign rulers rule for the benefit of the subjects.

Frankly, the last chapter and the conclusion did not offer a final resolution of Italy.  One incredible fact was that Italy lost 1/3 of its population by the end of the first World War.  A popular phrase describes the last 20 pages (or so).  It was a "hot mess" that really hasn't been resolved with a totally unified Italy.  Instead, the country is run as competitive regions, divided by their different cultures and languages, and dialects.

[George Polansky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good starting place for a complex subject.

[Kdcontorno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read!!

With family who are Italian, it’s interesting to read about their roots... and the roots of my kids. This read gives one enough information to want to find more to read!!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A VERY brief history. Well written but very very short. Good for an overview to see about specific topics or points in Italy’s timeline you may want to explore in detail.

[Sofia Rosina · Rating 2 out of 5]

ehhh super boring and didn't cover the topics I was excited to learn about:(( Too much war and fighting over and over.

[Miki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this while traveling in Italy. Good brief history of the important periods in Italy

[Carlos Delgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta muy bien como un resumen de la historia de lo que conocemos como Italia, de repente te puedes perder entre tantos nombres, tanto de individuos como de pueblos.