This act was a direct challenge to the authority of the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople, effectively merging the Gothic, Lombard, and Roman traditions of Italian rule under a new Frankish-Germanic dynasty. Summary of the Lineage.
The 1861 Unification and Victor Emmanuel II, the First King
The First Explicit "King of Italy" While Charlemagne is the most famous figure associated with the conquest of Italy, the specific title "King of Italy" was first formally used by his son, Otto I. While he did not use the specific title "King of Italy," his court in Ravenna effectively made him the de facto ruler of the entire peninsula.
The modern Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861, following the Expedition of the Thousand led by Giuseppe Garibaldi and the subsequent annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. He represents the first major attempt to unify the region under a single ruler after the fall of Rome, laying the administrative groundwork that would be referenced by later monarchs.
The Unification of Italy in 1861: Victor Emmanuel II Becomes King
The first king of this newly unified nation was Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy, who had already been the King of Sardinia. Otto I established the Kingdom of Germany and the Kingdom of Italy as central pillars of what would become the Holy Roman Empire, making him the first undisputed king to use the specific title.
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