:

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Italian: Regno delle Due Sicilie; Sicilian: Regnu d? Dui Sicili; Neapolitan: Regno d' 'e dduje Sicilie) was the largest of the Italian states before Italian unification. It was formed of a union of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples in 1816 and lasted until 1860, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Sardinia, which became the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The Two Sicilies had its capital in Naples and was commonly referred to in English as the "Kingdom of Naples".

Map of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

The kingdom extended over the Mezzogiorno (the southern part of mainland Italy) and the island of Sicily. Lancaster notes that the integration of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the Kingdom of Italy changed the status of Naples forever: "Abject poverty meant that, throughout Naples and Southern Italy, thousands decided to leave in search of a better future." Many went to the United States. It was heavily agricultural, like the other Italian states; the church owned 50?65% of the land by 1750.

(source: Wikipedia)

» Glossary of terms

Keyword(s):