Italian and Papal Rulers

Rulers of the Italian peninsula and Rome across more than two thousand years, from the founding and legendary kings of ancient Rome through the emperors of the unified and, later, western Roman Empire, the medieval kings of Italy who held that separate title within or alongside the Holy Roman Empire, and the ruling families of the Italian city states and republics, the Medici of Florence foremost among them. The group's long span, ancient Rome, papal Rome and Renaissance Florence together, reflects the same peninsula and its capital city as the common thread across eras rather than a single dynasty or century; a ruler is placed here by an Italian, Roman or papal era title specifically, distinguishing this group from the separate Holy Roman Empire and German speaking group even where a Holy Roman Emperor also carried the Italian royal title.