Principality of Pontecorvo
The Principality of Pontecorvo was a principality in Italy created by Napoleon after he became King of Italy in 1805. It consisted of the Italian commune of Pontecorvo, an exclave of the Papal States from 1463 within the territory of the Kingdom of Naples.
Principality of Pontecorvo | |||||||||
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| 1806–1815 | |||||||||
| Status | Client state | ||||||||
| Capital | Pontecorvo | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
• Prince | Jean Bernadotte (1806-1810) Lucien Murat (1812-1815) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Napoleonic Wars | ||||||||
• Creation | 28 August 1806 | ||||||||
• restored to papal control | 28 August 1815 | ||||||||
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The principality was created by Napoleon for his Marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte. It was nominally sovereign, but the prince did have to take an oath to the king.
The principality was short-lived. In 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars, the town was ceded back to the Papal States.
In 1820, the 'Republic of Pontecorvo’ seceded from the Papal States, but Papal rule was restored in March 1821.
In 1860, it joined Benevento, the other southern Italian papal exclave, in being united with the new Kingdom of Italy.