Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Neapolitan: Regno d"e Ddoje Sicilie, Sicilian: Regnu dî Dui Sicili, Italian: Regno delle Due Sicilie) was the largest of the states of Italy before the Italian unification. It was formed as a union of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples (which covered the Mezzogiorno region of Italy), which collectively had long been calledUtraque Sicilia (literally "both Sicilies"); however, the name was not formally adopted until 1815. The capital of Naples was its namesake city, and the capital of Sicily was Palermo. The kingdom was ruled by junior members of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty from 1734-1806 and 1815-1861. From 1806-1815, Napoleon Bonaparte placed French puppets on the throne.

The kingdom was heavily agricultural, like the other Italian states; the Catholic Church owned 50–65% of the land by 1750. The kingdom ended when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Sardinia to form the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Following this, abject poverty caused thousands of its citizens to leave in search of a better future in the United States, Australia, Argentina, and other countries.

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in The Two Georges
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was one of the many independent states which made up Italy in the late 20th century.