Latins

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For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation).
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Latins referred originally to an Italic tribe in ancient central Italy from Latium.
As Roman power and colonization[1] spread Latin culture, Latins came to mean mostly
unified Italic people and Romanized Iberians, Celts, Dacians, and some Illyrians
whose land was conquered by Latin colonists and who have abandoned their languages
and identity for Latin and were assimilated by Rome in to common Roman identity
with Latinized culture and speaking Latin or a Romance language (see Latin
peoples).[2]

The original Latins were an Italic tribe inhabiting central Italy, in present-day
Lazio. Through the conquests of their most populous city-state, Rome, the Latins
united all Italic tribes in to one group and then with Romanization or Latinization
spread their influence across their empire. As the Roman Empire spread to include
areas that are now Spain, Portugal, France, and Romania, these joined Italy in
becoming Latin, as the languages spoken in these countries derive primarily from
the Latin Language. In the late 15th16th centuries, a millennium after the fall of
the Western Roman Empire, Portugal, Spain, and France began to create world
empires. In consequence, by the mid-19th century, the former American colonies of
these nations became known as Latin America and this region's inhabitants as Latin
Americans.

Contents [hide]
1 Antiquity
2 Middle Ages
3 Modern uses
3.1 Latin Europe
3.2 Latin America
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Antiquity[edit]
Main article Latins (Italic tribe)
Further information Latin League

Italy in 400 BC.

The Latins were an ancient Italic people of the Latium region in central Italy,
(Latium Vetus - Old Latium), in the 1st millennium BC. Although they lived in
independent city-states, they spoke a common language (Latin), held common
religious beliefs, and shared a sense of kinship, expressed in the myth that all
Latins descend from Latinus. Latinus was worshiped on Mons Albanus (Monte Albano)
during an annual festival attended by all Latins, including those from Rome, one of
the Latin states. The Latin cities extended common rights of residence and trade to
one another.

Rome's territorial ambitions united the rest of the Latins against it in 341 BC,
but in the end Rome won in 338 BC. Consequently, some of the Latin states were
incorporated within the Roman state, and their inhabitants were given full Roman
citizenship. Others became Roman allies and enjoyed certain privileges.

Middle Ages[edit]
Further information Latin Rite and Western Christianity
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, many Europeans held on to the Latin
identity, more specifically, in the sense of the Romans, as members of the Empire.

In the Eastern Roman Empire, and the broader Greek-Orthodox world, Latins was a
synonym for all people who followed Roman Catholic Christianity.[3] It was
generally a negative characterization, especially after the 1054 schism.[3] Latins
is still used by the Orthodox church communities, but only in a theological
context.

The Holy Roman Empire was founded centuries after the fall of Rome but brandished
the name of the Roman people and honoured the king with the title King of the
Romans. Despite this, the Holy Roman Empire was largely a Germanic affair with
German kings, although its territory was considerably greater than present-day
Germany.

Modern uses[edit]
Latin Europe[edit]
Main article Latin Europeans
The term Latin is used in reference to European people whose cultures are
particularly Roman-derived, generally including the use of Romance languages and
the traditional predominance of Roman Catholicism.[4] Strong Roman legal and
cultural traditions characterize these nations. Latin Europe is a major subdivision
of Europe, along with Germanic Europe and Slavic Europe.

Latin America[edit]
Main articles Latin Americans and Latin America
Of all world regions, the Americas have been most significantly influenced by
Romance-speaking European countries in regards to culture, language, religion, and
genetic contribution to the population. The Latin European-influenced region of the
Americas came to be called Latin America in the 19th century. The French Emperor
Napoleon III is often credited with this naming.[5] The term is usually used to
refer to Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, namely Hispanic America and
Brazil. The majority of Latin Americans have Latin European ancestry, notably
Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.