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The Italians are the peoples who have continuously populated the Apennine Peninsula
since, roughly, 572 AD. Although the Italian Peninsula served as the seat of power
for the Roman Empire, in 476 AD Rome fell to the Germanic tribes under the rule of
Odoacer. In 493, the Byzantines (Eastern Romans) succeeded in tricking the king of
the Ostrogoths, Theodoric the Great, to conquer Odoacer�s Italy. When Theodoric
died in 526, the peninsula fell back into disorder, allowing a Byzantine invasion
led by General Flavius Belisarius in 535. However, Byzantine rule was mostly
displaced by 572, when the Lombards, another Germanic tribe, invaded the peninsula.
The Italian people can thus be identified as the descendants of both the Latin
peoples and the Germanic tribes.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Italian armies were generally composed of and led
by condottieri, professional mercenaries whose allegiance was determined by the
highest payer. Interstate conflicts usually served to maintain the status-quo of
the city-states. The Italian Wars (or Renaissance Wars) of the 16th century saw the
peak of these interstates conflict, ultimately causing the weakening of the Italian
city-states.
In terms of naval warfare, the Italian navies were among the best in Europe. The
region�s geography made domination of the Mediterranean crucial for commerce and
culture. Venice and Genoa used their navies to effectively form remarkable maritime
empires which competed with other major European states and the Ottoman Empire.
Nevertheless, the constant conflicts among the Italian city-states made them
susceptible to foreign control. Neighboring France, Spain, and Austria proved
particularly meddlesome in Italian affairs. It would not be until 1861 that, under
the leadership of Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy and Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italians
finally unified into a single nation which exists to this day.