Italian Empire Impero italiano (Italian) | |
---|---|
1882–1960 | |
Status | Colonial empire |
King | |
• 1869–1878 | Victor Emmanuel II |
• 1878–1900 | Umberto I |
• 1900–1946 | Victor Emmanuel III |
• 1946 | Umberto II |
History | |
1869 | |
1882 | |
1887–1889 | |
1889 | |
1899–1901 | |
1911–1912 | |
1917–1920 | |
1923–1932 | |
1935–1937 | |
1939–1943 | |
1940–1941 | |
1940–1943 | |
1947 | |
1950–1960 | |
Area | |
• Total | 3,775,294 km2 (1,457,649 sq mi) |
1938[1] | 3,798,000 km2 (1,466,000 sq mi) |
1941[2] | 3,824,879 km2 (1,476,794 sq mi) |
History of Italy |
---|
Italy portal |
The Italian colonial empire (Italian: Impero coloniale italiano), also known as the Italian Empire (Impero italiano) between 1936 and 1941, was founded in Africa in the 19th century. It comprised the colonies, protectorates, concessions and dependencies of the Kingdom of Italy. In Africa, the colonial empire included the territories of present-day Libya, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia (the last three being officially named "Africa Orientale Italiana", AOI); outside Africa, Italy possessed the Dodecanese Islands (following the Italo-Turkish War), Albania (1917–1920 and 1939–1943)[3] and also had some concessions in China.
The Fascist government that came to power under the leadership of the dictator Benito Mussolini after 1922 sought to increase the size of the Italian empire and it also sought to satisfy the claims of Italian irredentists. Systematic "demographic colonization" was encouraged by the government,[4] and by 1939, Italian settlers numbered 120,000[5]–150,000[6] in Italian Libya and 165,000[5] in Italian East Africa.
During World War II, Italy allied itself with Nazi Germany in 1940 and it also occupied British Somaliland, western Egypt, much of Yugoslavia, Tunisia, parts of south-eastern France and most of Greece; however, it then lost those conquests and its African colonies to the invading Allied forces by 1943. In 1947, Italy officially relinquished claims on its former colonies. In 1950, former Italian Somaliland, then under British administration, was turned into the Trust Territory of Somaliland until it became independent in 1960.