Principality of Benevento (Napoleonic)
Napoleonic client state
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The Principality of Benevento was a principality in Italy created by Napoleon after he became King of Italy in 1805. Its territory mostly coincided with that of the Duchy of Benevento, a papal enclave within the Kingdom of Naples.[1][2] In addition to the capital city of Benevento, it included a contado subdivided into 12 centers: Sant'Angelo a Cupolo, Motta, Panelli, Pastene, Maccabei, Bagnara, Montorso, Maccoli, Perillo, Sciarra, San Leucio del Sannio, San Marco ai Monti.[3]
Principality of Benevento | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1806–1815 | |||||||||
 Benevento in 1806 | |||||||||
| Status | Client state | ||||||||
| Capital | Benevento | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
• Prince | Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1806–1815) | ||||||||
| 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 chief diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. It was nominally sovereign, but the prince did have to take an oath to the king.[4][5]
The principality was short-lived. Talleyrand was never to settle down and actually rule his new principality.[6][7][8] In 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars, the town was ceded back to the Papal States.[9][10]
In 1860, it joined Pontecorvo, the other southern Italian papal exclave, in being united with the new Kingdom of Italy.[11][12]
