Italian Wars (1494-1559) Series of violent wars for control of Italy. Fought largely by France and Spain but involving much of Europe, they resulted in the Spanish Habsburgs dominating Italy and shifted power from Italy to northwestern Europe and its Atlantic world. The wars began with the invasion of Italy by the French king Charles VIII in 1494. He took Naples, but an alliance between Maximilian I, Spain, and the pope drove him out of Italy. In 1499 Louis XII invaded Italy and took Milan, Genoa, and Naples, but he was driven out of Naples in 1503 by Spain under Fer¬ dinand V. Pope Julius II organized the League of Cambrai (1508) to attack Venice, then organized the Holy League (1511) to drive Louis out of Milan. In 1515 Francis I was victorious at the battle of Marignano, and in 1516 a peace was concluded by which France held onto Milan and Spain kept Naples. Fighting began in 1521 between Emperor Charles V and Francis I. Francis was captured and forced to sign the Treaty of Madrid (1526), by which he renounced all claims in Italy, but, once freed, he repudiated the treaty and formed a new alliance with Henry VIII of England, Pope Clement VII, Venice, and Florence. Charles sacked Rome in 1527 and forced the pope to come to terms, and Francis gave up all claims to Italy in the Treaty of Cambrai (1529). By the Treaty of Cateau- Cambresis (1559), the wars finally ended.
Italic \i-'ta-lik\ languages Indo-European languages spoken in the Apennine Peninsula (Italy) during the 1st millennium bc, after which only Latin survived. Traditionally thought to be a subfamily of related languages, these languages include Latin, Faliscan, Osco-Umbrian, South Picene, and Venetic. Latin, the language of Latium and Rome, began to emerge as the predominant language as early as the 3rd century bc. By ad 100 it had replaced all dialects (except Greek) between Sicily and the Alps. Until then, Oscan dialects were most widely spoken; Umbrian, in central Italy, was closely related to Oscan. Venetic was spoken in the region of Venice. These languages were written in various alphabets, including the Greek and Latin alphabets and modified versions of the Etruscan.
Italic War See Social War
Italo-Turkish War (1911-12) War undertaken by Italy to gain colo¬ nies in North Africa by conquering the Turkish provinces of Tripolitana and Cyrenaica (modern Libya). The conflict upset the precarious interna¬ tional balance of power just before World War I by revealing the weak¬
ness of Turkey and, within Italy, unleashed the nationalist-expansionist sentiment that guided government policy in the following decades. Tur¬ key conceded its rights to the contested provinces in the peace terms.
Italy officially Italian Republic Country, south-central Europe. It comprises the boot-shaped peninsula extending into the Mediterranean Sea as well as Sicily, Sardinia, and a number of smaller islands. Area: 116,343 sq
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mi (301,328 sqkm). Population (2005 est.): 57,989,000. Capitaclass="underline" Rome. The people are overwhelmingly Italian. Language: Italian (official). Religion: Christianity (predomi¬ nantly Roman Catholic). Currency: euro. More than three-fourths of Italy is mountainous or highland country. The Alps stretch from east to west along Italy’s northern boundary, and the Apennines stretch southward the length of the peninsula. Most of the coun¬ try’s lowlands lie in the valley of its major river, the Po. Three tectonic plates converge in southern Italy and Sicily, creating intense geologic activity; southern Italy’s four active volcanoes include Mount Vesuvius and Mount Etna. The economy is based largely on services and manufacturing; exports include machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, textiles, clothing and shoes, and food products (olive oil, wine, fruit, and tomatoes). Italy is a republic with two legislative houses. The chief of state is the presi¬ dent, and the head of government is the prime minister. Italy has been inhabited since Paleolithic times. The Etruscan civilization arose in the 9th century bc and was overthrown by the Romans in the 4th-3rd centuries bc (see Roman Republic and Empire). Barbarian invasions of the 4th-5th centu¬ ries ad destroyed the Western Roman Empire. Italy’s political fragmenta¬ tion lasted for centuries but did not diminish its impact on European culture, notably during the Renaissance. From the 15th to the 18th century, Italian lands were ruled by France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and Aus¬ tria. When Napoleonic rule ended in 1815, Italy was again a grouping of independent states. The Risorgimento successfully united most of Italy, including Sicily and Sardinia by 1861, and the unification of peninsular Italy was completed by 1870. Italy joined the Allies during World War I, but social unrest in the 1920s brought to power the Fascist movement of Benito Mussolini, and Italy allied itself with Nazi Germany in World War II. Defeated by the Allies in 1943, Italy proclaimed itself a republic in 1946. It was a charter member of NATO (1949) and of the European Community (now embedded in the European Union). It completed the process of setting up regional legislatures with limited autonomy in 1970s. After World War II it experienced rapid changes of government but remained socially stable.
Itami \e-'ta-me\, Juzo orig. Yoshihiro Ikeuchi (b. May 15, 1933, Kyoto, Japan—d. Dec. 20, 1997, Tokyo) Japanese film director and screenwriter. He had a successful 20-year career as an actor in films such as 55 Days at Peking (1963) before venturing into directing. His direc-
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
968 I Itanagar ► Ivan V
torial debut, The Funeral (1984), was acclaimed for its satire of social conventions, a novelty in Japanese cinema. He became an international success with his artful and entertaining Tampopo (1986) and A Taxing Woman (1987). His satire on Japan’s crime syndicate, The Gangster’s Moll (1992), provoked a near-deadly attack on him by gangsters.
Itanagar \,e-t3-'n3-g3r\ Capital (pop. 2001 prelim.: 34,970) of Arunachal Pradesh state, northeastern India, situated west of the Brah¬ maputra River. The state government has established an industrial estate in the city in order to foster industrial development. It is the home of Arunachal University.
ITAR-TASS formerly TASS in full Telegrafnoe Agentsvo Sovetskovo Soyuza (Russian: "Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union") As TASS, the official news agency of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991. It was renamed ITAR-TASS in 1992. The main source of news for all Soviet newspapers and radio and television stations, it was also a major international wire service. After the Soviet Union’s 1991 breakup, TASS was reorganized into the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR), reporting on news of Russia, and the Telegraph Agency of the Countries of the Commonwealth (TASS), reporting on news of other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. ITAR-TASS dispatches on matters of public policy and international affairs reflect the official position of the state.