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Main article: History of Capri
Antiquity[edit]
The ruins of Villa Jovis, completed by Emperor Tiberius in AD 27
Archaeological evidence indicates human presence on Capri dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The Roman historian Suetonius recounts that when workers excavated the foundations for Emperor Augustus's villa, they discovered giant bones and stone weapons, which Augustus displayed in his residence, the Palazzo a Mare. (Modern analysis suggests these may have been fossils of large extinct mammals).
The Roman poet Virgil, in the Aeneid, referred to the island being inhabited by Greek settlers from the Ionian Islands (the Teleboi). The geographer Strabo noted that Capri anciently had two towns, later reduced to one.
Emperor Augustus developed Capri as a private resort, building villas, temples, and aqueducts, and planting gardens. His successor, Tiberius, constructed twelve villas on the island according to Tacitus. The most famous, Villa Jovis, is one of the best-preserved Roman villas in Italy. In AD 27, Tiberius moved permanently to Capri, governing the Roman Empire from the island until his death in AD 37.[citation needed] Later, in AD 182, Emperor Commodus exiled his sister Lucilla to Capri, where she was subsequently executed.[citation needed]
Middle Ages and Modern Era[edit]
Certosa di San Giacomo, a Carthusian monastery founded in 1363
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Capri came under the control of the Duchy of Naples. The island suffered raids by pirates and Saracens. In 866, Emperor Louis II granted the island to the Duchy of Amalfi. In 987, Pope John XV established the Diocese of Capri, initially as a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Amalfi. Capri remained a diocese until 1818, when it was absorbed into the Archdiocese of Sorrento. It is now listed as a titular see.
By the end of the conflict for the kingdom of Naples between Louis II d'Anjou and Ladislaus, the fort of Capri, controlled by Louis' garrison, was besieged by Ladislaus' forces and captured in July 1399. The French garrison escaped death by joining French marshal Boucicaut's passing ships on their way to fight the Turks in the Aegean Sea. sea.
In 1496, King Frederick IV of Naples established administrative parity between the settlements of Capri and Anacapri. Pirate raids intensified during the 16th century; admirals Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha and Turgut Reis captured the island for the Ottoman Empire in 1535 and 1553, respectively.[citation needed]
The French antiquarian Jean-Jacques Bouchard visited in the 17th century and is considered one of the first modern tourists; his diary provides valuable insights.[citation needed]
19th Century to Present[edit]
Villa Behring, where Maxim Gorky lived from 1909–1911.
During the Napoleonic Wars, French troops occupied Capri in January 1806 but were ousted by the British in May. Britain established a naval base (a "Second Gibraltar") but caused damage to archaeological sites during construction. The French recaptured the island in 1808 and held it until 1815, when it was returned to the Bourbon Kingdom of Naples.[citation needed]
In the 19th century, naturalist Ignazio Cerio catalogued the island's flora and fauna. His work was continued by his son, Edwin Cerio, an author and engineer known for his writings on Capri life.[citation needed]
From the later 19th century, Capri became an increasingly popular resort for European artists, writers, and expatriates. It gained a reputation as a tolerant haven, attracting wealthy gay men and lesbians seeking a more open life than elsewhere in Europe. Notable figures who lived or spent significant time on the island include John Ellingham Brooks, Somerset Maugham, Norman Douglas, Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen, Christian Wilhelm Allers, Emil von Behring, Axel Munthe, Louis Coatalen, Maxim Gorky, Oscar Wilde (briefly), Compton Mackenzie, Romaine Brooks, Dame Gracie Fields, and Lenin (hosted by Gorky in 1908, establishing a Party School[citation needed]). Queen Victoria of Baden was a frequent visitor. German industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp funded archaeological work but left after a scandal involving accusations of homosexual orgies.
Today, Capri remains a major tourist destination, particularly popular during the summer months, attracting visitors from Italy and abroad.
