| Comune di Pontecorvo | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Province | Frosinone (FR) |
| Mayor | Riccardo Roscia |
| Elevation | 97 m (318 ft) |
| Area | 88 km² (34 sq mi) |
| Population (as of December 31, 2004) | |
| - Total | 13,230 |
| - Density | 150/km² (388/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | |
| Dialing code | 0776 |
| Postal code | 03037 |
| Frazioni | Sant'Oliva |
| Website: www.comune.pontecorvo.fr.it | |
Pontecorvo is a town in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, Italy. Its population is 13,400.
History
Although in the middle of the Kingdom of Naples, the town was an enclave of the Papal States from 1463 until captured by the French army in the Napoleonic Wars. After having been proclaimed King of Italy in 1805, Napoleon created Ponte Corvo a principality for his General Jean Baptiste Bernadotte. The principality was nominally sovereign, but the Prince did have to take an oath to the King. It was short-lived, however, and in 1815 the town was ceded back to the Papal States. In 1820 the 'Republic' of Pontecorvo seceded from the Papal States, but Papal rule was restored in 1821. In 1860 it joined Benevento, the other southern Italian papal enclave, in being united with the new Kingdom of Italy. The town was destroyed during World War II, and rebuilt in a modern style.
Princes of Pontecorvo
- 1806-1810 : Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (who exchanged the lands of Ponte Corvo after becoming Crown Prince of Sweden for basically other properties, later called the Guadeloupe Fund.
- 1812-1815 : Prince Achille Murat (son of Joachim Murat, King of Naples)
The descendants of Achille's brother Lucien and he still use the title for the heir to the Prince Murat, and it is currently held by Prince Joachim. Also, since Bernadotte's accession as King of Sweden in 1818, the arms of Pontecorvo are a part of the Swedish Greater Coat of Arms.
