Who ruled the lands of Italy in 1487 and what language was spoken?

During the second half of the 15th century:

- northern and central territories were ruled by various city states, like Florence, Milan and Venice.

- southern territories were part of the Kingdom of Naples, ruled by the House of Aragon, whose most notable King was Alfonso V.

- Rome, the Lazio and most of the central area of Italy (which included the Umbrian and the Le Marche) were ruled by the Vatican.

- The area of northern Italy close to the Alps was occupied by the Habsburgs.

- The islands of Sicily, Malta and Sardinia were ruled by Sicily by John II of Aragon who conquered the islands from Naples in 1479.

- The island of Corsica was conquered from Genoa by the Republic of Pisa.

Languages spoken in 1487

Although there was no official state language, the majority of the population used Italian dialects, while Latin and Tuscan language were mainly spoken in the upper class.