When did Romans actually become Italians?

The transition of the Romans to being identified as Italians occurred gradually over centuries, reflecting changes in political, cultural, and linguistic landscapes.

During the time of the Roman Republic (509–27 BC) and the subsequent Roman Empire (27 BC–476 AD), the term "Roman" referred primarily to citizenship in the Roman state rather than to a specific ethnic or cultural identity. People from various regions of the Italian peninsula and beyond could become Roman citizens through legal and military means, and the empire encompassed diverse ethnicities and cultures.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, the Italian peninsula experienced centuries of fragmentation and foreign invasions by tribes such as the Visigoths, Vandals, and Ostrogoths. During this period, the concept of a unified Italian identity began to emerge gradually as regional identities coalesced under the influence of shared language, culture, and historical heritage.

The process of Italian unification, known as the Risorgimento, took place in the 19th century and culminated in the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 under King Victor Emmanuel II. This marked the political unification of various Italian states and territories, including regions that had once been part of the Roman Empire.

Following unification, the term "Italian" increasingly came to refer to people of Italian nationality and descent, encompassing diverse ethnic and linguistic groups within the country. The legacy of Rome and the Roman Empire remained significant in shaping Italian identity, culture, and language, but the modern concept of "Italian" emerged from the process of political unification and the forging of a unified Italian state in the 19th century.