Heads of Italy

United States of Italy

Italian Personalities

Presidents of the Council of Eleven of the Italian Congress


1804-1819: Antonio Aldini

-italy north of papal states and west of venice liberated by france

-compensation established for habsburg tuscan losses

-initial sentiments are for the establishment of separate weak italian republics to be dominated

-but as war dies down, desire for creation of ally results in formation of quasi-federal italian union

-constitution establishes principles of religious liberty

-consulta appointed by constituent republics elects melzi d'eril its head "grand procurator"

-title so named in analogue of district chief procurateur syndic, an intentionally weak-sounding title

-appointed by majority of executive council to serve as professional administrator

-comm with constituent republics

-part of all deliberations of exec council, no decision may be made without procurator's advice

-results in lots of

-plan for nation building commences, and italian identity rapidly spreads across the nation

-centralizes governance rapidly, also secures departure of most of expensive french batallion

-raises italian army to meet necessities of defence

1819-1827: Giuseppe Prina

-never very popular, as he is Piedmontese of Milanese-centered administration

-and as he had served as finance minister, imposing unpopular taxes and all

-Second French War (1821-32) comes to Italy in 1824 with Neapolitan revolt of Carbonari, Prina reluctantly raises army to combat it

-inadvertently turns into nationalistic revolt, Prina rather slow to react to them

-and is primarily focused on assisting French army, being defensive

-sees French troops storm into Ragusa, Neapolitan areas, with local nationalist resistance

1827-1834: Achille Fontanelli

-appointed during wartime, and because he's a general

-push into Papal States after freebooting happens

-in the end, causes Catholic revulsion, Austrian fleet gathered in Sardinia takes it

-sees end of war, incorporation of Venetian lands into nation

-also growing centralization of Italy

-sees formation of judicial body, new charter centralizing

-suppresses attempts to continue the revolution

1834-1839: Gugliemo Pepe (Motion)

-centralize italian union, establish an actual legislature

-ultimately ousted in French-backed order

1839-1851: Giustino Fortunato (Order)

-senior

-loses influence gradually

-sees outbreak of French Wars > Third French War (1847-54)

-Young Italy captures Rome in 1848, Italy slower to conquer it

-in politics, Young Italy makes itself increasingly influential in an effort to take power over the whole thing

-and it's successfully infiltrated officer corps, city areas

-removed during dispute over whether italy should continue to fight in war

-in a takeover resembling a military coup

1851-1854: Giuseppe Mazzini (Young Italy)

-signs peace with austria, regarding war on behalf of fundamentally French aims as reactionary

-with most French troops along the border, nothing it can do to stop it

-despite much Italian discontent at this risking Hungarian independence

-and deeply mistrustful of France, having seen it stop Italy from getting any more united

-in 1854, gets through constitution making Italy a centralized country

-after years of negotiation with elements who want a more federalist constitution than he does

Consuls for General Affairs of the United States of Italy

1854-1863: Giuseppe Mazzini (Young Italy)

1854: Ran unopposed

1857 def.

1860 def.


-nationalizes French branch plants

-auctions them to Italians to raise money for government

-buys Saint-Barthelemy from Commonwealth of Sweden

-which considers it unprofitable

-while Italy wants to make it a true power

-eventually faced with increasing issues

-his industrial policy is unpopular because it threads the line between workerism and industrialism

-also his trade policy of tariffs break with big free trader body

-and his extremely abolitionist policy and honoring William Lloyd Garrison on a visit irks supporters of US good relations

-seizes assets of the Roman Catholic Church

-church is heavily unpopular in Italy due to its opposition to Italian nationalism

-and so this is supported by the people

-only does this with election of despised Roman Catholic Popes > 1858-1883 Pius VIII

-who makes sure to make bishops loyal to him and thus traitors to Italy

-reorganizes Catholic Church in Italy into a new Independent Catholic church

-and it is this which has control of all Roman Catholic assets as its "rightful successor"

-sparks a series of rebellions in Venetia and rural Naples

-which he is able to crush and is relatively lenient against

-Roman Catholics have full religious equality after all

-distribution of church endowments is controversial process

-despite Mazzini doing everything he can to make it egalitarian much of it instead goes to new revolutionary elites

-ultimately defeated by coalition of far-lefts and the rights after party weakened

-with even Giuseppe Garibaldi voting against him

-accepts this and for the rest of his life he focuses himself on international republicanism as Italian Personalities > Giuseppe Mazzini

-and also leads the deep religious shifts and awakening that happens

1863-1870: Carlo Cattaneo (Democratic Radical) †

1863 def. Giuseppe Mazzini (Young Italy)

1866 def.

1869 def.


-selected as Consul after Mazzini removed

-by coalition of whole opposition as well as some Young Italy elements

-welds together much of opposition, as well as some Young Italians, to support himself in power

-tenure sees a sort of federalism growing, resulting in growth of industry all over the place

-dies in 1870 of old age

1870-1878: Ettore Perrone di San Martino (Democratic Radical)

1872 def.

1875 def.


-a consul in Cattaneo's government

-has status as a military hero

-he's able to leverage this to lead cabinet after death of Cattaneo

-with end of Liberty and Union War (1868-76) there's a sudden wave of American goods on the market

-brings up tariff issue which divides party

-and results in slump which damages party

1878-1888: Agostino Bertani (Young Italy) †

1878 def.

1881 def.

1884 def.

1887 def.


-in accord to Mazzinianism refuses to join in with French Wars > Fourth French War (1880-4)

-instead makes alliance with British Isles

1888-1896: Felice Cavalloti (Young Italy)

1890 def.

1893 def.


-faced with outbreak of French Wars > Fifth French War (1892-5)

-though neutral, sells arms to French and British because can't help but be sympathetic

-postwar Recessions > Panic of 1895 demolishes his popularity