The Marquis Amilcare Ambrosio Paulucci delle Roncole (11 January 1773 – 17 March 1845) was an aristocrat from
Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
, in what is now Italy, who served in the navy of the Bourbon
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
from 1787 to 1799.
He then joined the French service during the wars of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
and the
First French Empire
The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...
.
He served in the
Parthenopean Republic
The Parthenopean Republic ( it, Repubblica Partenopea, french: République Parthénopéenne) or Neapolitan Republic (''Repubblica Napoletana'') was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the ...
, the
Cisalpine Republic
The Cisalpine Republic ( it, Repubblica Cisalpina) was a sister republic of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802.
Creation
After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organized t ...
and the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
.
While commanding a squadron in the Adriatic in 1808 he was captured by the British, and held until 1812.
He joined the army in 1813 and served in the expedition against Austria, where he was wounded.
When the French Empire collapsed in 1814 he helped arrange the transfer of officers and troops in Italy to the Austrian army.
He became a major general in the Austrian army in July 1814.
In 1818 he again became involved in naval affairs, and in 1824 became commander in chief of the Austrian navy based in Venice, a position he held until 1844.
Early years
Amilcare Ambrosio Paulucci delle Roncole was born in Modena on 11 January 1776 to the Marquis Giuseppe Paulucci delle Roncole (1726–1785) and Claudia Scutellari Ajani.
His mother was a noblewoman from
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
, former lady of honor to the Queen of Spain.
His father came from the aristocracy of
Pesaro
Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...
, and had obtained the title of "marquis" in 1738.
His uncle, Massimo, had been an officer in the navy of the Kingdom of Naples.
His younger brother
Filippo Paulucci
Filippo Paulucci delle Roncole (11 September 1779 – 25 January 1849), also known as Filipp Osipovich Pauluchchi (russian: Филипп Осипович Паулуччи), was an Italian marquis and army officer, later a general at the services ...
(1779–1849) became a soldier, and served in the Austrian, Italian, Russian and Sardinian armies.
Another brother, Luigi (1777–1844), served the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy.
Amilcare's father settled in Modena, but visited various European courts as representative of
Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena
Francesco III d'Este (Francesco Maria; 2 July 1698 – 22 February 1780) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1737 until his death.
Biography
He was born in Modena, the son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Duchess Charlotte of Brunswick-L ...
.
In 1767 the duke appointed him secretary of state and president of the ministries of Commerce and Agriculture.
Amilcare's father died on 26 November 1785 when Amilcare was 9 years old.
His uncle Massimo had Amilcare admitted to the Naval Academy of the Kingdom of Naples in
Portici
Portici (; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy. It is the site of the Portici Royal Palace.
Geography
Portici lies at the foot of Mount Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples, about southeast of Naples itself. There i ...
on 19 April 1787.
After his studies he joined the frigate ''Sirena''.
He was appointed ''sottobrigadiere dei guardiamarina'' in November 1792, spent two years sailing on
square rig
Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called ''yards'' and ...
ged ships and then served in Naples for a period.
In April 1796 he sailed on the
xebec
A xebec ( or ), also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that was used mostly for trading. Xebecs had a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a small, fast vessel of the sixteenth to nineteenth ...
''Diligente'', which was captured by
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
ian pirates off the island of
Ustica
Ustica (; scn, Ùstica) is a small Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is about across and is situated north of Capo Gallo, Sicily. Roughly 1,300 people live in the ''comune'' (municipality) of the same name. There is a regular fer ...
on 21 June 1796.
He had to wait ten months before being freed for ransom.
He returned to Naples on 1 April 1797.
Paulucci and his commander were tried and acquitted for the loss of the ship.
He was promoted to ''alfiere di vascello'' in August 1898, and joined the corvette ''Fortuna''.
French service
![Italy c 1810](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Italy_c_1810.png)
Paulucci was in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
in January 1799 when the Neapolitan court arrived there, having fled from Naples.
He asked and obtained leave to go to Naples, where he arrived on 20 February 1799.
He was admitted to the navy of the short-lived
Parthenopean Republic
The Parthenopean Republic ( it, Repubblica Partenopea, french: République Parthénopéenne) or Neapolitan Republic (''Repubblica Napoletana'') was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the ...
in Naples on 1 March 1799 with the rank of frigate captain.
He was at once transferred to the French navy, and probably left Naples with the general staff in May 1799.
In the spring of 1800 he was among the defenders during the
siege of Genoa, where he claimed to have been promoted to ''capitano di vascello''.
After the
Battle of Marengo
The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Mic ...
the French navy agreed to readmit Paulucci as ''enseigne de vaisseau''.
He chose to resign, and on 21 July 1800 entered the service of the
Cisalpine Republic
The Cisalpine Republic ( it, Repubblica Cisalpina) was a sister republic of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802.
Creation
After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organized t ...
as director of the "office for all water armaments", although at this time the Cisalpine Republic had no navy.
The war between the Cisalpine Republic and Austria ended on 9 February 1801 with the
Treaty of Lunéville
The Treaty of Lunéville (or Peace of Lunéville) was signed in the Treaty House of Lunéville on 9 February 1801. The signatory parties were the French Republic and Emperor Francis II, who signed on his own behalf as ruler of the hereditary doma ...
.
In February 1801 he was promoted to battalion commander, and on 23 April 1802 was appointed head of the navy.
It only had a few small boats, and Paulucci was more concerned with defending the coasts and organizing the ports and the merchant navy.
At the end of December 1803 he was appointed brigadier general.
While in Milan he married Maddalena Malacrida, a noblewoman.
They had three children.
Paulucci was appointed secretary general of the Ministry of War in September 1805, and soon after was made inspector general of the navy.
After the
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz in ...
(2 December 1805), Amilcare was able to move from the port of
Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...
to the
Venetian Arsenal
The Venetian Arsenal ( it, Arsenale di Venezia) is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice in northern Italy. Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic's ...
as commander of the new Royal Italian Navy.
This was really the old
Venetian navy, which had been under Austrian command from 1797 to 1805.
New ships were acquired after Venice was annexed to the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
, and Venetian and
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
n officers and men from the Austrian navy joined the Italian service.
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
planned to use Venice as a base for operations against Austria in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
, so the arsenal was built up.
For a year Paulucci worked with the French commissioner general in organizing the Royal Italian Navy.
At the start of October 1807 he was given command of a fleet of
brigantine
A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.
Older ...
s and
corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
s in the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
and
Ionian seas.
Paulucci was captured by the British on 25 March 1808 near
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
and interned in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.
He hoped to be exchanged for British prisoners, but the Italians did not have any.
He eventually fled from Malta and reached Venice on 27 January 1812.
He had violated his oath by leaving Malta, so was in an awkward legal position that was only rectified on 11 July 1813 when he was officially exchanged for 15 British prisoners.
On 15 August 1813 he was transferred to the army with the rank of adjutant commander, and was appointed chief of staff of the 3rd Italian Lieutenancy commanded by General
Domenico Pino.
On 14 September 1813 he was wounded in combat at
Lipizza, near Trieste.
In November 1813 Paulucci was sent to Bologna to try to organize five volunteer battalions.
On 10 December 1814 he met the Neapolitan general
Michele Carrascosa
Michele Carrascosa (1774–1853) was a Neapolitan general and politician.
Born to a Spanish family in Naples that came to Italy with Charles III of Spain, Carrascosa was, along with his brother Rafaelle, a career soldier. He fought against the F ...
(1774–1853), and told him that if
Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...
, the
King of Naples
The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501)
House of Anjou
In 1382, the ...
, proclaimed Italy independent, it would accept Murat as king.
On 12 December he was promoted to brigadier general in the 6th Italian Division of General
Carlo Zucchi
Carlo Zucchi (February 1789, in Reggio Emilia – 9 September 1849) was an Italian architect.
A nephew of the namesake Italian general, Zucchi studied in Paris. Later he was active in the River Plate basin.
Selected works
* Mausoleum of Manu ...
in
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...
.
On 5 March 1814 Paulucci made a reconnaissance in
Sassuolo
Sassuolo (; egl, label=Modenese dialect, Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna.
Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town ...
, southwest of
Modena
Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...
, with the 2nd Italian line regiment, while the Neapolitans, now allies of the Austrians, were preparing to attack
Reggio.
On 9 May he was appointed by the provisional government of Lombardy as general secretary of the Italian ministry of war and navy.
He worked with the Austrian general to arrange the dissolution of the Italian army and the transfer of its units into the Austrian army.
Austrian service
![Paulucci-delle-roncole-amilcare-marchese-bb0833](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Paulucci-delle-roncole-amilcare-marchese-bb0833.jpg)
On 2 July 1814 Paulucci was admitted to the Austrian service as major general-major in charge of the brigade in
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
.
The emperor
Francis I of Austria
Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...
formally appointed him a Major General in the Austrian army on 18 July 1814.
In July 1818 he was assigned to the royal council of war as adviser for the navy.
In April 1819 he was charged with thoroughly inspecting all branches of the navy.
He was then put in charge of reorganizing the Venice arsenal, the
penal colonies and the naval college.
He improved the signaling service.
In February 1821 he commanded a naval squadron that supported the Austrian expedition to Naples to prevent
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I (12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was the King of the Two Sicilies from 1816, after his restoration following victory in the Napoleonic Wars. Before that he had been, since 1759, Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand I ...
from adopting a constitution.
His squadron was then charged with defending Austrian merchant ships against Greek pirates during the
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...
.
In March 1823 Paulucci returned to Venice, and on 10 February 1824 was appointed commander in chief of the navy.
Otto von Pirch (1765–1824) wrote of Paulucci, "Among the older men, the most important is the marquis Paulucci, the admiral, it seemed to me. His exterior is that of a courtier, but in conversation he is soon in the sphere of his profession. He asked me if I had seen the arsenal, if I knew the origin of the name. I think it is not very well known. Arsanarsi means in old Venetian to wrap yourself around, to insulate yourself."
Paulucci had the engineer Giovanni Casoni make a 1:10 scale model of the 1727
Bucentaur
The bucentaur ( ; ''bucintoro'' in Italian and Venetian) was the state barge of the doges of Venice. It was used every year on Ascension Day (''Festa della Sensa'') up to 1798 to take the doge out to the Adriatic Sea to perform the " Marriage ...
, the floating palace of the
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 a ...
, before it was destroyed in 1824.
The model is currently kept at the Naval History Museum in Venice.
On 4 March 1826 Francis I appointed Paulucci commander of a naval unit.
He was already a major general and commander in chief of the Austrian navy.
Paulucci was promoted to rear admiral in 1829 and vice admiral in 1830.
He headed the royal navy until 1844, based in Venice.
Almost all the officers were Venetian or Dalmatian, and the service language was Italian.
The unit operated effectively against Moroccan privateers in 1829–1830 and during the
Syrian expedition of 1840.
However, Paulucci resisted introduction of steam-powered vessels and became less effective as a commander as he grew old.
He was not aware of the growing support for independence from Austria among the younger officers.
When the
Bandiera brothers and
Domenico Moro deserted early in 1844 he woke up to the problem but acted weakly, and on 21 August 1844 was removed from command and had to retire.
Amilcare Paulucci died in
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
on 25 March 1845.
Notes
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Paulucci delle Roncole, Amilcare Ambrosio
1773 births
1845 deaths
Italian admirals
Austrian military personnel