Felice Cavallotti (6 November 1842 – 6 March 1898) was an Italian politician, poet and dramatic author.

Biography

Early career

Born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Cavallotti fought with the Garibaldian Corps in their 1860 and 1866 campaigns during the

Italian Wars of Independence The War of Italian Independence, or Italian Wars of Independence, include: * First Italian War of Independence (1848–1849) *Second Italian War of Independence (1859) *Third Italian War of Independence (1866) * Fourth Italian War of Independence ( ...

. Following his military service he created a series of anti-monarchical lampoons in the '' Gazzetta di Milano'' and in the '' Gazzettina Rosa'' between 1866 and 1872. He also commented Garibaldi's deeds in the Neapolitan ''Indipendente'', directed by Alexandre Dumas, père.

Political career

In 1872 Cavallotti was elected to the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitio ...

as deputy for Corteolona. When sworn in Cavallotti took the oath of allegiance, despite having lampooned the oath in his articles. Eloquent and turbulent, his combativeness in and out of Parliament secured for him the leadership of the Extreme Left on the death of

Agostino Bertani Agostino Bertani (19 October 1812 – 10 April 1886) was an Italian revolutionary and physician during Italian unification. Revolutionary Bertani was born in Milan on 19 October 1812. His father was an administrator for the Napoleonic govern ...

in 1886. During his twelve years' leadership his party increased in number from twenty to seventy, and at the time of his death his parliamentary influence was greater than ever before. Although he was ambitious and used defamatory methods of personal attack, Cavallotti's eloquent advocacy of democratic reform and apparent generosity of sentiment secured for him a popularity surpassed by that of no Italian political contemporary except Francesco Crispi. Services rendered in the cholera epidemic of 1885, his numerous lawsuits and thirty-three duels, his bitter campaign against Crispi, and his championship of French interests combined to enhance his notoriety and to increase his political influence. By skillful alliances with the Marquis

Antonio di Rudinì Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

he more than once obtained practical control of the Italian government and exacted notable concessions to Radical demands. In 1889 he contributed to the erection of the statue of Giordano Bruno in

Campo de' Fiori Campo de' Fiori (, literally "field of flowers") is a rectangular square south of Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy, at the border between rione Parione and rione Regola. It is diagonally southeast of the Palazzo della Cancelleria and one block nort ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, a symbol of the lay struggle against the unceasing encroachment of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

in Italian politics.

Death

Aged 55, Cavallotti was killed in a duel against Count Ferruccio Macola, editor of the conservative '' Gazzetta di Venezia'', whom he had insulted.Roman Duel Ends Fatally; Signor Cavallotti, the Poet and Radical, Killed by the Sword of Signor Macola
The New York Times, March 7, 1898 Poet and Freemason

Giosuè Carducci Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (; 27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was very noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, h ...

issued a celebrative discourse for his death. Cavallotti was buried in the cemetery of Dagnente, on the

Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest l ...

However, Felice Cavallotti he denied to be a member of the Italian Freemasonry in a letter addressed on 9 January 1875 to the director of the journal ''Italia Reale''. With the permission of his political opponent Francesco Crispi, Cavallotti contributed to the erection of the monument commemorating Giordano Bruno in Rome, place

, a work of the sculptor Ettore Ferrari which was Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy.

Legacy

* via Felice Cavallotti: a street in

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

, Italy * Rue Cavallotti: a street in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, France * Οδός Καβαλλόττι: a street in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Greece

References