Giuseppe Missori (11 June 1829 - 25 March 1911) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

patriot, military leader during the

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

, and politician. He served under

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

during the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Franco-Austrian War, the Austro-Sardinian War or Italian War of 1859 ( it, Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana; french: Campagne d'Italie), was fought by the Second French Empire and t ...

, the

Expedition of the Thousand The Expedition of the Thousand ( it, Spedizione dei Mille) was an event of the Italian Risorgimento that took place in 1860. A corps of volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto, near Genoa (now Quarto dei Mille) and landed in Ma ...

, and the

Third Italian War of Independence The Third Italian War of Independence ( it, Terza Guerra d'Indipendenza Italiana) was a war between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire fought between June and August 1866. The conflict paralleled the Austro-Prussian War and resulted in ...

. After the unification of Italy, he was twice a member of the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

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 ...

.Dizionario biografico degli Italiani: Giuseppe Missori
/ref>

Biography

Missori was born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in 1829, to a family of Bolognese origin, but soon moved to Milan, where he first proved his patriotic enthusiasm in the

Five Days of Milan The Five Days of Milan ( ) was an insurrection and a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 that started the First Italian War of Independence. On 18 March, a rebellion arose in the city of Milan, and in five days of street fighting ...

. An admirer of both

Giuseppe Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...

and

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

, at the beginning of the Second Italian War of Independence he enrolled in the

Hunters of the Alps The Hunters of the Alps ( it, Cacciatori delle Alpi) were a military corps created by Giuseppe Garibaldi in Cuneo on 20 February 1859 to help the regular Sardinian army to free the northern part of Italy in the Second Italian War of Independen ...

corps, being assigned to the "Guide a Cavallo" ("mounted scouts") regiment. In 1859 he fought in some of the main battles on the Lombard front. In 1860 he was in the

, and saved Garibaldi's life in the Battle of Milazzo (1860). In 1862, in behalf of Garibaldi, he created the army of volunteers from

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

Catanzaro Catanzaro (, or ; scn, label= Catanzarese, Catanzaru ; , or , ''Katastaríoi Lokrói''; ; la, Catacium), also known as the "City of the two Seas", is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its p ...

, and

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

that eventually fought the

Bersaglieri The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, which ...

in the

Battle of Aspromonte The Battle of Aspromonte, also known as the Day of Aspromonte ( it, Giornata dell'Aspromonte), was a minor engagement that took place on 29 August 1862, and was an inconclusive episode of the Italian unification process. It is named after the ne ...

that same year. Between 1866 and 1867 he was again with Garidaldi in the Third Italian War of Independence, participating in several battles, including

Bezzecca Bezzecca was a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. On January 1, 2010 it merged (with Pieve di Ledro, Concei, Molina di Ledro, Tiarno di Sopra and Tiarno di Sotto) in the new municipality of Le ...

Monterotondo Monterotondo is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, central Italy. History According to some historians, Monterotondo is the heir of the ancient Sabine town of Eretum, although the modern settlement appeared in the 10th-11th ce ...

, and

Mentana Mentana is a town and ''comune'', former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. It is located north-east of Rome and has a population of about 23,000. History Mentana's name in ...

After the unification of Italy, he declined repeated offers to enter politics (e.g., as a deputee) in the name of his republican ideals (he wouldn't swear loyalty to the Savoy Monarchy). Nevertheless, he eventually accepted to become a member of the

of Milan in 1889-1894 and again in 1899-1902. He died of sickness in Milan on 25 March 1911. His funerals were largely attended by the population, political representatives, and a delegation of

Martinitt The name Martinitt refers to a historical boy orphanage of Milan, Italy, that was established in the 16th Century, now part of Pio Albergo Trivulzio, a public Milanese institution that provides aid to needy orphans, elders and other people experien ...

, the boys from the eponymous Milanese orphanage (which Missori had directed for a while). According to his last will, his body was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

. On 11 June 1929, his remains were placed in the "Famedio", the main building of the

Monumental Cemetery of Milan The Cimitero Monumentale (" Monumental Cemetery") is one of the two largest cemeteries in Milan, Italy, the other one being the Cimitero Maggiore. It is noted for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments. Designed by the architect Carlo Ma ...

, reserved for the most eminent Milanese people.

Equestrian monument to Giuseppe Missori, Milan

A number of cities in Italy have streets or squares named after Missori; Milan has a central square Piazza Giuseppe Missori (about 500 m south of Piazza del Duomo). A bronze

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

of Missori, by sculptor Riccardo Ripamonti, is located in the centre of this square, and was built using bronze from old cannons.''Guida ai misteri e segreti di Milano'' (SugarCo 1977), p. 282 The statue, inaugurated in 1916, features an unusually weary-looking horse, which the Milanese reportedly nicknamed "caval de brüm" (roughly meaning "carriage horse") because of its less than martial appearance; a saying "te pàret el cavall del Missori" ("you look like Missori's horse") is also sometimes used in Milan to address someone who looks sad. A horse in the same posture putatively was featured in a prior work by Ripamonti, entitled ''Waterloo'', thus depicting

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 ...

, on the occasion of his famous defeat.Equestrian statue of General Giuseppe Missori
/ref> However, the posture as well as the low rough perch or plinth fit well with lack of imperiousness and regal obsequiousness shown by Missori in his later life. The inscription on the pedestal of the statue, now almost illegible, commemorates Missori saving Garibaldi's life in Milazzo:Monumento a Giuseppe Missori
/ref>

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Missori, Giuseppe 1829 births 1911 deaths Military personnel from Milan Burials at the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano Italian city councillors Italian people of the Italian unification Members of the Expedition of the Thousand Politicians from Milan