Giuseppe Montanelli (21 January 1813 – 17 June 1862) was an Italian

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

and author.

Biography

Montanelli was born at

Fucecchio Fucecchio () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany. The main economical resources of the city are the leather industries, shoes industry and other manufacturing activities, although in the ...

, then part of the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...

. As a boy he was an organist and composer. In 1840 was appointed law professor at

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

after graduating law school when he was 18. He contributed to the ''Antologia'', a celebrated Florentine review, and in 1847 founded a newspaper called ''L'Italia'', the programme of which was "Reform and Nationality." In 1848 Montanelli served with the Tuscan student volunteers at the battle of Curtatone, where he was wounded and taken prisoner by the Austrians.''Britannica''. On being liberated he returned to Tuscany, and the grand duke Leopold II, knowing that he was popular with the masses, sent him to

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

to quell the disturbances. In October, Leopold, much against his inclinations, asked him to form a ministry. He accepted, and on January 10, 1849, induced the grand duke to establish a national

constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

. But Leopold, alarmed at the turn affairs were taking, fled from Florence, and Montanelli, Guerrazzi and

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 ...

were elected "triumvirs" of Tuscany. Like Mazzini, Montanelli advocated the union of Tuscany with Rome. After the restoration of the grand duke, Montanelli, who was in exile in Paris, was tried and condemned by default; he remained some years in France, where he became a partizan of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

. It was during this time that he was recruited to assist

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

with the libretto of his 1857 opera which became ''

Simon Boccanegra ''Simon Boccanegra'' () is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play ''Simón Bocanegra'' (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play ''El trovador'' had b ...

'', and this collaboration continued after Verdi left Paris to return to Italy.Budden, p. 248 On the formation of 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 ...

he returned to Tuscany and was elected member of

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. Montanelli died at Fucecchio in 1862. Although it has been reported that

Indro Montanelli Indro Alessandro Raffaello Schizogene Montanelli (; 22 April 1909 – 22 July 2001) was an Italian journalist, historian and writer. He was one of the fifty World Press Freedom Heroes according to the International Press Institute. A voluntee ...

, the 20th century Italian journalist, is the grandson of Giuseppe Montanelli, there is in fact no relation between the two. Giuseppe had no children, and the family name of "Montanelli" was passed down through his sister as "Gori-Montanelli."

Works

*''Memorie sui l'Italia e specialmente sulla Toscana dat 1814 at 1850'' (Turin, 1853–55; translated into French, 2 vols., Paris, 1857) *''Il Partito nazionale italiano'' (1856) *''L'Impero, il papato, e la democrazia in Italia'' (1859) *''Dell' ordinamento nazionale in Italia'' (1862) *''La Tentazione'' (poem) *''Camma'' (tragedy written for

Adelaide Ristori Adelaide Ristori (29 January 18229 October 1906) was a distinguished Italian tragedienne, who was often referred to as the Marquise. Biography She was born in Cividale del Friuli, the daughter of strolling players and appeared as a child on the ...

while she was acting in Paris) He translated

Ernest Legouvé Gabriel Jean Baptiste Ernest Wilfrid Legouvé (; 14 February 180714 March 1903) was a French dramatist. Biography Son of the poet Gabriel-Marie Legouvé (1764–1812), he was born in Paris. His mother died in 1810, and almost immediately after ...

's ''Médée'', also on behalf of Ristori.

References

Notes

Sources

Budden, Julian Julian Medforth Budden (9 April 1924 in Hoylake, Wirral – 28 February 2007 in Florence, Italy) was a British opera scholar, radio producer and broadcaster. He is particularly known for his three volumes on the operas of Giuseppe Verdi (publish ...

, ''The Operas of Verdi, Volume 2: From Il Trovatore to La Forza del destino''. London: Cassell, 1984. (hardcover) (paperback). * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montanelli, Giuseppe 1813 births 1862 deaths People from Fucecchio Italian dramatists and playwrights Italian poets Italian male poets Italian political writers Italian politicians People of the Revolutions of 1848 Italian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian poets 19th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian male writers Italian male non-fiction writers