Nicola Fabrizi (4 April 1804 – 31 March 1885) was an Italian patriot, born at Sassi, Garfagnana under the jurisdiction 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 ...

. Fabrizi was one of the most militant and dedicated leaders of the Risorgimento, the movement aimed at the unification of Italy.

Insurrections

He took part in the Modena insurrection of 1831, and attempted to succour Ancona, but was arrested. After his release he went to

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

where he joined the Young Italy movement. Afterwards he organized, with Giuseppe Mazzini, the ill-fated

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

expedition. Taking refuge in Spain, he fought against the

Carlists Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty – one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – ...

, and was decorated for valour on the battlefield (18 July 1837).

Conspiracies

In 1837 he established a centre of conspiracy at Malta, endeavoured to dissuade Mazzini from the Bandiera enterprise, but aided

Crispi Francesco Crispi (4 October 1818 – 11 August 1901) was an Italian patriot and statesman. He was among the main protagonists of the Risorgimento, a close friend and supporter of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, and one of the archite ...

in organizing the Sicilian revolution of 1848. With a company of volunteers he distinguished himself 1849 in the defence of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, afterwards proceeding to Rome, where he took part in the defence of San Pancrazio. Upon the fall of Rome he returned to Malta, accumulating arms and stores, which he conveyed to Sicily, after having worked with Crispi to prepare the Sicilian revolution of 1860.

Governorship

While

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 ...

was sailing from Genoa towards Marsala, Fabrizi landed at

Pozzillo Pozzillo Lake is a lake in the Province of Enna, Sicily, southern Italy. Located in the Erean Mountains chain, it is the largest artificial basin in the island. The lake is located mostly in the comune of Regalbuto, but also partially in Agira ...

, and, after severe fighting, joined Garibaldi at

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. Under the Garibaldian Dictatorship he was appointed governor of

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

and minister of war. Returning to Malta after the

Neapolitan plebiscite Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...

, which he had vainly endeavoured to postpone, he was recalled to aid Cialdini in suppressing brigandage.

Diplomacy

While on his way to Sicily in 1862, to induce Garibaldi to give up the

Aspromonte The Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Calabria, southern Italy). The literal translation of the name means "rough mountain". But for others the name more likely is related to the Greek word Aspros ( Ά� ...

enterprise, he was arrested at Naples by La Marmora. During the war of 1866 he became Garibaldis deputy chief of staff, and in 1867 he fought at Mentana. As a member of parliament from 1861 to 1865 he endeavoured to promote agreement between the leaders of the Left. From 1878 onwards worked to secure the return of Crispi to power. He died in March 1885, two years before the realization of this objective.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fabrizi 1804 births 1885 deaths Politicians from Modena