What do we associate with Italy? As a rule, these are leather shoes, majestic architecture and a powerful historical heritage. And besides, there is a name inextricably linked with this country. And the name is Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The homeland of the leader
The man, recognized as the national hero of Italy, was born in Nice, which today is the territory of France. As is customary for historical figures, Garibaldi Giuseppe was a native of a simple sailor family, which could not but leave an imprint on his biography. Being very young, he himself discovered his attachment to the sea and continued his family business, hiring a ship and setting off to plow the expanses of the ocean.
Garibaldi Giuseppe was the second child in the family, but from childhood he was surrounded by care, awe and love, to which he reciprocated. In childhood, the future national hero of Italy was strongly attached to her mother and later, in her memoirs, with pride and a kind of reverence, called her "an exemplary woman."
As for relations with his father, Garibaldi Giuseppe retained a special feeling of gratitude to him for everything that the old sailor had done for him. The people's favorite did not deny the fact that quite often his family found themselves in a rather difficult situation, however, his father always found a way to get everything back to normal and solve the existing problems.
Raising a national hero
It is only natural that in a sailor's family there could be no question of any elegant upbringing. Young Giuseppe never studied gymnastics and fencing, which was quite common in those days. Instead, the physical training of Garibaldi Giuseppe took place on ships, because he helped his father from an early age.
The only more or less traditional sport that the future famous Italian managed to master as a child was swimming, which was very easy for Giuseppe.
Training
But the boy was studying science from clergymen, which was a fairly common occurrence in Piedmont. However, it should be noted that in this respect he was more fortunate. First of all, we note that the education of the future national hero was paid extremely attention to his older brother, for whom it was extremely important to instill in Giuseppe a love of science. Also the officer Arena had a hand in his education, who, in fact, taught the boy to love his country, language and culture.
It was the officer Arena who told him about the famous battles and greatness of Rome, about the hardships and deprivations, the conquests and accomplishments that have befallen Italy during its existence. It is quite obvious that Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose biography contains just a huge number of completely unbelievable facts, was brought up on the stories of his educators.
Kind heart of a hero
Before moving on to a more mature segment of the biography of the people's favorite, it should be noted the fact that he was always a man of a wide soul, capable of compassion and timely help if necessary. Eight years old, Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose biography is replete with similar facts, saved the life of one of the local laundresses who fell into the ditch to rinse clothes. A little later, driven by a thirst for adventure, the boy went on a boat to see Genoa in the company of three school friends. The children’s plan was practically successful when they were caught by a ship sent by father Giuseppe, who had learned about the trick.
More than anything, the boy loved his own country and the endless sea - contrary to his father's hopes, he devoted his entire youth to shipbuilding, and at a very young age he swore an oath to die for the Fatherland.
Decisive turn
This indefatigable patriotism, which originated in early childhood in the heart of a boy, changed his fate dramatically over time. Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose brief biography will not be able to accommodate half the adventures of a national hero, very soon got tired of trading voyages and routines. His mind and heart strove for life for the good of the motherland.
That is why he left the usual thing and went to Marseille in 1831, where he met one of his best comrades - Mazzini.
New buddy
The young man with whom the hero of our story so easily found a common language turned out to come from a classical intelligent family - his father was a doctor and the owner of fairly clear and definite political views. It is only natural that he absorbed his love for his country almost with his mother’s milk.
Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini simply could not help becoming friends - their views on the world and life in general were so similar. The young writer and the future national hero of Italy, thirsting for freedom, very quickly found a common language and soon they were perceived as a single whole.
It should be noted that at the time of his acquaintance with Giuseppe Garibaldi, Mazzini was already actively involved in political activities, leading several patriotic communities, including Young Italy, where his new comrade entered first.
The first step to revolution
The career of an activist and a politician is almost inextricably linked with the movements led by his friend and mastermind. It was Mazzini who attracted Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italy for whom was above all, to participate in the so-called Saint-Julien expedition, which, however, failed. Some convinced brothers were then arrested, and for Garibaldi himself there was only one way out - immediate flight.
He returned to his native Nice for a short while, but soon he again went to Marseille, where, together with Mazzini, was sentenced to death, which, fortunately, he successfully escaped. What did Giuseppe Garibaldi expect in the future? A brief biography of the novice politician tells that he spent some time in a deep underground, after which he moved on to more active actions.
The start of a pirate career
After the failure in Marseille, the Italian went to Rio de Janeiro, where, having met Rossini, he managed to quickly equip the ship and assemble a small crew. The ship, on board of which a few weapons were hidden under other goods, was named in honor of an old friend and mastermind - “Mazzini”.
During one of the voyages to the sea, he met a golet, which without a fight was captured and adapted to the activists' own needs. The crew of the ship was not injured: having decided to teach his crew a lesson, Garibaldi dropped off the passengers in the boat, provided them with provisions and released them not far from the island of St. Catherine. The Mazzini was sunk for security reasons.
The revolution of 1848
The resistance of Italy and Austria during this period was especially strong. Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian revolutionary, patriot and activist, naturally could not stand aside and immediately offered his services to the then-ruling Carl Albert, but was refused. Instead, he had the opportunity to assemble a detachment of volunteers and participate in the confrontation with the Austrians.
Having established himself in the battles as a brave and courageous commander, he soon had to give in and leave for Switzerland due to the significant numerical superiority of the enemy. It was then that he became a well-known figure in Italy, on which they were equated. In response to the courage shown, Giuseppe Garibaldi was given the opportunity to lead the defense of Sicily, which had rebelled at that time.
By the end of 1848 he entered the official service in Rome and was even elected to parliament. It was Giuseppe Garibaldi that Italy owed several victories over the French, who besieged the city at that time. No less successful were his attacks on the Neapolitans, which took place near Velletri and Palestine.
The calm in Garibaldi’s life
After several not particularly successful battles, the national hero had to temporarily emigrate to North America, from where he returned only in 1854. His wife Anita was no longer alive at that time, and Garibaldi settled in Sardinia, choosing for himself a quiet, calm life, far from national ideals and formidable confrontations.
Participation in the unification of Italy
It is only natural that Giuseppe Garibaldi could not satisfy the quiet and inconspicuous activities for a long time, therefore, already in May 1859, he met with Cavour, after which he opposed the Austrian troops as a Sardinian general. The confrontation was very successful, and soon Garibaldi was determined to go with his army to Rome, but his plan was unsuccessful. Victor Emanuel II, fearing the breakdown of a military partnership with Napoleon III, suppressed this intention.
This had a rather strong influence on Garibaldi - he refused the rank of deputy and general of Sardinia, dismissed his troops, but urged the closest soldiers to stay alert and be prepared to move on to more active actions.
Self conquest
The historical portrait of Garibaldi Giuseppe, which has developed today, does not allow even the idea that the activist and patriot abandoned his dream. Soon, in 1860, he hired 2 ships with a crew and arbitrarily sent to Sicily, where he won victories in liberation battles without heavy losses. Garibaldi took only 2 months to completely clear the island from the invaders, after which he continued his activities with even greater zeal.
Sicily was followed by the liberation of Naples, from where the troops of the former Sardinian general went to the south of Italy. In these battles, they also managed to win, and soon, on February 18, 1861, the united lands were renamed Victor Emmanuel II into the Italian Kingdom.
For many followers of Giuseppe Garibaldi, this decision was very unexpected - the lands conquered with such labor were immediately given to the Sardinian king, on whom their future fate now directly depended.
Campaigning activities
We are forced to talk briefly about the life and fate of Giuseppe Garibaldi, since they are limited by the scope of the article. However, we cannot but note the fact that he was engaged not only in military affairs. Being a very educated person, capable of leading the masses, he was distinguished by pronounced diplomatic qualities.
In 1867, Garibaldi temporarily left the military field and sent to the north of Italy and the central regions of the country, acting as an agitator. During this period, the basis of his life is purely campaigning, which in most cases is crowned with success.
Thanks to an active liberation policy and constant visits to the cities of the country, the portrait of Giuseppe Garibaldi becomes known to everyone and everyone, and they meet him already as a national hero.
Continuation of the battles
In 1871, the military career of the national hero of Italy again goes uphill. Giuseppe Garibaldi gets involved in the battle against the Prussian invaders, in which he wins, thanks to which he receives the post of deputy in France.
The difficult life of a national hero
Today, the photo of Giuseppe Garibaldi can be found in every history textbook, his biography has been studied almost thoroughly, he is loved and revered in Italy and respected in other countries of the world. It would seem that this man tasted fame in his lifetime, lived a bright, interesting life. But not everyone knows that there were very complex and even unpredictable moments in it.
This case is not about the persecution and the numerous battles that his biography abounds, but about simple everyday life ... Fate has prepared many tests for the national hero of Italy.
For example, the first wife, Anna Ribeira de Silva, who gave him children, dies from malaria while Garibaldi travels, participating in endless liberation battles. For the national hero, this turned out to be a rather serious blow.
Over time, Garibaldi decides to marry a second time. His chosen one becomes the young Milanese countess Raymondi, who, however, he throws almost at the altar. Family happiness did not happen in this case because of a child whom the Italian liberator refused to recognize as his own. However, the officially held marriage weighed Garibaldi another 19 years, until it was dissolved.
Almost immediately after gaining freedom, the Italian activist married for the third time. His chosen one had neither high ranks, nor a big name, being a simple nurse of the little granddaughter of Garibaldi.
Despite such a rich family experience and the presence of five children, Giuseppe Garibaldi died in perfect solitude, left by relatives and friends ...
Interesting Facts
By the way, Giuseppe Garibaldi became famous not only for his outstanding historical feats. He managed to appear as a kind of trendsetter. The expression "red shirts" appeared precisely thanks to him. The thing is that the Italian revolutionary’s favorite attire was a red shirt, which was complemented by a sombrero and poncho. At first glance, such an outfit might seem strange, but his team, inspired by the image of Garibaldi, quickly adopted this style from him, thereby introducing a fashion for red shirts that were noticeable from afar.
The Italian revolutionary proved himself not only as a talented diplomat, military leader and patriot, but managed to prove himself in the literary field, having written in his time a series of memoirs, thanks to which the multifaceted personality of Giuseppe Garibaldi became so clear and understandable to modern mankind.