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 that is inextricably linked with this country. And the name is Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The homeland of the figure
The man recognized as a national hero of Italy was born in Nice, today a territory of France. As is customary among historical figures, Giuseppe Garibaldi came from a simple sailor family, which could not but leave an imprint on his biography. At a very young age, he himself discovered his attachment to the sea and continued the family business by hiring on 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, which he reciprocated. As a child, the future national hero of Italy was strongly attached to his mother and later, in his memoirs, proudly and with a certain reverence called her "an exemplary woman."
As for the relationship with his father, Garibaldi Giusepperetained to him a special feeling of gratitude for all that the old sailor had done for him. The people's favorite did not deny the fact that quite often his family found itself in a rather difficult situation, but his father always found a way to return everything to normal and resolve the existing problems.
Raising a National Hero
It is quite natural that in a sailor 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, Garibaldi Giuseppe's physical training took place on ships, for he helped his father from early childhood.
The only more or less traditional sport that the future famous Italian managed to master in childhood was swimming, which was very easy for Giuseppe.
Training
Sciences the boy studied with the clergy, which was quite common in Piedmont. However, it should be noted that in this respect he was more fortunate than the others. First of all, we note that his elder brother paid a lot of attention to the education of the future national hero, for whom it was extremely important to instill in Giuseppe a love of science. The Arena officer also had a hand in his education, who, in fact, taught the boy to love his country, language and culture.
It was the Arena officer who told him about the famous battles and the greatness of Rome, about the hardships and hardships, conquests and accomplishments that befell Italy during its existence. Quiteit is obvious that Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose biography contains just a huge number of absolutely incredible facts, was brought up on the stories of his educators.
Kind heart of the hero
Before moving on to a more mature segment of the biography of the people's favorite, it should be noted that he was always a man of a wide soul, able to sympathize and come to the rescue in time if necessary. While still eight years old, Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose biography is replete with similar facts, saved the life of one of the local laundresses who fell into a 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 idea of the guys was almost a success when they were caught up by a ship sent by Father Giuseppe, who found out about the trick.
More than anything else, the boy loved his own country and the endless sea - contrary to the hopes of his father, 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, born in early childhood in the boy's heart, over time dramatically changed his fate. Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose brief biography cannot contain even half of the adventures of the national hero, soon got tired of trading voyages and routine. His mind and heart strove for life for the good of the Motherland.
That is why he left his usual business and went to Marseille in 1831, where he met one of his best comrades - Mazzini.
New buddy
Young man,with whom the hero of our story so easily found a common language, turned out to be from a classical intelligent family - his father was a doctor and the owner of fairly clear and definite political views. It is quite natural that he absorbed the love for his country almost with his mother's milk.
Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini simply could not help but become 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 were soon perceived as a kind of single entity.
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 first entered.
The first step towards revolution
The career of an activist and politician is almost inextricably linked to the movements led by his friend and inspiration. It was Mazzini who involved Giuseppe Garibaldi, for whom Italy was above all else, to participate in the so-called Saint-Julien expedition, which, however, failed. Some of the brothers were then arrested, and for Garibaldi himself, the only way out was immediate flight.
He briefly returned to his native Nice, but soon he again went to Marseille, where, together with Mazzini, he was sentenced to death, which, fortunately, he successfully escaped. What was expected infurther Giuseppe Garibaldi? A brief biography of an aspiring politician tells that he spent some time in the deep underground, after which he moved on to more active actions.
The start of a pirate career
After the failure in Marseilles, the Italian went to Rio de Janeiro, where, having met Rossini, he managed to quickly equip the ship and gather a small crew. The ship, which had some weapons hidden under other goods, was named after an old friend and inspiration - "Mazzini".
During one of the voyages at sea, they met a hollet, which was captured without a fight and adapted to the activists' own needs. The crew of the ship did not suffer: deciding to teach his team a lesson, Garibaldi landed the passengers on the boat, provided them with provisions and set them free near the island of St. Catherine. The Mazzini was sunk for safety reasons.
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 Charles Albert, who was then ruling, but was refused. Instead, he had the opportunity to gather a detachment of volunteers and take part in the opposition to the Austrians.
Having proven himself in the battles fought as a brave and courageous commander, he soon had to give in and leave for Switzerland due to a significant numerical superiorityenemy. It was then that he became a well-known figure in Italy, whom they looked up to. In return for his bravery, Giuseppe Garibaldi was given the opportunity to lead the defense of Sicily, which was in revolt 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 who owed Italy 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.
Calm in the life of Garibaldi
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 quite natural that the quiet and inconspicuous activity of Giuseppe Garibaldi could not satisfy for a long time, so already in May 1859 he met with Cavour, after which he opposed the Austrian troops as a Sardinian general. The confrontation turned out to be very successful, and soon Garibaldi intended to go with his army to Rome, but his plan was not crowned with success. Victor Emmanuel II, fearing a break in military partnership with Napoleon III, stopped this intention.
This had a rather strong influence on Garibaldi - he refused the rankdeputy and general of Sardinia, disbanded his troops, but urged nearby soldiers to remain alert and ready to move on to more active actions.
Self Conquest
The historical portrait of Giuseppe Garibaldi, which has developed today, does not allow even the thought that the activist and patriot abandoned his dream. Soon, in 1860, he hired 2 ships with a crew and voluntarily went to Sicily, where he won the liberation battles without great losses. It took Garibaldi only 2 months to completely clean up 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 southern Italy. In these battles, they also managed to win, and soon, on February 18, 1861, the united lands were renamed by Victor Emmanuel II into the Italian Kingdom.
For many followers of Giuseppe Garibaldi, this decision turned out to be quite unexpected - the lands conquered with such difficulty were immediately given to the Sardinian king, on whom their future fate directly depended.
Campaign activity
We are forced to talk about the life and fate of Giuseppe Garibaldi briefly, as we are limited by the scope of the article. However, we cannot fail to note the fact that he was engaged not only in military affairs. Being a highly educated person, capable of leading the masses, he was distinguished by pronounced diplomatic qualities.
In 1867, Garibaldi temporarily leaves the military field and goes 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 already meet him as a national hero.
Continuation of battles
In 1871, the military career of the national hero of Italy goes uphill again. Giuseppe Garibaldi engages in a 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, a 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 glory in his lifetime, lived a bright, interesting life. But not everyone knows that there were very difficult and even unpredictable moments in it.
In this case, this is not about persecution and numerous battles that abound in his biography, but about simple everyday life… Fate has prepared many trials for the national hero of Italy.
For example, his first wife, Anna Ribeira de Silva, who gave him children, dies of malaria while Garibaldi travels, participating in endless liberation battles. For nationalhero, it turned out to be a rather serious blow.
In time, Garibaldi decides to marry a second time. His chosen one is the young Milanese Countess Raimondi, whom, however, he throws almost at the altar. Family happiness did not happen in this case because of the child, whom the Italian liberator refused to recognize as his own. However, the formal marriage weighed heavily on Garibaldi for 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 for Garibaldi's little granddaughter.
Despite such a rich family experience and the presence of five children, Giuseppe Garibaldi died completely alone, left by family and friends…
Interesting facts
By the way, Giuseppe Garibaldi became famous not only for outstanding historical exploits. He managed to act as a kind of trendsetter. The expression "Red Shirts" appeared precisely because of him. The thing is that the favorite attire of the Italian revolutionary was a red shirt, which was complemented by a sombrero and a 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 the fashion for red, visible from afar, shirts.
The Italian revolutionary has established himself not only as a talented diplomat, military leader and patriot, but also managed to prove himself inliterary field, having once written a whole series of memoirs, thanks to which the multifaceted personality of Giuseppe Garibaldi became so clear and understandable to modern humanity.
