Italy Risorgimento

[Elmar Lang]

A very interesting excursus in the field of Italian and Italy's related medals of the Risorgimento.

Just a little note: the Imperial Austrian "Metallenes Armeekreuz", a.k.a. "Kanonenkreuz" (in its italian regulations as distributed in the new "Regno Lombardo-Veneto", the decoration had an official, italian name: "Croce Metallica d'Armata"), was made of bronze from captured french cannons, but on its rim there wasn't any "AUS EROBERTEM GESCHUETZ" inscription. Only, the suspension loop was struck with the Imperial Mint mark: a two-headed eagle within a lozenge.

Best wishes,

E.L.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Elmar Lang

[claudio2574]

May be I was unclear.

The "AUS EROBERTEM GESCHUETZ" words do not appear in the Kanonenkreuz.

They appear on the rim of the Schleswig-Holstein medal, Austrian version. My item has them, you can see in the pictures above, but there are other samples without the words. I don't have got them, but I've pictures.

Regards

[claudio2574]

Hello, after some days of silence, I wish to add two other medals and one document.

First the medallion created in 1837 for the new Civil Code given by Carlo Alberto. This huge medallion (72 mm diameter, 6 mm thickness, 185 g weight) seems more a weapon than a decoration...

In april 1859, before the start of the second war of independence, the Grand Duke Leopold II ran away from Florence, leaving his State without a guide. A temporary government was instituted, and the Parliament voted for unifying the Tuscany to the Kingdom of Sardinia (august 1859), a few days after the end of the war.

Here is another huge medallion celebrating the event.

The temporary government was in charge for some months more. Here a document giving a charge to a physician in the Military Commission for Health, december 1859. It is signed by general Raffaele Cadorna, a Risorgimento hero, whose son Luigi would have been the Commander-in-Chief for the Italian Army during WW1, till the defeat of Caporetto (autumn 1917)

[Chris Boonzaier]

"The Solferino battle was one of the most cruel in the history: 29000 casualties out of 230000 soldiers fighting for 14 hours. It was the reason for Henry Dunant to propose a rescue organization: the Red Cross born after this proposal."

That is a lot... technically decimation...

[claudio2574]

Arrived today: a "congedo assoluto" (final farewell) from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1818:

As for now, this one becomes the oldest document in my collection.

[claudio2574]

May be this new post can be of some interest.

This is the Loyalty Medal, or Emigration Medal or Medal of the dissolved Este's Brigade.

In 1859, after the Magenta battle, the Duke of Modena Francesco V run away. A few months later his duchy became part of the Sardinia kingdom.

Three years later, 1863, the last loyal men of his brigade (158 officiers and 2564 troop) were left free by the Duke. Many of them (all the officiers but one and half of the troop) joined the Austrian army.

In a ceremony the Duke gave this medal to all the brigade, delivering it personally to all the officers.

The medal was struck in the Wien mint and is signed by Radniztky.

The ribbon was white and pale blue (from Wikipedia)

Here is the medal

[Megan]

Fascinating thread... really must get round to adding historical Italy to my website, all I have at the moment is contemporary.

Claudio, I shall probably want to pick your brains at some point...

[claudio2574]

Ok, if some neurons are still active...

[claudio2574]

An interesting book (Braglia - In esilio con il Duca - Il Cerchio - Rimini 2007) writes the history of the Estense Brigade: the story from the point of view of the loosers, with some facts that could be easily moved to the today's fact.

It shows also an image of the ceremony held in Cartigliano veneto on 29th Sept 1863.

[claudio2574]

Hello again, this time I wish to introduce another French medallion, of the same type of the pair Vittorio Emanuele II / Napoleon III.

This one celebrates the passage of Nice and Savoia counties from the kingdom of Sardinia to the France, March 1860.

It was somehow the price for the Italy to pay the help from France. Many people disagreed with it, for example Garibaldi, who was born in Nice.

As a paradox, the King of Italy had his own family coming from Savoy, no longer in his domain.

[claudio2574]

After several months, I wish to add another French medallion similar to the above mentioned.

It remembers the dates of the Italy Campaign: 10 may begin of the war, 6 june entering in Milan, 11-12 july peace of Villafranca, 14 august back to Paris.

Please note that the Villafranca treaty was signed by Napoleon III and the Austrian Emperor without informing the King of Sardinia...

[SAVONA-VENTURA]

I have found this a very interesting post. In my reading of the role of Pope Pius IX in the Risorgimento history, I have come across documentation that states that he had conferred the ORDER OF SAINT LAZARUS on a number of individuals who had served him in the Zouave Papal Army. At the same time VITTORIO EMMANUELE II was conferring the ORDER OF SAINTS MAURICE & LAZARUS on individuals himself. Is there any further information that may help confirm the award of ORDER OF SAINT LAZARUS by Pius IX?

[Elmar Lang]

The order of St. Maurice and Lazarus is an ancient order belonging to the Savoy dinasty and was one of the highest orders in the Kingdom of Italy.

The Order of St. Lazarus is another thing, that for some time had a sort of protectorship by the Vatican. In any case it is considered as one of the various "self-styled orders".

E.L.