Benedetto Cairoli
| Benedetto Cairoli | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 10th Prime Minister of Italy | |
|
In office 14 July 1879 – 29 May 1881 |
|
| Monarch | Umberto I |
| Preceded by | Agostino Depretis |
| Succeeded by | Agostino Depretis |
|
In office 24 March 1878 – 19 December 1878 |
|
| Monarch | Umberto I |
| Preceded by | Agostino Depretis |
| Succeeded by | Agostino Depretis |
| President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies | |
|
In office 7 March 1878 – 24 March 1878 |
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| Preceded by | Francesco Crispi |
| Succeeded by | Domenico Farini |
| Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
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In office 25 November 1879 – 28 May 1881 |
|
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Agostino Depretis |
| Succeeded by | Pasquale Mancini |
|
In office 24 October 1878 – 19 December 1878 |
|
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Luigi Corti |
| Succeeded by | Agostino Depretis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
28 January 1825 Pavia, Italy |
| Died | 8 August 1889 (aged 64) Naples, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party | Historical Left |
Benedetto Cairoli (28 January 1825 – 8 August 1889) was an Italian statesman.
Cairoli was born at Pavia, Lombardy. From 1848 until the completion of Italian unity in 1870, his whole activity was devoted to the Risorgimento, as Garibaldian officer, political refugee, anti-Austrian conspirator and deputy to parliament. He commanded a volunteer company under Garibaldi in 1859 and 1860, being wounded slightly at Calatafimi and severely at Palermo in the latter year. In 1866, with the rank of colonel, he assisted Garibaldi in the campaign in the County of Tyrol, in 1867 fought at Mentana, and in 1870 conducted the negotiations with Bismarck, during which the German chancellor is alleged to have promised Italy possession of Rome and of her natural frontiers if the Democratic party could prevent an alliance between Victor Emmanuel and Napoleon.
The prestige personally acquired by Benedetto Cairoli was augmented by that of his four brothers, who fell during the wars of the Risorgimento, and by the heroic conduct of their mother. His refusal of all compensation or distinction further endeared him to the Italian people. When in 1876 the Left came into power, Cairoli, then a deputy of sixteen years standing, became parliamentary leader of his party, and, after the fall of Depretis, Nicotera and Crispi, formed his first cabinet in March 1878 with a Francophile and Irredentist policy.
After his marriage with the countess Elena Sizeo of Trent, he permitted the Irredentist agitation to carry the country to the verge of a war with Austria. General irritation was caused by his and Count Corti's policy of clean hands at the Berlin Congress, where Italy obtained nothing, while Austria-Hungary secured a European mandate to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina. A few months later the attempt of Giovanni Passannante to assassinate King Humbert at Naples (12 December 1878) caused his downfall, in spite of the courage displayed and the severe wound received by him in protecting the king's person on that occasion.
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Wikipedia