Massimo Taparelli, marquis d'Azeglio
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The Honourable Grace Massimo d'Azeglio OSML, MOS, COS, LH |
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Portrait of D'Azeglio by Francesco Gonin (1850)
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| Senator of the Kingdom of Italy | |
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In office 20 October 1853 – 15 January 1866 |
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| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel II |
| Prime Minister of Sardinia | |
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In office 7 May 1849 – 4 November 1852 |
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| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel II |
| Preceded by | Claudio Gabriele de Launay |
| Succeeded by | The Count of Cavour |
| Member of the Sardinian Chamber of Deputies | |
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In office 8 May 1848 – 20 October 1853 |
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| Constituency | Strambino |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 October 1798 Turin, Sardinia |
| Died | 15 January 1866 (aged 67) Turin, Italy |
| Political party | Historical Right |
| Spouse(s) | Giulia Manzoni (m. 1831; her d. 1834) |
| Children | Alessandra |
| Parents | Cesare Tapanelli and Cristina Morozzo |
| Alma mater | University of Turin |
| Profession | Soldier, writer, painter |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch |
 Sardinia Army
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| Years of service | 1815; 1848–1849 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 2nd Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | 1st Italian War of Independence |
Massimo Taparelli, Marquess of Azeglio ([ˈmassimo tapaˈrɛlli dadˈdzeʎʎo]) (24 October 1798 – 15 January 1866), commonly called Massimo d'Azeglio, was a Piedmontese-Italian statesman, novelist and painter. He was Prime Minister of Sardinia for almost three years, until his rival Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour succeeded him. D'Azeglio was not a liberal or a republican, but a paternal conservative who hoped for a federal union between Italian states. As Prime Minister, he consolidated the parliamentary system, getting the young king to accept his constitutional status. Azeglio worked hard for a peace treaty with Austria, and reduction of the power of the Catholic Church in local affairs. He introduced freedom of worship, abolish Religious censorship, and took control of schools away from the Church. He was bored with government, but passionate about painting. One role he performed with great difficulty was maintaining control over a boorish king whose chief passions were hunting, philandering, and posturing as a military genius.
Massimo Taparelli, Marquis d'Azeglio, was born in Turin on 24 October 1798. He was descended from an ancient and noble Piedmontese family. His father, Cesare d'Azeglio, an officer in the Piedmontese army, held a high position at court. On the return of Pope Pius VII to Rome after the fall of Napoleon, Cesare was sent as special envoy to the Holy See and took his son, then sixteen years of age, with him as an extra attaché. Young Massimo was given a commission in a cavalry regiment, which he soon relinquished on account of his health. During his residence in Rome, Massimo acquired a love for art and music and decided to become a painter, to the horror of his conservative, aristocratic family. His father reluctantly consented, and Massimo settled in Rome, devoting himself to art.
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