Events from the year 1915 in Italy.

Kingdom of Italy

*Monarch –

Victor Emmanuel III Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albani ...

(1900–1946) *

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

–

Antonio Salandra Antonio Salandra (; 13 August 1853 – 9 December 1931) was a conservative Italian politician, journalist, and writer who served as the 21st prime minister of Italy between 1914 and 1916. He ensured the entry of Italy in World War I on the side o ...

(1914–1916) *

Population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

– 36,271,000

Events

While

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

is raging in Europe, Italy debates its entry into the war. Originally part the

Triple Alliance Triple Alliance may refer to: * Aztec Triple Alliance (1428–1521), Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan and in central Mexico * Triple Alliance (1596), England, France, and the Dutch Republic to counter Spain * Triple Alliance (1668), England, the ...

with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, Italy secretly negotiates with the

Triple Entente The Triple Entente (from French meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was built upon th ...

trying to fulfil Italy’s irredentist claims.

January

* January 13 – The 6.7 Avezzano earthquake shakes the

Province of L'Aquila The province of L'Aquila () is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated Provinces of Italy, province of the Abruzzo region of Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region. It ...

in Italy with a maximum

Mercalli intensity The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS) measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location. This is in contrast with the seismic magnitude usually reported for an earthquake. Magnitude scales measure the inherent force or ...

of XI (''Extreme''). Various agencies estimate the number of people killed to be 29,978–32,610.

February

* February 21 – Neutralist organize large events against the war in many Italian cities clashing with interventionists supported by the police.XXIV Legislatura del Regno d'Italia dal 27 novembre 1913 al 29 settembre 1919
Camera dei deputati, Portale storico (retrieved 29 May 2016) * February 25 – The police start shooting at a rally held in

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

by the socialist irredentist from

Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...

, Cesare Battisti, demanding Italy join the

against Austria, killing one protester and wounding others.

March

* March 4 – Italy begins negotiations with the

. The ambassador in London hands over the Italian conditions to the British Foreign Minister Edward Grey. * March 31 – In

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, public forces repress a demonstration against the war called by socialist leader

Giacinto Menotti Serrati Giacinto Menotti Serrati (; 25 November 1872 – 10 May 1926) was an Italian communist politician and newspaper editor. Biography He was born in Spotorno. He was a central leader of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), editor of the paper ''Avant ...

, who was arrested along with other 235 people. At the same time a demonstration in favour of the intervention takes place under the direction of

Filippo Corridoni Filippo Corridoni (19 August 1887 – 23 October 1915) was an Italian trade unionist and syndicalist. Born in Pausula, today Corridonia, he was a friend of future Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Between 24 and 25 January 1915, the '' ...

and

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

April

* April 8 – Foreign Minister

Sidney Sonnino Sidney Costantino, Baron Sonnino (; 11 March 1847 – 24 November 1922) was an Italian statesman, 19th prime minister of Italy and twice served briefly as one, in 1906 and again from 1909 to 1910. In 1901, he founded a new major newspaper, '' Il ...

sends a draft treaty in eleven articles to Austria. Among the various requests the treaty envisages the transfer to Italy of

and

Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...

and the Isarco Valley and various islands along the Dalmatian coast, a shift of the Italian eastern border including

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

, the creation of an autonomous state of

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

, and the waiver of all Austrian claims on

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. In exchange, Sonnino guarantees Italian neutrality in the ongoing war. On April 16, Austria rejects the Italian demands, reiterating that it is prepared to give only part of the Trentino. Consequently, the negotiations between the two States are interrupted. * April 26 – A secret pact, the Treaty of London or London Pact (), is signed between the

(the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

) and the Kingdom of Italy. According to the pact, Italy was to leave the

and join the Triple Entente. Italy was to declare war against

and

within a month in return for territorial concessions at the end of the war to fulfil Italy’s irredentist claims.Baker, Ray Stannard (1923). ''Woodrow Wilson and World Settlement, Volume I'', Doubleday, Page and Company
pp. 52–55
/ref>

May

* May 3 – Italy officially revokes the Triple Alliance. In the following days

Giovanni Giolitti Giovanni Giolitti (; 27 October 1842 – 17 July 1928) was an Italian statesman. He was the prime minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921. He is the longest-serving democratically elected prime minister in Italian history, and the sec ...

and the neutralist majority of the Parliament oppose declaring war, while nationalist crowds demonstrate in public areas for entering the war. * May 13 – Prime Minister

offers his resignation, but Giolitti, fearful of nationalist disorder that might break into open rebellion, declines to succeed as prime minister and Salandra's resignation is not accepted. * May 20 – The Chamber of Deputies passes (407 to 74) a single-article bill transferring both legislative and executive powers to the government, empowering it to do what it deemed necessary to ensure the security of the state. * May 23 - Italy declares war on the German Empire. Caglioti, Daniela L. (2014).
Why and How Italy Invented an Enemy Aliens Problem in the First World War
, ''War in History'', 2014, Vol. 21(2) 142– 169

June

* June 23 – July 7 – The

First Battle of the Isonzo First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

between the Armies of Italy and

on the Italian Front in

. The aim of the Italian Army, under the command of

Luigi Cadorna Marshal of Italy Luigi Cadorna, (4 September 1850 – 21 December 1928) was an Italian people, Italian general, Marshal of Italy and Count, most famous for being the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army from 1914 until 1917 during World War I ...

, was to drive the Austrians away from its defensive positions along the

Soča Soča (, in Slovene) or Isonzo (, in Italian; other names: ; ; or ') is a long river that flows through western Slovenia () and northeastern Italy (). An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps ...

(Isonzo) and on the nearby mountains.

July

* July 18 – August 3 – Second Battle of the Isonzo. After the failed first attempt, the Italians launch another frontal assault against the Austro-Hungarian trench lines with more artillery, but the forces of Austria-Hungary beat back this bloody offensive, which concludes in stalemate and exhaustion of weaponry.

September

* September 5–8 – The first socialist international anti-war conference is held in Zimmerwald (Switzerland). Participants for the Italian socialists include

Costantino Lazzari Costantino Lazzari (1 January 1857, Cremona – 29 December 1927, Rome) was an Italian politician. He was one of the founders and main leaders of the Italian Socialist Party. Biography Constantino Lazzari was born in Cremona, Italy on 1 Januar ...

, Giuseppe Emanuele Modigliani,

Oddino Morgari Oddino Morgari (16 November 1865 – 24 November 1944) was an Italian socialist journalist and politician. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1897 to 1929, for eight legislatures. Early life Initially a Mazzinian radical, he ...

and

Angelica Balabanoff Angelica Balabanoff (or Balabanov, Balabanova; – ''Anzhelika Balabanova''; 4 August 1878 – 25 November 1965) was a Russian-Italian communist and social democratic activist of Jewish origin. She served as secretary of the Comintern fr ...

. The conference approved a manifesto condemning the war and proposes joint action for a peace without annexations and without indemnities of war, and the right to self-determination of peoples.

October

* October 18 – November 3 –

Third Battle of the Isonzo The Third Battle of the Isonzo was fought from 18 October to 4 November 1915 between the armies of Italy and Austria-Hungary. Background The first move was made in Italy, on the eastern sector; because this was their third attack that year, it ...

. Forces of Austria-Hungary again repulse an Italian offensive, which concludes without resulting gains. * October 19 – Italy declares war on

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

November

* November 10 – December 2 –

Fourth Battle of the Isonzo The Fourth Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the armies of Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front in World War I, between 10 November and 2 December 1915. Overview In contrast to the previous three battles ...

. Both sides suffer more casualties, but the Austro-Hungarian forces repulse this Italian offensive too, and the battle ends because of exhaustion of armaments.

Sports

* March 28 – The Italian rider

Ezio Corlaita Ezio Corlaita (25 October 1889 – 20 September 1967) was an Italian professional racing cyclist. He notably won the 1915 Milan–San Remo and three stages of the Giro d'Italia, in 1911 and 1919. He also won the 1914 Giro dell'Emilia and the 191 ...

wins the 9th

Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...

bicycle race. * November 7 – The Italian rider

Gaetano Belloni Gaetano Belloni (26 August 1892 – 9 January 1980) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlights of his career were his overall win in the 1920 Giro d'Italia, the two victories in Milan–San Remo (1917 and 1920), and the three ...

wins the 11th

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia (), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Cycling monument, Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycli ...

bicycle race.

Births

* February 23 - Don Giovanni Fornasini, Gold Medal of Military Valour, Servant of God, murdered at Marzabotto by a Waffen SS soldier (d. 1944) * March 30 –

Pietro Ingrao Pietro Ingrao (30 March 1915 – 27 September 2015) was an Italian politician and journalist who participated in the Italian resistance movement. For many years, he was a senior figure in the Italian Communist Party (PCI). Biography Ingrao w ...

, Italian politician, journalist and former partisan. Senior figure in the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party (, PCI) was a communist and democratic socialist political party in Italy. It was established in Livorno as the Communist Party of Italy (, PCd'I) on 21 January 1921, when it seceded from the Italian Socialist Part ...

(PCI) (d. 2015) * May 16 –

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, one of the masters of the ''commedia all'italiana'' ("Italian-style comedy"). He was nominated six times for an Academy Awards, Os ...

, six times-Oscar nominated Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2010) * June 16 –

Mariano Rumor Mariano Rumor ( ;16 June 1915 – 22 January 1990) was an Italian politician and statesman. A member of the Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC), he served as the 39th prime minister of Italy from December 1968 to August 1970 an ...

, Italian politician and Prime Minister (d. 1990) * July 17 - Mario Del Monaco, Italian operatic tenor (d. 1982) * September 7 –

Maria Corti Maria Corti (7 September 1915 – 22 February 2002) was an Italian philologist, literary critic, and novelist. Considered one of the leading literary scholars of post-World War II Italy, she was awarded numerous prizes including the Premio Campiel ...

, Italian philologist, literary critic, and novelist (d. 2002)

Deaths

*August 19 –

Serafino Vannutelli Serafino Vannutelli (26 November 1834 – 19 August 1915) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, a cardinal and official of the Roman Curia where he held several of the highest administrative posts. Made a cardinal in 1887, he was name ...

, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, Dean of the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

(b.

1834 Events January–March * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 – The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City. * January – The W ...

) *November 3 – Bernardino Verro, Sicilian syndicalist and politician involved in the

Fasci Siciliani The Fasci Siciliani (), short for Fasci Siciliani dei Lavoratori ('Sicilian Workers Leagues'), were a popular movement of Democracy, democratic and socialist inspiration that arose in Sicily in the years between 1889 and 1894. The Fasci gained ...

(Sicilian Leagues), killed by the

Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a secret society, criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of ...

(b. 1866) *December 3 –

Scipio Slataper Scipio Slataper (14 July 1888 – 3 December 1915) was an Italian writer, most famous for his lyrical essay '' My Karst''. He is considered, alongside Italo Svevo, the initiator of the prolific tradition of Italian literature in Trieste. Biogra ...

, Italian writer (b. 1888) *December 8 – Gaetano Perusini, Italian physician, pupil and colleague of

Alois Alzheimer Alois Alzheimer ( , , ; 14 June 1864 – 19 December 1915) was a German psychiatrist, neuropathologist and colleague of Emil Kraepelin. He is credited with identifying the first published case of "presenile dementia", which Kraepelin later ide ...

(b. 1879) *December 31 –

Tommaso Salvini Tommaso Salvini (1 January 182931 December 1915) was an Italian actor. Life Salvini was born in Milan to parents who were both actors, his mother being the popular actress Guglielmina Zocchi. Finding the boy had a talent for acting, his father ...

, Italian actor (b. 1829)

References

{{Year in Europe, 1915 1910s in Italy Years of the 20th century in Italy