Angelo Brunetti ( – ), better known as Ciceruacchio, was a Roman popular leader who participated in the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

of 1849. Born in the

Campo Marzio Campo Marzio () is the 4th of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. IV. It belongs to the Municipio I and covers a smaller section of the area of the ancient Campus Martius. The logo of this rione is a silver crescent on a blue background. ...

district of Rome, he owned a small carting business and became involved with the movement for the political unification of Italy. Having risen to a prominent position in Roman politics after the accession of

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

, he supported the overthrow of the pope's government and the proclamation of the Republic. After the Republic's defeat by the French, Brunetti was captured and executed by the army of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

Name

Brunetti was known by the nickname Ciceruacchio. Writing in the ''

Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani The ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' () is a biographical dictionary published in 100 volumes by the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, started in 1960 and completed in 2020. It includes about 40,000 biographies of distinguished Italia ...

'', the historian Maria Luisa Trebiliani gives two possible explanations for the name: 1) the Roman statesman and orator

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

, to whose eloquence Brunetti was compared, or 2) a puerile term of endearment derived from the Italian ('chubby') and the Romanesco ('piece').

Background

Angelo Brunetti was born on 27 September 1800 into a working-class family in the

district of Rome. His parents were Lorenzo Brunetti, a

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...

, and Cecilia Fiorini. After receiving a simple education, Brunetti started working as a cart driver, transporting wine from the

Roman Castles The Roman Castles (Italian: ''Castelli Romani'') are a group of ''comuni'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome. They are located a short distance south-east of the city of Rome, at the feet of the Alban Hills, in the territory corresponding to th ...

to the city. In 1820, he married Annetta Cimarra, a woman from his home district; they had two sons, Luigi and Lorenzo. In the following two decades, he greatly expanded the size of his transport business, and begun delivering

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

and

cereals A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize (Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, suc ...

to customers including the

Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia The Hospital of the Holy Spirit () is the oldest hospital in Europe, located in Rome, Italy. It now serves as a convention center. The complex lies in rione Borgo, east of Vatican City and next to the modern Ospedale di Santo Spirito (which cont ...

. His business afforded the family a moderate level of comfort.

Involvement in politics

Having acquired considerable local influence through his business activities, Brunetti seems to have been introduced to politics by the writer and the notary , who in 1827 led him to join the

Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of Secret society, secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Urugua ...

, a revolutionary group advocating for the political unification of Italy. In 1835, encouraged by the Italian nationalist , he became a member of

Young Italy Young Italy (, ) was an Italian political movement founded in 1831 by Giuseppe Mazzini. A few months after leaving Italy, in June 1831, Mazzini wrote a letter to King Charles Albert of Sardinia, in which he asked him to unite Italy and lead th ...

, a unification movement led by the activist

Giuseppe Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, ; ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the ...

. In 1837, he came under police surveillance because of his involvement in politics. In 1846, the accession of

raised hopes for

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

reforms within the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

. Brunetti organised the Roman public to gather in mass rallies in honour of the new pope. Through his leadership of these events, he became one of the city's most influential politicians, inspiring imitators such as the Neapolitan Michele Viscuso. Visiting Rome during this time, the Piedmontese politician

Massimo d'Azeglio Massimo Taparelli, Marquess of Azeglio (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 succee ...

described Brunetti thus: " eis Rome's first citizen. He exhorts, he pontificates, he keeps the peace."

Roman Republic

In the context of the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

, the government of Pius IX came under pressure to enact liberal reforms. As the pope resisted the popular demands for change, the leaders of the reform movement began to antagonise him. Initially, Brunetti isolated himself by his continued support of Pius, but gradually came to embrace the increasingly radicalised opposition. In November 1848,

Pellegrino Rossi Pellegrino Luigi Odoardo Rossi (13 July 1787 – 15 November 1848) was an Italian economist, politician and jurist. He was an important figure of the July Monarchy in France, and the minister of justice in the government of the Papal States, unde ...

, the head of the pope's government, was assassinated. Brunetti was thought to be personally implicated, while his son Luigi was suspected to have been the assassin. After Rossi's death, Pius IX fled to the Neapolitan town of

Gaeta Gaeta (; ; Southern Latian dialect, Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a seaside resort in the province of Latina in Lazio, Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The city has played ...

. In February 1849, while the pope was exiled, the Roman opposition replaced their

theocratic Theocracy is a form of autocracy or oligarchy in which one or more deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries, with executive and legislative power, who manage the government's daily a ...

government with a democratic one, the

. Brunetti occupied a less prominent role during this period. However, he participated in the defence of the city against a French assault under Charles Oudinot. When the city was captured by the French, Brunetti accompanied

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

, the military leader of the Republican forces, on his northward retreat towards

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Death

On 9 August 1849, Brunetti, his sons, and a small group of Republicans were captured by troops of the

before crossing into Venetian territory. Without a trial, they were executed on the next day for their involvement in the Roman Republic by a

firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...

in the town of . Ciceruacchio asked the Austrians to spare his youngest son, aged 13; instead, they shot him first.

Reception

Luigi Magni Luigi Magni (21 March 1928 – 27 October 2013) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. Life and career Born in Rome, Italy, Magni started his career as a screenwriter, in 1956, with '' Tempo di villeggiatura''. In 1968 he collabo ...

's film ''

In the Name of the Sovereign People ''In the Name of the Sovereign People'' () is a 1990 Italian historical comedy drama film written and directed by Luigi Magni. The film takes place during the First Italian War of Independence. It won the David di Donatello for best costumes. ...

'' (1990), Ciceruacchio is played by the Italian actor

Nino Manfredi Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi (22 March 1921 – 4 June 2004) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter. He was one of the most prominent Italian ac ...

References

Bibliography

* * {{Authority control 1800 births 1849 deaths Carbonari Politicians from Rome Italian independence activists Italian nationalists People of the Revolutions of 1848 People executed by Austria by firing squad