Cesare Airaghi (4 October 1840 - 1 March 1896) was an Italian military officer and war hero who participated in several conflicts during the 19th century. While attending the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia (, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; ) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest un ...

, Airaghi enlisted in the 9th Infantry Regiment and participated in the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: ''Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana''; German: ''Sardinischer Krieg''; French: ...

. Following the war, he finished his studies and graduated as an engineer. He was promoted to captain on 14 July 1866 and fought in the

Third Italian War of Independence The Third Italian War of Independence () was a war between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire fought between June and August 1866. The conflict paralleled the Austro-Prussian War and resulted in Austria giving the region of Venetia (p ...

. He was promoted to colonel in October 1888 and fought in the

First Italo-Ethiopian War The First Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the First Italo-Abyssinian War, or simply known as the Abyssinian War in Italy (), was a military confrontation fought between Kingdom of Italy, Italy and Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia from 1895 to ...

before being killed at the

Battle of Adwa The Battle of Adwa (; ; , also spelled ''Adowa'') was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian army defeated an invading Italian and Eritrean force led by Oreste Baratieri on March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa. ...

. Airaghi was posthumously awarded the Gold

Medal of Military Valor The Medal of Military Valor (Italian language: ''Medaglia al valor militare'') is an Italian medal, originally established as a Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinian award. It is awarded to military personnel, units above the level of Company (milita ...

on 1 March 1896, for his command at Adwa and a plaque was placed in Milan in his memory.

Early years

Cesare was born on 4 October 1840, as the son of Giovanni Battista and Marietta Lattuada at

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 ...

. When he was 14, his father was killed and Cesare was forced to be responsible for his family's finance. While attending the

, Airaghi enlisted in the 9th Infantry Regiment and participated in the

. He was appointed as Second Lieutenant of the 17th Infantry Division and fought at the

Battle of Palestro The Battle of Palestro was fought on 30–31 May 1859 between the Austrian Empire and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and Second French Empire, France. The Franco-Piedmontese forces were victorious. It was fought just sout ...

. After the war, Airaghi resumed his studies at the University of Pavia and eventually graduated as an engineer.

Military career

Airaghi was promoted to Lieutenant on 17 June 1861, while at the 28th Infantry Regiment and to captain on 14 July 1866. He then participated in the

and fought the Austrians at Borgosatollo and Levico. After the war, he returned to the 28th Infantry Regiment from 1874 to March 1878 and two months later, he was promoted to major. He then proceeded to work as a tactical teacher at the in July 1883 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 1884. Around 1888, Airaghi was given command of the 77th Infantry Regiment and promoted to Colonel in October 1888. Around September 1889, Airaghi was sent to

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

and stationed at the

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera (), is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region (Eritrea), Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the List of capital cities by altitude, sixth highest capital in the wo ...

– Keren area before being transferred to

Massawa Massawa or Mitsiwa ( ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea Region, Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago. It has been a historically important port for ...

. In January 1890, he took part in an expedition to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

under the command of Baldassarre Orero before returning to the Italian mainland in October of the same year. He was then given command of the 36th Infantry Regiment but left on 1 August 1893, following a request to become an

auxiliary Auxiliary may refer to: In language * Auxiliary language (disambiguation) * Auxiliary verb In military and law enforcement * Auxiliary police * Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of some kind to a military se ...

Battle of Adwa

On 13 January 1896, Airaghi was called to Eritrea to participate in the

as he commanded the 6th African Infantry Regiment as part of the 2nd Brigade of the Right column. On the evening of 29 February, Airaghi began his march towards Adwa, reaching the Rebbi Arienni on March 1. During the

, he conducted repeated assaults on the Ethiopian forces with enthusiasm and courage. Despite his success at keeping the Ethiopian forces back, they were beginning to outnumber Airaghi's regiment and they surrounded and he was killed in the fighting. Airaghi was posthumously awarded the Gold

on 1 March 1896, for his command at Adwa and a plaque was placed in Milan in memory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Airaghi, Cesare 1840 births 1896 deaths Italian Army officers Italian colonels Military personnel from Milan People of former Italian colonies University of Pavia alumni Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor Italian military personnel killed in the First Italo-Ethiopian War