Cesare Airaghi was an Italian colonel and war hero who participated in several conflicts during the 19th-century. Airaghi participated at the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Franco-Austrian War, the Austro-Sardinian War or Italian War of 1859 ( it, Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana; french: Campagne d'Italie), was fought by the Second French Empire and ...

, the

Third Italian War of Independence The Third Italian War of Independence ( it, Terza Guerra d'Indipendenza Italiana) 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 ...

and the

First Italo-Ethiopian War The First Italo-Ethiopian War, lit. ''Abyssinian War'' was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from 1895 to 1896. It originated from the disputed Treaty of Wuchale, which the Italians claimed turned Ethiopia into an Italian protectorate. Full-s ...

before being killed at the

Battle of Adwa The Battle of Adwa (; ti, ውግእ ዓድዋ; , also spelled ''Adowa'') was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian forces defeated the Italian invading force on Sunday 1 March 1896, near the town of Adwa. The d ...

Early years

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

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

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

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it on ...

, Airaghi enlisted in the 9th Infantry Regiment and participating at the

. He was appointed as Second Lieutenant of the 17th Infantry Division and fought at the Battle of Palestro. 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 June 17, 1861, while at the 28th Infantry Regiment and to captain on July 14, 1866. He then participated in the

and fought the Austrians at

Borgosatollo Borgosatollo (Brescian: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy. It is bounded by other communes of Brescia, Castenedolo, Montirone, Poncarale and San Zeno Naviglio, and situated directly south of Brescia, in the plain. B ...

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 ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

and stationed at the

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

– Keren area before being transferred to

Massawa Massawa ( ; ti, ምጽዋዕ, məṣṣəwaʿ; gez, ምጽዋ; ar, مصوع; it, Massaua; pt, Maçuá) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahl ...

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

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...

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

Battle of Adwa

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

as he commanded the 6th African Infantry Regiment as part of the 2nd Brigade of the Right column. On the evening of February 29, 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

Medal of Military Valor The Medal of Military Valor ( Italian language: ''Medaglia al valor militare'') is an Italian medal, originally established as a Sardinian award. It is awarded to military personnel, units above the level of company, and civilians for except ...

on March 1, 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 Military personnel from Milan People of former Italian colonies University of Pavia alumni Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor Italian military personnel of the First Italo-Ethiopian War Italian military personnel killed in the First Italo-Ethiopian War