Pietro Domenico Frattini (1 December 1821 – 19 March 1853) was a supporter of

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

and one of the Belfiore martyrs.

Life

He was born in Vigo di Legnago, but moved to

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

at the age of 15, and was converted to the Republican ideas of Mazzini by 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 ...

. He was one of the first people to join the Guardia Civica formed in the province. During the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence (), part of the ''Risorgimento'' or unification of Italy, was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other conse ...

he took part in the first battle of

Governolo Roncoferraro ( Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Mantua. Roncoferraro borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo S ...

. After the battle of Novara he joined

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 ...

in his defence of 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 ...

and was seriously injured during the clashes at the Villa Doria Pamphilj. Following 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 ...

's amnesty in October 1849, Frattini returned to Mantua and quickly joined the Mantuan Insurrectional Committee, hiding its secret press in his home and bringing supporters of unification to Mantua from other cities in Italy. He and the other Belfiore martyrs were incriminated by Luigi Castellazzo's confession, arrested on 26 October 1852 and condemned to hang for high treason. The execution took place at Belfiore on 19 March 1853, one hour before the announcement of an amnesty for

Francis Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

's birthday. The precise instructions to Josef Radetzky for the executions forbade him from delaying them - they had been personally set by Francis Joseph with advice from his main counsellor Karl Grünne.Alessandro Luzio, ''Francesco Giuseppe e l'Italia'', Milano, Treves, 1917, pag.6

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frattini, Pietro People executed by hanging Italian people of the Italian unification 1821 births 1853 deaths People from Legnago