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Political Thinkers
Camillo Benso di
Cavour (1810-1861)
Honored in
Italy
as one of the major figures in the formation of a united
Italy,
Cavour was born into an aristocratic family in
Torino (Region of
Piemonte), then ruled by the House of Savoy. As the second son, he was expected
to seek a career in the army, and at 10 years old he was sent to a military
academy. After graduating at 16, he served as an engineer in the Piedmontese-Sardinian
army. He studied the English language and developed liberal political
tendencies, which clashed with the policies of Charles Albert, King of Sardinia.
Cavour resigned from the army in 1831 and started his career in politics,
becoming mayor of Grinzane – the town of the family estate. He traveled to
France,
Switzerland,
and England,
studying political and social reform, agriculture, and the economy; and applied
his knowledge of agriculture to the management of the estate.
The election of Pope Pius IX in 1847,
who was initially viewed as a more tolerant and liberal pope, offered an
opportunity for Cavour – who had become a proponent of Italian nationalism – to
begin a newspaper,
Il Risorgimento (The
Resurgence), with several others. In 1848, the newspaper supported an uprising
for liberation from
Austria,
calling for Charles Albert to back it. His army was defeated and Charles Albert
advocated his throne to his son Victor Emmanuel. In 1850, Cavour was appointed
Minister of Agriculture, and a year later, Minister of Finance. In 1852, he was
appointed Prime Minister of Piemonte, and sought to limit the power of the pope
and promote foreign affairs.
During the Crimean War, Piemonte allied
with France
and England
against Russia.
Cavour briefly resigned from office and in 1858, he independently met with
Giuseppe Garibaldi to enlist his aid in unifying
Italy
and with Napoleon III to discuss
France
backing Piemonte in its independence from
Austria.
A year later, to end the Second War of Italian Independence, the Treaty of
Villafranca was signed, but Cavour did not agree with all the terms and again
resigned his post. He returned to his position a year later and aided Garibaldi
in his seizure of southern
Italy.
Cavour died in June 1861, three months after Victor Emmanuel II was named the
first king of an independent
Italy.
LINKS:
Cavour - The Risorgimento
Grinzane
Cavour – The Castle
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Written by Janice Mancuso
Biographies
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