Garibaldi and the Birth of Italy: Jamie Mackay (1860)
Jamie Mackay, author of The Invention of Sicily: A Mediterranean History.
In this episode we sweep through Sicily and Southern Italy in the company of the original revolutionary hero, Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi.
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In the mid nineteenth century, change was in the air as new political movements began questioning the status quo. People were dissatisfied with the old system of feudal monarchies which favoured the elite few at the expense of everyone else. Powerful ideas like socialism, republicanism, liberalism and nationalism were spreading through Europe, harnessed by charismatic leaders determined to bring about dramatic social change.
None were more charismatic than Giuseppe Garibaldi, the legendary hero who had escaped execution in Piedmont and survived years as a freedom fighter in the South American Ragamuffin War and the civil war in Uruguay.
In the 1850s, Garibaldi sailed the world and was welcomed by working people everywhere from New York to Tyneside, via Manila, Tangiers and Lima. Along the way he gathered support and funds for his unification project, raising £30,000 in Britain alone as figures like Charles Dickens and Florence Nightingale contributed generously.
Back in Europe, Garibaldi focused his energy on the unification of Italy, which, at this point, was a loose collection of city states, at the mercy of various foreign and internal powers. In 1860 he set off for Sicily with his band of 1000 brave redshirts, the blessing of King Victor Emmanuel II and most importantly of all, the support of the British navy who were anchored nearby. Within days, Palermo had been liberated, the rest of the island followed quickly, and Garibaldi turned his attention to mainland Italy – unification was in sight.
Our guide on this epoch-making trip is Jamie Mackay, a writer who is based in the beautiful town of Fiesole just north of Florence. This episode relates to his book The Invention of Sicily which tells the story of this fascinating island, fought over and coveted by almost every civilisation in history, a romantic melting pot where cruelty and disaster were never far away.
Mackay explains that while there was much to celebrate in the years after Garibaldi’s triumph in 1860, the political situation was complex and there were profound differences of opinion within the movement, so that true unification took several more years to achieve. Brigandage was a huge problem in Sicily during the following years, law and order were constantly under threat and the shady origins of the mafia can be traced back to this period.
After an unsuccessful attempt to make Rome the capital of Italy in 1864, Garibaldi left for self-imposed exile in Sardinia, reportedly setting sail with just a packet of tobacco and some dried salt cod. He has been described as ‘the only wholly admirable figure in modern history,’ a national hero and an international legend who has inspired people campaigning for social justice and change ever since.
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Show Notes
Scene One: April-June, 1860. Garibaldi’s Expedition of the Thousand lands in Marsala before moving on to liberate Palermo.
Scene Two: 2-5 August, 1860. The revolution in Bronte, a village on the slopes of Mount Etna and the brutal repression that followed.
Scene Three: 2 October, 1860. Garibaldi takes Naples and ‘hands over’ control to the Savoy monarchy, the new kingdom is ratified (by popular vote) and there are allegations of corruption.
Memento: Some kind of culinary monstrosity from the Bourbonic kitchen – e.g. a timballo – as an emblem of the decadent world that apparently came to an end in 1860.
People/Social
Presenter: Violet Moller
Guest: Jamie Mackay
Production: Maria Nolan
Podcast partner: Unseen Histories
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About Jamie Mackay
Jamie Mackay is a writer and translator based in Florence. He contributes to the Guardian, the TLS and Frieze among others and is the author of The Invention of Sicily: A Mediterranean History. (Verso Books, 2021). Jamie also writes a regular newsletter about contemporary life in Italy.
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