Carlo Emanuele Muzzarelli
Encyclopedia
Carlo Emanuele dei conti Muzzarelli (19 April 1797 1856) was an Italian clergyman, a member of the Roman Catholic curia
under Pope Pius IX
, who had the reputation of a liberal as well as a man of letters.
He was born at Ferrara
into the Bolognese
family of the conti Muzzarelli. He began an honorary quasi-military career in the papal service, as a sub-lieutenant of the pontiff's noble Roman guard. His literary abilities recommended him for places in the Papal curia: he was appointed Auditor of the Rota. Pope Pius IX
named him to his High Council, charged with the ministry of Public Instruction, in charge of issuing licenses for publication in the Papal States
, and then presiding minister.
Muzzarelli's a distinguished career in the curia and as a member of the Accademia dei Lincei
at Rome and corresponding member of numerous academies was overtaken by revolutionary events of the Risorgimento. At the time of the uprising that created a Roman Republic
following the assassination of Pellegrino Rossi
, Muzzarelli was appointed First Minister (16 November 1848), the last in a rapid succession of First Ministers that tumultuous year; when Pius left for Gaeta
, 24 November 1848, he left a government in the hands of Muzzarelli, as Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri. Muzzarelli found himself stigmatised as a "revolutionary" by those clerics and patricians who left Rome to join the Pope in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
.
At the formation of a new government in a new Roman Republic
, following an election in which the pope from his exile had proclaimed the act of voting an act of sacrilege, Muzzarelli was requested to retain his position.
When French forces retook Rome in the name of the Pope at the end of that June, Muzzarelli was obliged to withdraw, at first to Tuscany
, then to French Corsica
, and finally to Genoa
, where blindness interrupted his writings in verse as well as prose, and his compilation of biographical notices of literary figures, which he never succeeded in bringing to fruition
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
under Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
, who had the reputation of a liberal as well as a man of letters.
He was born at Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
into the Bolognese
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
family of the conti Muzzarelli. He began an honorary quasi-military career in the papal service, as a sub-lieutenant of the pontiff's noble Roman guard. His literary abilities recommended him for places in the Papal curia: he was appointed Auditor of the Rota. Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
named him to his High Council, charged with the ministry of Public Instruction, in charge of issuing licenses for publication in the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
, and then presiding minister.
Muzzarelli's a distinguished career in the curia and as a member of the Accademia dei Lincei
Accademia dei Lincei
The Accademia dei Lincei, , is an Italian science academy, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy....
at Rome and corresponding member of numerous academies was overtaken by revolutionary events of the Risorgimento. At the time of the uprising that created a Roman Republic
Roman Republic (19th century)
The Roman Republic was a state declared on February 9, 1849, when the government of Papal States was temporarily substituted by a republican government due to Pope Pius IX's flight to Gaeta. The republic was led by Carlo Armellini, Giuseppe Mazzini and Aurelio Saffi...
following the assassination of Pellegrino Rossi
Pellegrino Rossi
Pellegrino Rossi was an Italian economist, politician and jurist. He was an important figure of the July Monarchy in France, and the Minister of Justice in the government of the Papal States, under Pope Pius IX.-Biography:...
, Muzzarelli was appointed First Minister (16 November 1848), the last in a rapid succession of First Ministers that tumultuous year; when Pius left for Gaeta
Gaeta
Gaeta is a city and comune in the province of Latina, in Lazio, central Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is 120 km from Rome and 80 km from Naples....
, 24 November 1848, he left a government in the hands of Muzzarelli, as Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri. Muzzarelli found himself stigmatised as a "revolutionary" by those clerics and patricians who left Rome to join the Pope in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
.
At the formation of a new government in a new Roman Republic
Roman Republic (19th century)
The Roman Republic was a state declared on February 9, 1849, when the government of Papal States was temporarily substituted by a republican government due to Pope Pius IX's flight to Gaeta. The republic was led by Carlo Armellini, Giuseppe Mazzini and Aurelio Saffi...
, following an election in which the pope from his exile had proclaimed the act of voting an act of sacrilege, Muzzarelli was requested to retain his position.
When French forces retook Rome in the name of the Pope at the end of that June, Muzzarelli was obliged to withdraw, at first to Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, then to French Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, and finally to Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, where blindness interrupted his writings in verse as well as prose, and his compilation of biographical notices of literary figures, which he never succeeded in bringing to fruition