Francesco Nullo
Encyclopedia
Francesco Nullo was an Italian patriot
, military officer and a merchant
, a close friend and confidant of Giuseppe Garibaldi
. He supported independence movements in Italy
and Poland
. He was a participant of the Five Days of Milan
and other events of the revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
, Sicilian
Expedition of the Thousand
in 1859 and the Polish January Uprising
in 1863. His military career ended with him receiving the rank of general in Poland
, shortly before his death in the Battle of Krzykawka
.
, as a son of Arcangelo and Angelina Magno, a wealthy family of linen traders. He had five younger brothers. He finished primary school there, with distinction, and continued his education in the Collegio Celana in Val San Martino (Caprino Bergamasco
); a former ecclesiastic seminar, one of the best boarding schools in the region. In 1840 he returned to work in his family's textile factory, but left soon afterward to study in Milan
; there he became involved in the revolutionary movement for Italian unification.
, along with his two brothers he took part in fighting during the Five Days of Milan
. In 1849 he fought near Rome
, and retreated together with Giuseppe Garibaldi
to San Marino
. In 1850 he returned to Bergamo, where he resumed his life as a textile merchant for the next decade.
In 1859, motivated by the resurgence of Italian patriotism, he joined Garibaldi in the ranks of Hunters of the Alps
to fight against the Austrians. On 3 May in Turin
he formed a unit of volunteers. On 27 May he took part in the Battle of San Fermo. Nullo became widely known for the Sicilian
Expedition of the Thousand
, where he commanded the Iron Company (or Iron Brigade). He personally supervised the enrollment of volunteers in Bergamo
which, given the large number of accessions (more than 10% of the total), could then boast the title of City of the Thousand. Due to his previous experience in the textile industry, he provided the red shirts used by Italian partisans, who became known, according to some sources, as the "red shirts". He was wounded in the Battle of Catalafini, but just a few days later lead his soldiers in a charge at the Battle of Palermo
. He was the one who planted the first Italian flag in Palermo
on May 27, 1860. He fought in the victorious Battle of Reggio in Calabria
, and was promoted to major soon afterward.
He wrote in the Book of Honor of Bergamo's volunteers:
In 1862 Nullo was arrested along with 123 other partisans while organizing an expedition for the liberation of Austrian-ruled Veneto
(considered too dangerous by the newly established Kingdom of Italy
). He was soon released, under the pressure of numerous demonstrators calling to "Release Nullo".
He continued to be a faithful companion to Garibaldi in the second expedition to Sicily, including at the Battle of Aspromonte
(1862), when the Italian Army
had to stop Garibaldi in his attempt to reach and conquer Rome
, which was protected by France
. Garibaldi was injured in the battle, and Nullo was responsible for saving him.
, because of the popular indignation at the events in Aspromonte, the new prime minister Luigi Carlo Farini
encouraged Nullo to form a legion of volunteers to intervene on the side of Polish insurgents against Russian domination
, ensuring his lobbying at King Vittorio Emanuele II, to declare war on the Russian Empire
. Nullo, already friends with Poles such as Ludwik Mierosławski and Marian Langiewicz
, who supported him and Garibaldi in their past fights, quickly took to the Polish cause, soon organizing meetings in Bergamo and recruiting volunteers for the Polish cause, recalling Polish support for the Italian cause during the Napoleonic wars
(Polish Legions in Italy
), and even more so, during the Spring of Nations (Mickiewicz's Legion
).
Farini was considered insane and forced to resign, but Nullo could leave for Poland
, gathering some Italian volunteers (sources vary with regards to their number, but most reliable ones settle on about twenty). The group, commanded by Nullo, became known as the Garibaldi Legion
. During the trip, the Italian group was joined by a small groups of Polish emigres and the French volunteer unit, the Zouaves of Death
, led by Lieutenant François Rochebrune
. The Italians and the French were sometimes referred to as the Foreign Legion.
Nullo with a selected cadre of a dozen or so volunteers reached Kraków
in April 1863. They were incorporated into the unit of colonel Józef Miniewski. The Legion crossed the borders of Congress Poland
on the night of May the 3rd and the 4th near Ostrężnica
and Czyżówka
, after organizing in Krzeszowice
. Early in the morning of the 4th the unit's first battle in Poland occurred at Podłęże where it defeated a Russian force (the garrison
from Olkusz
). The Polish National Government awarded him the rank of general. With a Polish unit commanded by colonel Miniewski he marched on Olkusz
. On the Morning of May the 5th they reached Krzykawka
.
Subsequently, on May the 5th, the Legion, along with the Polish unit under Miniewski, took part in the Battle of Krzykawka
. In the first stage of the battle, the insurgents push the Russian troops back in close fighting; but subsequent Russian reinforcements turn the tide and the insurgents and their foreign allies suffered heavy casualties; both Miniewski and Nullo were killed in that battle. Nullo was mortally injured leading the charge. Hit by a Cossack
bullet while preparing (or leading) a charge (sources vary), he had only time to whisper, in Bergamo dialect
:So' mort! (I'm dead). Several other Italians were killed in this battle, and some were taken prisoner and deported to Siberia
, including the cornigliese
Giovanni Rustici.
, one of the Sauro class destroyer
s was named after him. The warship was built at Fiume naval shipyards
and took service between 1927 and 1940. In Bergamo
, his hometown, he was dedicated a statue, erected in 1907 by sculptor Ernesto Bazzaro nearby the main city theatre. In 1937 an urn
with soil from his tomb was offered by Polish legioners to the Bergamo Municipality. It is preserved in the town's Museum of Risorgimento
. A medium school was named after him in the 1960s.
In Poland
Nullo is considered a national hero. On 8 May, he was buried in the cemetery in Olkusz
, together with several other soldiers killed in the battle of Krzykawka, and on 12 May a mass in his name was held in Kraków
. Even before Poland regained its independence, a monument dedicated to him was built there by the local community; it was raised illegally as at that time Olkusz was still part of the Russian partition
. In 1915 a memorial to Nullo and other soldiers was raised on the battle site near Krzykawka; the field is known as Nullo's Field. In the Second Polish Republic
, in 1923, on the 60th anniversary of the battle, a ceremony was held there, attended by government officials and with the writer Stefan Żeromski
giving an eulogy
. In 1931 a Polish-Italian ceremony was held at the graveyard. He was the patron of the 50 Regiment of Kresy Riflemen (50 Pułk Piechoty Strzelców Kresowych). Even during the Cold War
years, a consul went to Bergamo to pay him homage at the foot of the monument dedicated to him in his hometown. In 1963, on the battle's 100th anniversary, an Italian delegation visited the cemetery, adding another plaque and several trees. Nine streets and three schools in Poland bear his name. He is also commemorated in several poems. There is also a monument in Warsaw
(on a street bearing his name), the monument was unveiled on February 26, 1939, by Galeazzo Ciano
. On the 130th anniversary of his death, on May 5, 1993, Polish Post issued a stamp dedicated to him.
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
, military officer and a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, a close friend and confidant of Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
. He supported independence movements in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He was a participant of the Five Days of Milan
Five Days of Milan
The Five Days of Milan was a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 and the start of the First Italian War of Independence. On March 18th, the city of Milan, rose, and in five days of street fighting drove Marshal Radetzky and his men from the city....
and other events of the revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
The 1848 revolutions in the Italian states were organized revolts in the states of Italy led by intellectuals and agitators who desired a liberal government. As Italian nationalists they sought to eliminate reactionary Austrian control...
, Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
Expedition of the Thousand
Expedition of the Thousand
The Expedition of the Thousand was a military campaign led by the revolutionary general Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860. A force of volunteers defeated the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, leading to its dissolution and annexation by the Kingdom of Sardinia, an important step in the creation of a newly...
in 1859 and the Polish January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
in 1863. His military career ended with him receiving the rank of general in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, shortly before his death in the Battle of Krzykawka
Battle of Krzykawka
Battle of Krzykawka was a military engagement that took place during the January Uprising on May 5, 1863, between Russian forces and Polish insurgents and foreign volunteers allied with them. It took place close to the village of Krzykawka near Olkusz...
.
Youth
Francesco Nullo was born on March 1 in BergamoBergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, as a son of Arcangelo and Angelina Magno, a wealthy family of linen traders. He had five younger brothers. He finished primary school there, with distinction, and continued his education in the Collegio Celana in Val San Martino (Caprino Bergamasco
Caprino Bergamasco
Caprino Bergamasco is a comune in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 40 km northeast of Milan and about 15 km northwest of Bergamo...
); a former ecclesiastic seminar, one of the best boarding schools in the region. In 1840 he returned to work in his family's textile factory, but left soon afterward to study in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
; there he became involved in the revolutionary movement for Italian unification.
Struggle for Italian independence
During the revolutions of 1848Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
, along with his two brothers he took part in fighting during the Five Days of Milan
Five Days of Milan
The Five Days of Milan was a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 and the start of the First Italian War of Independence. On March 18th, the city of Milan, rose, and in five days of street fighting drove Marshal Radetzky and his men from the city....
. In 1849 he fought near Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and retreated together with Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
to San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
. In 1850 he returned to Bergamo, where he resumed his life as a textile merchant for the next decade.
In 1859, motivated by the resurgence of Italian patriotism, he joined Garibaldi in the ranks of Hunters of the Alps
Hunters of the Alps
The Hunters of the Alps were a special military corps created by Giuseppe Garibaldi in Cuneo on February 20, 1859 to help the regular Sardinian army to free the northern part of Italy in the Second Italian War of Independence....
to fight against the Austrians. On 3 May in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
he formed a unit of volunteers. On 27 May he took part in the Battle of San Fermo. Nullo became widely known for the Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
Expedition of the Thousand
Expedition of the Thousand
The Expedition of the Thousand was a military campaign led by the revolutionary general Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860. A force of volunteers defeated the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, leading to its dissolution and annexation by the Kingdom of Sardinia, an important step in the creation of a newly...
, where he commanded the Iron Company (or Iron Brigade). He personally supervised the enrollment of volunteers in Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
which, given the large number of accessions (more than 10% of the total), could then boast the title of City of the Thousand. Due to his previous experience in the textile industry, he provided the red shirts used by Italian partisans, who became known, according to some sources, as the "red shirts". He was wounded in the Battle of Catalafini, but just a few days later lead his soldiers in a charge at the Battle of Palermo
Battle of Palermo
The naval Battle of Palermo took place on 2 June 1676 during the Franco-Dutch War, between a French force led by Abraham Duquesne and a Spanish force supported by a Dutch maritime expedition force. Largely because the Dutch and Spanish ships were at bay making repairs from earlier a battle, the...
. He was the one who planted the first Italian flag in Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
on May 27, 1860. He fought in the victorious Battle of Reggio in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, and was promoted to major soon afterward.
He wrote in the Book of Honor of Bergamo's volunteers:
In 1862 Nullo was arrested along with 123 other partisans while organizing an expedition for the liberation of Austrian-ruled Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
(considered too dangerous by the newly established Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
). He was soon released, under the pressure of numerous demonstrators calling to "Release Nullo".
He continued to be a faithful companion to Garibaldi in the second expedition to Sicily, including at the Battle of Aspromonte
Battle of Aspromonte
The Battle of Aspromonte, named for the mountain near Reggio Calabria in southern Italy and fought August 29, 1862, is an inconclusive episode of the Italian unification process....
(1862), when the Italian Army
Italian Army
The Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Armed Forces. It is all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 108,355 in 2010. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank, and among its aircraft...
had to stop Garibaldi in his attempt to reach and conquer Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, which was protected by France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Garibaldi was injured in the battle, and Nullo was responsible for saving him.
In the 1863 Polish January Uprising
After the overthrow of the government of Urbano RattazziUrbano Rattazzi
Urbano Pio Francesco Rattazzi was an Italian statesman.-Biography:He was born in Alessandria . He studied law at Turin, and in 1838 began his practice, which met with marked success at the capital and Casale. In 1848, Rattazzi was sent to the Sardinian chamber of deputies in Turin as...
, because of the popular indignation at the events in Aspromonte, the new prime minister Luigi Carlo Farini
Luigi Carlo Farini
Luigi Carlo Farini was an Italian statesman and historian.-Biography:Farini was born at Russi, in what is now the province of Ravenna....
encouraged Nullo to form a legion of volunteers to intervene on the side of Polish insurgents against Russian domination
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
, ensuring his lobbying at King Vittorio Emanuele II, to declare war on the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Nullo, already friends with Poles such as Ludwik Mierosławski and Marian Langiewicz
Marian Langiewicz
Marian Langiewicz, full name Marian Antoni Melchior Langiewicz , was a Polish patriot notable as a military leader of the January Uprising in 1863.-Biography:He was born in the province of Posen, his father being the local doctor...
, who supported him and Garibaldi in their past fights, quickly took to the Polish cause, soon organizing meetings in Bergamo and recruiting volunteers for the Polish cause, recalling Polish support for the Italian cause during the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
(Polish Legions in Italy
Polish Legions in Italy
The Polish Legions, in the Napoleonic period, were several Polish military units that served with the French Army from the 1790s to the 1810s....
), and even more so, during the Spring of Nations (Mickiewicz's Legion
Mickiewicz's Legion
The Mickiewicz Legion or the Polish Legion was a military unit formed on March 29, 1848 in Rome by one of the most notable Polish poets Adam Mickiewicz, to take part in the liberation of Italy....
).
Farini was considered insane and forced to resign, but Nullo could leave for Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, gathering some Italian volunteers (sources vary with regards to their number, but most reliable ones settle on about twenty). The group, commanded by Nullo, became known as the Garibaldi Legion
Garibaldi Legion
The Garibaldi Legion was a small unit of Italian volunteers who fought for Polish independence in the January Uprising of 1863...
. During the trip, the Italian group was joined by a small groups of Polish emigres and the French volunteer unit, the Zouaves of Death
Zouaves of Death
Zouaves of Death were a Polish military unit during the January Uprising, formed in February 1863 from volunteers in Ojców, Poland, by the French officer François Rochebrune...
, led by Lieutenant François Rochebrune
François Rochebrune
François Rochebrune was a French army officer and Polish general. He participated in the January Uprising against Tsarist Russia, in which he organized and led the Zouaves of Death.-Biography:Rochebrune was born in Vienne in Isère, France, to an impoverished family...
. The Italians and the French were sometimes referred to as the Foreign Legion.
Nullo with a selected cadre of a dozen or so volunteers reached Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
in April 1863. They were incorporated into the unit of colonel Józef Miniewski. The Legion crossed the borders of Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
on the night of May the 3rd and the 4th near Ostrężnica
Ostreznica
Ostrężnica is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Krzeszowice, within Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Krzeszowice and north-west of the regional capital Kraków....
and Czyżówka
Czyzówka
Czyżówka may refer to the following places:*Czyżówka, Chrzanów County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship *Czyżówka, Gorlice County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship *Czyżówka, Masovian Voivodeship...
, after organizing in Krzeszowice
Krzeszowice
Krzeszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As of 2004, the population of Krzeszowice was 9,993.In 2008, it was selected with 19 villages of Europe -Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain- for the Spanish documentary film "Villages of Europe" Pueblos de Europa,...
. Early in the morning of the 4th the unit's first battle in Poland occurred at Podłęże where it defeated a Russian force (the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
from Olkusz
Olkusz
Olkusz is a town in south Poland with 37,696 inhabitants . Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Katowice Voivodeship , it is the capital of Olkusz County...
). The Polish National Government awarded him the rank of general. With a Polish unit commanded by colonel Miniewski he marched on Olkusz
Olkusz
Olkusz is a town in south Poland with 37,696 inhabitants . Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Katowice Voivodeship , it is the capital of Olkusz County...
. On the Morning of May the 5th they reached Krzykawka
Krzykawka
Krzykawka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Bolesław, within Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland.The village has a population of 830.-References:...
.
Subsequently, on May the 5th, the Legion, along with the Polish unit under Miniewski, took part in the Battle of Krzykawka
Battle of Krzykawka
Battle of Krzykawka was a military engagement that took place during the January Uprising on May 5, 1863, between Russian forces and Polish insurgents and foreign volunteers allied with them. It took place close to the village of Krzykawka near Olkusz...
. In the first stage of the battle, the insurgents push the Russian troops back in close fighting; but subsequent Russian reinforcements turn the tide and the insurgents and their foreign allies suffered heavy casualties; both Miniewski and Nullo were killed in that battle. Nullo was mortally injured leading the charge. Hit by a Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
bullet while preparing (or leading) a charge (sources vary), he had only time to whisper, in Bergamo dialect
Bergamasque
The Bergamasque is the western variant of the Eastern Lombard group of the Lombard language. It is mainly spoken in the province of Bergamo and in the area around Crema, in central Lombardy....
:So' mort! (I'm dead). Several other Italians were killed in this battle, and some were taken prisoner and deported to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, including the cornigliese
Corniglio
Corniglio is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 100 km west of Bologna and about 40 km southwest of Parma...
Giovanni Rustici.
Remembrance
In ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, one of the Sauro class destroyer
Sauro class destroyer
The Sauro Class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1920s. They were based in the Red Sea Italian colony of Eritrea and all fought in World War II being sunk during the East African Campaign in 1941....
s was named after him. The warship was built at Fiume naval shipyards
3. Maj
3. Maj is a shipyard in Croatia, located in the city of Rijeka. It builds mainly oil tankers, bulk cargo ships, and container ships. It also sometimes builds smaller passenger ferries or yachts...
and took service between 1927 and 1940. In Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, his hometown, he was dedicated a statue, erected in 1907 by sculptor Ernesto Bazzaro nearby the main city theatre. In 1937 an urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
with soil from his tomb was offered by Polish legioners to the Bergamo Municipality. It is preserved in the town's Museum of Risorgimento
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
. A medium school was named after him in the 1960s.
In Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Nullo is considered a national hero. On 8 May, he was buried in the cemetery in Olkusz
Olkusz
Olkusz is a town in south Poland with 37,696 inhabitants . Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Katowice Voivodeship , it is the capital of Olkusz County...
, together with several other soldiers killed in the battle of Krzykawka, and on 12 May a mass in his name was held in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. Even before Poland regained its independence, a monument dedicated to him was built there by the local community; it was raised illegally as at that time Olkusz was still part of the Russian partition
Russian partition
The Russian partition was the former territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that were acquired by the Russian Empire in the late-18th-century Partitions of Poland.-Terminology:...
. In 1915 a memorial to Nullo and other soldiers was raised on the battle site near Krzykawka; the field is known as Nullo's Field. In the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, in 1923, on the 60th anniversary of the battle, a ceremony was held there, attended by government officials and with the writer Stefan Żeromski
Stefan Zeromski
Stefan Żeromski was a Polish novelist and dramatist. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under the pen names: Maurycy Zych, Józef Katerla and Stefan Iksmoreż.- Life :...
giving an eulogy
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
. In 1931 a Polish-Italian ceremony was held at the graveyard. He was the patron of the 50 Regiment of Kresy Riflemen (50 Pułk Piechoty Strzelców Kresowych). Even during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
years, a consul went to Bergamo to pay him homage at the foot of the monument dedicated to him in his hometown. In 1963, on the battle's 100th anniversary, an Italian delegation visited the cemetery, adding another plaque and several trees. Nine streets and three schools in Poland bear his name. He is also commemorated in several poems. There is also a monument in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
(on a street bearing his name), the monument was unveiled on February 26, 1939, by Galeazzo Ciano
Galeazzo Ciano
Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law. In early 1944 Count Ciano was shot by firing squad at the behest of his father-in-law, Mussolini under pressure from Nazi Germany.-Early life:Ciano was born in...
. On the 130th anniversary of his death, on May 5, 1993, Polish Post issued a stamp dedicated to him.
Italian
- Studi del Museo Storico di Bergamo.
- Atti, Storia del Risorgimento nazionale, documenti ed oggetti presentati dalla commissione nominata dal municipio di Bergamo, Bolis, BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
1884, SBN IEI0228043; - Giuliana Donati Petténi, La biografia di Francesco Nullo, BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
1960; - Giuliana Donati Petténi, La spedizione di Francesco Nullo in Polonia, in AA.VV., Storia del volontarismo bergamasco, a cura di Alberto Agazzi, Istituto Civitas Garibaldina, Società Editrice S. Alessandro, BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
1960; - Giuliana Donati Petténi, Francesco Nullo, cavaliere della libertà, Bolis, BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
1963; - Vittorio Polli, Francesco Nullo, Istituto Civitas Garibaldina, Stamperia Conti, BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
1964; - Bortolo BelottiBortolo Belotti- Life :Born in Zogno son of a wealthy family he studied law at University of Pavia, then he become a lawyer. In 1907 he joined the Italian Liberal Party in 1913 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the constituency of his native Val Brembana...
, Storia di Bergamo e dei bergamaschi, Bolis, BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
1989; - Alberto Castoldi, Bergamo e il suo territorio, dizionario enciclopedico: i personaggi, i comuni, la storia, l'ambiente, Bolis, BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
2004, ISBN 8878271268; - Renato Ravanelli, La storia di Bergamo, Grafica & Arte, BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
1996, ISBN 8872011337.
Polish
- Adam Ostrowski, Francesco Nullo, bohater Polski i Włoch, Nasza Księgarnia, 1970