Historical Essay on the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799 THE LORENZO DA PONTE ITALIAN LIBRARY General Editors Luigi Ballerini and Massimo Ciavolella University of California at Los Angeles Honorary Chairs Mr Joseph Del Raso Esq Ambassador Gianfranco Facco Bonetti Honorable Anthony J. Scirica Advisory Board Remo Bodei, Università di Pisa Lina Bolzoni, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa Francesco Bruni, Università di Venezia Cesare De Michelis, Università di Padova Giorgio Ficara, Università di Torino Giuseppe Mazzotta, Yale University Gilberto Pizzamiglio, Università di Venezia Margaret Rosenthal, University of Southern California John Scott, University of Western Australia Elissa Weaver, University of Chicago Vincenzo Cuoco Historical Essay on the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799 Edited and Introduced by Bruce Haddock and Filippo Sabetti Translated by David Gibbons UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS Toronto Buffalo London © University of Toronto Press 2014 Toronto Buffalo London www.utppublishing.com Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN 978-1-4426-4945-3 (cloth) Printed on acid-free,100% post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable-based inks. The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library __________________________________________________________________ Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Cuoco, Vincenzo, 1770–1823 [Saggio storico sulla rivoluzione napoletana del 1799. English] Historical essay on the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799 / Vincenzo Cuoco ; edited and introduced by Bruce Haddock and Filippo Sabetti ; translated by David Gibbons. (The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian library) Translation of: Saggio storico sulla rivoluzione napoletana del 1799. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4426-4945-3 (bound) 1. Parthenopean Republic. 2. Naples (Kingdom) – History – 1735–1816. I. Sabetti, Filippo, editor II. Haddock, Bruce, 1948–, editor III. Gibbons, David, 1969–, translator IV. Title. V. Title: Saggio storico sulla rivoluzione napoletana del 1799. English VI. Series: Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian library DG848.38.C8513 2014 945.707 C 2014-904294-9 _____________________________________________________________________ This book has been published under the aegis and with fi nancial assistance of Fondazione Cassamarca, Treviso; the National Italian-American Foundation; Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Direzione Generale per la Promozione e la Cooperazione Culturale; Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Direzione Generale per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Direzione Generale per i Beni Librari e gli Istituti Culturali, Servizio per la Promozione del Libro e della Lettura. University of Toronto Press acknowledges the fi nancial assistance to its publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario. University of Toronto Press acknowledges the fi nancial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for its publishing activities. Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Vincenzo Cuoco and the Nature of Revolution and Constitutionalism xi bruce haddock and filippo sabetti Principal Events in Vincenzo Cuoco’s Life xxxvii Translator’s Note: The Words and Structures of Cuoco’s Revolution x xxix david gibbons Maps l–li Historical Essay on the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799 1 Author’s Preface to the Second Edition (1806) 3 Letter by the Author to N.Q. 11 I Introduction 14 II Europe after 1793 17 III Italy until the Peace of Campo Formio 20 IV Naples – The Queen 24 V State of the Kingdom – Humiliation of the Nation 29 VI State Inquisition 31 VII Causes and Effects of Persecution 39 VIII Public Administration 45 IX Finances 55 X Trade 60 XI War 64 vi Contents XII War (cont.) 69 XIII The King’s Flight 74 XIV Anarchy in Naples and the Arrival of the French 77 XV Why Did Naples Not Become a Republic after the King’s Flight? 84 XVI State of the Neapolitan Nation 88 XVII Ideas of Patriots 95 XVIII The French Revolution 98 XIX How Many Ideas Did the Nation Have? 104 XX Project of an Interim Government 111 XXI Principles That Were Followed 114 XXII Accusation against Rotondo: The Censure Commission 118 XXIII Laws – Fideicommissa 122 XXIV Feudal Law 125 XXV Religion 131 XXVI The Troops 135 XXVII The National Guard 138 XXVIII Taxes 141 XXIX Commissioner Faipoult 143 XXX Provinces – Formation of the Departments 145 XXXI The Organization of the Provinces 147 XXXII The Expedition against the Insurgents in Apulia 151 XXXIII Schipani’s Expedition 156 XXXIV The Organization of the Provinces (cont.) 159 XXXV Lack of Communication 162 XXXVI Police 164 XXXVII Procida – Expedition to Cuma – Navy 166 XXXVIII Ideas of Terrorism 168 XXXIX The New Constitutional Government 171 XL Patriotic Salons 173 XLI Constitution – Other Laws 178 Contents vii XLII Abolition of Head Tax and of Duties on Flour and Fish 181 XLIII The French Are Recalled 185 XLIV Ettore Carafa Recalled from Apulia 189 XLV Cardinal Ruffo 192 XLVI The Minister of War 195 XLVII Defeat at Marigliano 197 XLVIII Surrender 199 XLIX Persecution of the Republicans 203 L Some of the Patriots 216 LI Conclusion 223 Appendix I: Fragments of Letters by Vincenzo Cuoco Addressed to Vincenzio Russo 226 Appendix II: List of Patriots Who Died on the Scaffold 273 Bibliography 281 Index 292 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments We wish to thank Professors Luigi Ballerini and Massimo Ciavolella for including this volume in the series Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library. We thank the two anonymous readers for the thoroughness of their responses to our project. We have responded to their comments, incor- porated their suggestions and added, in some instances, our own evolv- ing reflections stimulated by the two readers. Translation is not an easy art, and we appreciate the good and patient work to this effect by David Gibbons and the careful scrutiny of the translation by the readers. The result is a better book. Filippo Sabetti wishes to acknowledge the support of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC 410–2011–0698) for research over the years in the Neapolitan section of the Biblioteca Nazionale “Vittorio Emanuele III” di Napoli and in Biblioteca Provin- ciale di Foggia “La Magna Capitanata.” It is a pleasure to record with thanks the countless librarians and archivists there who offered guidance and assistance. Filippo Sabetti likes to remember the warm welcome to Naples of Professor Giovanni Vitolo who gave generously of his long experience and practical insight. I owe a special debt to John Marino who introduced me to the international network of scholars working on Naples, and to Antonino De Francesco, Giuseppe Galasso, Antonio Gargano, Jack Goldstone, Alfi o Mastropaolo, Paul Rahe, and Anna Maria Rao for generously responding to calls for help. In Montreal, I was able to draw on the research assistance of then McGill students Eric Merkley, Cristina Ruscio, and Mohamed Sesay. Bruce Haddock thanks Filippo Sabetti for the initial invitation to be involved in this project. The collaboration has been a thoroughly posi- tive experience, deepening understanding and suggesting fruitful lines of enquiry. Bruce Haddock is, as ever, mindful that without the support of his wife, Sheila, and wider family, he would hardly be able to engage in sustained work of this kind.