Giuseppe Lechi
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Lechi (Aspes
, 5 December 1766 - Montirone 9 August 1836), Italian general, jacobin
and patriot.
.
Born a subject of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, he undertook the military career in the Austrian army up to the rank of captain. On the arrival of Napoleon in Italy, influenced also by his brother Giacomo, Giuseppe organized with his other brothers Teodoro
and Angelo and other friends – all of them members of the "Casino dei Buoni Amici" free-masonnic secret society – the Bresciana revolution of 18 March 1797.
Giuseppe entered the temporary government of Brescia and organized the Brescian Legion that General Bonaparte sent to fighting in Emilia, Marche and then in Central Italy.
It was in Città di Castello
, in 1798, that happened the famous episode of the discussed donation of Raphael
's painting "The Marriage of the Virgin
" to Giuseppe Lechi by the City Council.
In the spring of 1799 Giuseppe Lechi with his unit was engaged in a military campaign in Valtellina
attempting to curb an anti-French revolt. Forced to retreat by the Austro-Russians, he joined the Italic Legion of General Pietro Teuilè in Dijon
.
Back in Italy with Napoleon he fought at Marengo (14 June 1800) where he was promoted to the rank of Major general on the field itself.
After the Peace of Lunéville (9 February 1801) he became commander of division under Joachim Murat
and one of his friends, followers and advisors. In the same time, Giuseppe entered the new legislative body of the Italian Republic
.
More and more bound up with the "Murat's circle", General Lechi joined the Masonry
of the Scottish Rite
(becoming in the follow the Great Master of the Grand Lodge
of Naples) and those groups of patriots who supported the ideal of the Italian unification
.
In 1804, Giuseppe Lechi participated in the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples
fighting in the Adriatic regions under general Saint-Cyr
. In 1805 he was again in Naples with Murat and Joseph Bonaparte
, to whom too he would become closely tied by friendship and personal fidelity.
In the years 1808 and 1809 Lechi was in Spain at the service of Joseph Bonaparte
that has yielded away in the meantime the Kingdom of Naples to Murat; Joseph conquered the city of Barcelona
and becomes temporarily the governor there.
In 1809 he faced a trial in France (apparently for claims of violence, embezzlement and abuse) but escaped the judgment and was sent back to Naples at the service of his friend, the new king, Joachim Murat.
Lechi was also involved in the conspiracies of general Domenico Pino
, probably also as a link for Murat himself in the plot.
On 31 January 1814, Giuseppe was governor of Tuscany
handing over Livorno
to the English Fleet in an attempt made by Murat to bargain a separate peace with Austria. In 1815 "Joseph" Lechi was as always at Murat's side in his last and hopeless stand against the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino
(2–3 May 1815). As a prisoner of war, Lechi refused to swear any fidelity to the new Habsburgic regime and remained jailed in Lubiana till 1818.
Freed, Lechi settled down in his family's Villa of Montirone near Brescia
and married with Eleonora, daughter of the Peer of France Simeon. He then died of cholera in 1836 in Montirone.
San Zeno Naviglio
San Zeno Naviglio is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, Lombardy. It is bounded by communes of Brescia, Borgosatollo, Flero and Poncarale.It is located 6 km south of Brescia.-History:...
, 5 December 1766 - Montirone 9 August 1836), Italian general, jacobin
Jacobin (politics)
A Jacobin , in the context of the French Revolution, was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary far-left political movement. The Jacobin Club was the most famous political club of the French Revolution. So called from the Dominican convent where they originally met, in the Rue St. Jacques ,...
and patriot.
Biography
Being the first son of Faustino Lechi and his wife Doralice Bielli, the general Giuseppe Lechi was already considered a man of great light and shadows ("dark and gloomy"), reckless and unscrupulous similar to his uncle the Count Galliano Lechi, who was very dear, and a model, to Giuseppe. His grandfather Pietro was a famous free-mason and a follower of the EnlightenmentAge of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
.
Teodoro Lechi
Teodoro Lechi was an Italian general, a Jacobin and a military advisor to King Carlo Alberto of Sardinia. He was the brother of Giuseppe Lechi, a brilliant and famous Napoleonic general, and Angelo, also a Napoleonic officer.-Biography:Teodoro Lechi was born in Brescia, the 14th son of 19 of...
and Angelo and other friends – all of them members of the "Casino dei Buoni Amici" free-masonnic secret society – the Bresciana revolution of 18 March 1797.
Giuseppe entered the temporary government of Brescia and organized the Brescian Legion that General Bonaparte sent to fighting in Emilia, Marche and then in Central Italy.
It was in Città di Castello
Città di Castello
Città di Castello is a city and comune in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of the Umbria region of Italy. It is situated on a slope of the Apennines, on the flood plain of the river Tiber. The city is north of Perugia and south of Cesena on the S3bis. It is connected to the A1...
, in 1798, that happened the famous episode of the discussed donation of Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
's painting "The Marriage of the Virgin
The Marriage of the Virgin (Raphael)
The Marriage of the Virgin, also known as Lo Sposalizio, is an oil painting by Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael. Completed in 1504 for a Franciscan church in Città di Castello, the painting depicts a marriage ceremony between Mary and Joseph...
" to Giuseppe Lechi by the City Council.
In the spring of 1799 Giuseppe Lechi with his unit was engaged in a military campaign in Valtellina
Valtellina
Valtellina or the Valtelline valley ; is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its skiing, its hot spring spas, its cheeses and its wines...
attempting to curb an anti-French revolt. Forced to retreat by the Austro-Russians, he joined the Italic Legion of General Pietro Teuilè in Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
.
Back in Italy with Napoleon he fought at Marengo (14 June 1800) where he was promoted to the rank of Major general on the field itself.
After the Peace of Lunéville (9 February 1801) he became commander of division under Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
and one of his friends, followers and advisors. In the same time, Giuseppe entered the new legislative body of the Italian Republic
Italian Republic (Napoleonic)
The Italian Republic was a short-lived republic located in Northern Italy. It was a vassal state of the First French Republic of Napoleon.-The republic:...
.
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
of the Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
(becoming in the follow the Great Master of the Grand Lodge
Grand Lodge
A Grand Lodge, or "Grand Orient", is the usual governing body of "Craft", or "Blue Lodge", Freemasonry in a particular jurisdiction. The first Masonic Grand Lodge was established in England in 1717 as the Premier Grand Lodge of England....
of Naples) and those groups of patriots who supported the ideal of the Italian unification
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...
.
In 1804, Giuseppe Lechi participated in the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
fighting in the Adriatic regions under general Saint-Cyr
Laurent, marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr was a French commander in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who rose to Marshal of France and Marquis...
. In 1805 he was again in Naples with Murat and Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
, to whom too he would become closely tied by friendship and personal fidelity.
In the years 1808 and 1809 Lechi was in Spain at the service of Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
that has yielded away in the meantime the Kingdom of Naples to Murat; Joseph conquered the city of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and becomes temporarily the governor there.
In 1809 he faced a trial in France (apparently for claims of violence, embezzlement and abuse) but escaped the judgment and was sent back to Naples at the service of his friend, the new king, Joachim Murat.
Lechi was also involved in the conspiracies of general Domenico Pino
Domenico Pino
Domenico Pino was an Italian soldier. He served as General of Division in Napoleon's Grande Armée.-Biography:...
, probably also as a link for Murat himself in the plot.
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 ....
handing over Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
to the English Fleet in an attempt made by Murat to bargain a separate peace with Austria. In 1815 "Joseph" Lechi was as always at Murat's side in his last and hopeless stand against the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino
Battle of Tolentino
The Battle of Tolentino was fought on 2 – 3 May 1815 near Tolentino, in what is now Marche, Italy: it was the decisive battle in the Neapolitan War, fought by the Napoleonic King of Naples Joachim Murat to keep the throne after the Congress of Vienna. The battle itself shares many parallels with...
(2–3 May 1815). As a prisoner of war, Lechi refused to swear any fidelity to the new Habsburgic regime and remained jailed in Lubiana till 1818.
Freed, Lechi settled down in his family's Villa of Montirone near Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
and married with Eleonora, daughter of the Peer of France Simeon. He then died of cholera in 1836 in Montirone.
External links
- http://www.storiadimilano.it/Personaggi/Milanesi%20illustri/personaggi_avventurosi.htm
- Istituto Storico delle Insorgenze, L'insurrezione di Brescia
- Paolo Martinucci: "PREMESSE STORICHE E CULTURALI DELL’INSORGENZA NEL BERGAMASCO E NEL BRESCIANO", http://www.identitanazionale.it/inso_1002.php