Neo-Guelph
Encyclopedia
The Neo-Guelph or Neo-Guelphism movement was a Nineteenth century Italian
political society which wanted to unite Italy into a single kingdom with the Pope
as its king. Some of its leading lights were Vincenzo Gioberti
and Cesare Balbo
and in some ways ties in with the philosophy of Geobertism itself. However, it received very little popular support. Neo-Guelphists were concentrated in the north, particularly Piedmont
. They were also linked both to ontologism
, a philosophical movement, and rationalist-leaning theology. Many Neo-Guelphists thought that Giovanni Mastai-Ferretti (elected pope Pius IX in 1846) would boost their cause, but he rejected their movement. This rejection was disheartening to Catholic
liberals everywhere, and the anti-clerical left saw it as proof that the papacy was inherently reactionary—ready to sacrifice its very autonomy and an Italian state simply to protect narrow temporal interests, such as noble
interests in the papal states
. Popes generally came from this nobility, to say nothing of the curia
and Vatican
hierarchy in general.
The movement was later abandoned after piedmont 'expansionist', Giuseppe Garibaldi, led his Expedition of the Thousand in 1860. The expedition eventually led to Italian unification
under Piedmont, however, leaving the Papacy as its own individual state. This pleased the fears from Roman Catholic countries such as France who believed that a unified Italy could 'corrupt' the Papacy.
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...
political society which wanted to unite Italy into a single kingdom with the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
as its king. Some of its leading lights were Vincenzo Gioberti
Vincenzo Gioberti
thumb|250px|Vincenzo Gioberti.Vincenzo Gioberti was an Italian philosopher, publicist and politician.-Biography:Gioberti was born in Turin....
and Cesare Balbo
Cesare Balbo
Cesare Balbo , Count of Vinadio, was an Italian writer and statesman.Balbo was born at Turin on the 21st of November 1789. His father, Prospero Balbo, who belonged to a noble Piedmontese family, held a high position in the Sardinian court, and at the time of Cesare’s birth was mayor of the capital...
and in some ways ties in with the philosophy of Geobertism itself. However, it received very little popular support. Neo-Guelphists were concentrated in the north, particularly Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
. They were also linked both to ontologism
Ontologism
Ontologism is a philosophical system most associated with Nicholas Malebranche which maintains that God and divine ideas are the first object of our intelligence and the intuition of God the first act of our intellectual knowledge.-Bibliography:...
, a philosophical movement, and rationalist-leaning theology. Many Neo-Guelphists thought that Giovanni Mastai-Ferretti (elected pope Pius IX in 1846) would boost their cause, but he rejected their movement. This rejection was disheartening to Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
liberals everywhere, and the anti-clerical left saw it as proof that the papacy was inherently reactionary—ready to sacrifice its very autonomy and an Italian state simply to protect narrow temporal interests, such as noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
interests 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...
. Popes generally came from this nobility, to say nothing of the curia
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...
and Vatican
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
hierarchy in general.
The movement was later abandoned after piedmont 'expansionist', Giuseppe Garibaldi, led his Expedition of the Thousand in 1860. The expedition eventually led to 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...
under Piedmont, however, leaving the Papacy as its own individual state. This pleased the fears from Roman Catholic countries such as France who believed that a unified Italy could 'corrupt' the Papacy.
External links
- Sardinia-Piedmont, Kingdom of, 1848-1849 A lecture
- The Political Significance of the Papacy, Historically and in the Present Period Journal of Religion and Society. Volume 7, 2005. The Kripke Center. Anthony Mansueto of the University New Mexico-GallupUniversity of New MexicoThe University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
- 1911 Britannica article on Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour