Francesco Crispi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of Italy | |
| In office 15 December 1893 – 10 March 1896 | |
| Monarch | Umberto I |
| Preceded by | Giovanni Giolitti |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Starabba |
| In office 29 July 1887 – 6 February 1891 | |
| Monarch | Umberto I |
| Preceded by | Agostino Depretis |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Starabba |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 26 November 1876 – 26 December 1877 | |
| Preceded by | Giuseppe Branchieri |
| Succeeded by | Benedetto Cairoli |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 15 December 1893 – 9 March 1896 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Giovanni Giolitti |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Starabba |
| In office 4 April 1887 – 6 February 1891 | |
| Prime Minister | Agostino Depretis Himself |
| Preceded by | Agostino Depretis |
| Succeeded by | Giovanni Nicotera |
| In office 26 December 1877 – 7 March 1878 | |
| Prime Minister | Agostino Depretis |
| Preceded by | Giovanni Nicotera |
| Succeeded by | Agostino Depretis |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 29 July 1887 – 6 February 1891 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Agostino Depretis |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Starabba |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 18 February 1861 – 2 March 1897 | |
| Constituency | Castelvetrano (1861–1870) Tricarico (1870–1880) Palermo (1880–1897) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 October 1818 Ribera, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
| Died | 11 August 1901 (aged 82) Naples, Kingdom of Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party | Historical Left (1848–1883; 1886–1901) Dissident Left (1883–1886) |
| Spouses | Rosina D'Angelo
(m. 1837; died 1839)Rosalia Montmasson
(m. 1854; div. 1878)Lina Barbagallo (m. 1878) |
| Relations | Giuseppe Crispi (Uncle) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent | Tommaso Crispi (Father) |
| Alma mater | University of Palermo |
| Profession | |
Francesco Crispi (4 October 1818 – 11 August 1901) was an Italian patriot and statesman. He was among the main protagonists of the Risorgimento, a close friend and supporter of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, and one of the architects of Italian unification in 1860.[1] Crispi served as Prime Minister of Italy for six years, from 1887 to 1891, and again from 1893 to 1896, and was the first prime minister from Southern Italy. Crispi was internationally famous and often mentioned along with world statesmen such as Otto von Bismarck, William Ewart Gladstone, and Lord Salisbury.[1]
Originally an Italian patriot and democrat liberal, Crispi went on to become a bellicose authoritarian prime minister and an ally and admirer of Bismarck. He was indefatigable in stirring up hostility toward France.[2] His career ended amid controversy and failure: he got involved in a major banking scandal and fell from power in 1896 after the devastating loss of the Battle of Adwa, which repelled Italy's colonial ambitions over Ethiopia. Due to his authoritarian policies and style, Crispi is often regarded as a strongman and seen as a precursor of the Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.[1][3]
- ^ a b c Nation-building in 19th-century Italy: the case of Francesco Crispi[permanent dead link], Christopher Duggan, History Today, 1 February 2002
- ^ Elizabeth Brett White (1917). The Foreign Policy of Francesco Crispi. PhD dissertation U of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 75.
- ^ The Randolph Churchill of Italy, by David Gilmour, The Spectator, 1 June 2002 (Review of Francesco Crispi, 1818-1901: From Nation to Nationalism, by Christopher Duggan)