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| Ferdinand II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ferdinand in 1859 | |||||
| King of the Two Sicilies | |||||
| Reign | 8 November 1830 –22 May 1859 | ||||
| Predecessor | Francis I | ||||
| Successor | Francis II | ||||
| Born | (1810-01-12)12 January 1810 Palazzo dei Normanni,Palermo,Kingdom of Sicily | ||||
| Died | 22 May 1859(1859-05-22) (aged 49) Caserta Palace,Caserta,Kingdom of the Two Sicilies | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue see details... |
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| House | Bourbon-Two Sicilies | ||||
| Father | Francis I of the Two Sicilies | ||||
| Mother | Maria Isabella of Spain | ||||
| Religion | Catholic Church | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Ferdinand II (Italian:Ferdinando Carlo Maria;Sicilian:Ferdinannu Carlu Maria;Neapolitan:Ferdinando Carlo Maria; 12 January 1810 – 22 May 1859) wasKing of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death in 1859.
Ferdinand was born inPalermo to KingFrancis I of the Two Sicilies and his second wifeMaria Isabella of Spain. His paternal grandparents were KingFerdinand I of the Two Sicilies and QueenMaria Carolina of Austria. His maternal grandparents wereCharles IV of Spain andMaria Luisa of Parma. Ferdinand I and Charles IV were brothers, both sons ofCharles III of Spain andMaria Amalia of Saxony. His sister wasTeresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, Empress of Brazil, wife of the last Brazilian emperorPedro II.
In his early years, he was fairly popular. Progressives credited him withLiberal ideas and, in addition, his free and easy manners endeared him to the so-calledlazzaroni, the lower classes of Neapolitan society.[1]
On succeeding to the throne in 1830, he published an edict in which he promised to give his most anxious attention to the impartial administration of justice, to reform the finances, and to use every effort to heal the wounds which had afflicted the Kingdom for so many years.[1] His goal, he said, was to govern his Kingdom in a way that would bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of his subjects while respecting the rights of his fellow monarchs and those of theRoman Catholic Church.
The early years of his reign were comparatively peaceful: he cut taxes and expenditures, hadthe first railway in Italy built (betweenNaples and the royal palace atPortici), his fleet had the firststeamship in theItalian Peninsula and he hadtelegraphic connections established between Naples andPalermo, Sicily.
However, in 1837, he violently suppressed Sicilian demonstrators demanding a constitution and maintained strict police surveillance in his domains. Liberal reformists, who were motivated by visions of a new society founded upon a modern constitution, continued to demand that the King grant a constitution and liberalize his rule.
In September 1847,violent riots inspired by Liberals broke out inReggio Calabria and inMessina, which were put down by the military. On 12 January 1848 arising in Palermo spread throughout the island and served as a spark for theRevolutions of 1848 all over Europe.
After similar revolutionary outbursts inSalerno, south ofNaples, and in theCilento region which were backed by the majority of the intelligentsia of the Kingdom, on 29 January 1848 King Ferdinand was forced to grant a constitution, using for a pattern the FrenchCharter of 1830.
However a dispute arose as to the nature of the oath which should be taken by the members of the chamber of deputies.[1] As an agreement could not be reached and the King refused to compromise, riots continued in the streets. Eventually, the King ordered the army to disperse the rioters by force and dissolved the national parliament on 13 March 1849. Although the constitution was never formally abrogated, the King resumed his rule as an absolute monarch.
During this period, Ferdinand showed his attachment toPope Pius IX by granting him asylum atGaeta. The Pope had been temporarily forced to flee from Rome following similar revolutionary disturbances.
In the meantime, Sicily declared independence under the leadership ofRuggero Settimo, who on 13 April 1848 pronounced the King deposed. In response, the King assembled an army of 20,000 men under the command of GeneralCarlo Filangieri and dispatched it to Sicily. A naval flotilla sent to Sicilian waters bombarded the city ofMessina with "savage barbarity" for eight hours after its defenders had already surrendered, killing many civilians and earning the King the nicknamere bomba ("The Bomb King").
After a campaign lasting close to nine months, Sicily's Liberal regime was completely subdued on 15 May 1849.
Between 1848 and 1851, the policies of King Ferdinand caused many to go into exile. Meanwhile, an estimated 2,000 suspected revolutionaries or dissidents were jailed.
After visitingNaples on private business in 1850,William Gladstone the British formergovernment minister and future prime minister, began to support Neapolitan opponents of theBourbon rulers: his "support" consisted of a couple of letters that he sent from Naples toParliament in London, describing the "awful conditions" of the Kingdom of Southern Italy and claiming that "it is the negation of God erected into a system of government". Gladstone's letters provoked reactions of outrage in much of Europe and helped to cause the kingdom's diplomatic isolation, which facilitated its subsequent invasion and annexation by theSavoyardKingdom of Sardinia, and the foundation of modern unified Italy in 1861.
The British government, which had been the ally and protector of the Bourbon dynasty during theNapoleonic Wars, had already additional interests in limiting the independence of the kingdom.[citation needed] It had extensive business interests in Sicily and relied on Siciliansulphur for certain industries.[2] The King had endeavoured to limit British influence, which had begun to cause tension. As Ferdinand ignored the advice of theBritish andFrench governments, those powers recalled their ambassadors in 1856.
A soldier attempted to assassinate Ferdinand in 1856, and many[who?] believe that the infection he received from the soldier's bayonet led to his ultimate demise. He died on 22 May 1859, shortly after theSecond French Empire and theKingdom of Sardinia had declared war against theAustrian Empire. This would later lead to the invasion of his Kingdom byGiuseppe Garibaldi andItalian unification in 1861.
Two Sicilies:[3]
Austrian Empire: Grand Cross of the Royal HungarianOrder of St. Stephen,1832[4]
Baden:[5]
Kingdom of Bavaria:Knight of St. Hubert,1832[6]
Belgium: Grand Cordon of theOrder of Leopold,11 March 1847[7]
Denmark:Knight of the Elephant,4 August 1829[8]
Kingdom of France:Knight of the Holy Spirit,1821[9]
Duchy of Parma: Grand Cross of St. Louis for Civil Merit, in Diamonds,1851[10]
Kingdom of Prussia:Knight of the Black Eagle,23 March 1832[11]
Kingdom of Sardinia:Knight of the Annunciation,11 July 1829[12]
Spain:Knight of the Golden Fleece,22 April 1821[13]
Grand Duchy of Tuscany:Grand Cross of St. Joseph[14]| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ByPrincess Maria Cristina of Savoy (married 21 November 1832 inCagliari; b. 12 November 1812, d. 21 January 1836) | |||
| Francesco II of the Two Sicilies | 16 January 1836 | 27 December 1894 | succeeded as King of the Two Sicilies marriedDuchess Maria Sophie in Bavaria. They had one daughter. |
| ByArchduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (married 9 January 1837 inVienna; b. 31 July 1816, d. 8 August 1867) | |||
| Luigi, Count of Trani | 1 August 1838 | 8 June 1886 | marriedDuchess Mathilde Ludovika in Bavaria; their only daughter,Princess Maria Teresa, marriedPrince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. |
| Alberto, Count of Castrogiovanni | 17 September 1839 | 12 July 1844 | died in childhood. |
| Alfonso, Count of Caserta | 28 March 1841 | 26 May 1934 | married his first cousinMaria Antonia of the Two Sicilies. They had 12 children. The current lines of Bourbon-Sicily descend from him. |
| Maria Annunciata of the Two Sicilies | 24 March 1843 | 4 May 1871 | marriedArchduke Karl Ludwig of Austria. They had four children, includingArchduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination sparkedWorld War I. |
| Maria Immacolata Clementina of the Two Sicilies | 14 April 1844 | 18 February 1899 | marriedArchduke Karl Salvator of Austria. They had ten children. |
| Gaetano, Count of Girgenti | 12 January 1846 | 26 November 1871 | marriedInfanta Isabel of Spain (eldest daughter of QueenIsabella II of Spain) and was created Infante of Spain; no issue. |
| Giuseppe, Count of Lucera | 4 March 1848 | 28 September 1851 | died in childhood.[15] |
| Maria Pia of the Two Sicilies | 21 August 1849 | 29 September 1882 | marriedRoberto I, Duke of Parma and Piacenza. They had 12 children. |
| Vincenzo, Count of Melazzo | 26 April 1851 | 13 October 1854 | died in childhood. |
| Pasquale, Count of Bari | 15 September 1852 | 21 December 1904 | married morganatically to Blanche Marconnay; no issue. |
| Maria Luisa of the Two Sicilies | 21 January 1855 | 23 August 1874 | marriedPrince Henry of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi; no issue. |
| Gennaro, Count of Caltagirone | 28 February 1857 | 13 August 1867 | died in childhood. |
| Ancestors of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies |
|---|
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Villari, Luigi (1911). "Ferdinand II. of the Two Sicilies". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 268.
Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies Cadet branch of theHouse of Bourbon Born: 12 January 1810 Died: 22 May 1859 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of the Two Sicilies 8 November 1830 – 22 May 1859 | Succeeded by |
