Goffredo Mameli | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Mameli byDomenico Induno,c. 1849 | |
| Born | (1827-09-05)5 September 1827 |
| Died | 6 July 1849(1849-07-06) (aged 21) |
| Resting place | Garibaldi Ossuary Mausoleum,Janiculum, Rome |
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| Known for | Writing the original lyrics of the Italian national anthem "Il Canto degli Italiani" |
Goffredo Mameli (Italian pronunciation:[ɡofˈfreːdomaˈmɛːli]; 5 September 1827 – 6 July 1849) was an Italian patriot, poet and writer who was a notable figure in theRisorgimento. He is famously the lyricist of "Il Canto degli Italiani"—the national anthem of Italy.
The son of an aristocraticSardinianadmiral, Mameli was fromGenoa where he was born, and where his father was in command of thefleet of the Kingdom of Sardinia. At the age of seven he was sent to Sardinia, to his grandfather's place, to escape the risk ofcholera, but soon came back to Genoa to complete his studies.
The achievements of Mameli's very short life are concentrated in only two years, during which time he played major parts in insurrectional movements and theRisorgimento.
In 1847 Mameli joined theSocietà Entelema, a cultural movement that soon would have turned to a political movement, and here he became interested in the theories ofGiuseppe Mazzini.
Mameli is mostly known as the author of the lyrics of the Italiannational anthem,Il Canto degli Italiani (music byMichele Novaro), better known in Italy asInno di Mameli (Mameli's Hymn).[1] These lyrics were used for the first time in November 1847, celebrating KingCharles Albert of Sardinia in his visit to Genoa after his first reforms. Mameli's lyrics to a "hymn of the people" —"Suona la tromba"— were set byGiuseppe Verdi the following year.
Mameli was deeply involved in nationalist movements and some more "spectacular" actions are remembered, such as his exposition of theTricolore (current Italian flag, then prohibited) to celebrate the expulsion ofAustrians in 1846. Yet, he was withNino Bixio (Garibaldi's later major supporter and friend) in a committee for public health, already on a clear Mazzinian position. In March 1848, hearing of the insurrection inMilan, Mameli organised an expedition with 300 other patriots, joined Bixio's troops that were already on site, and entered the town. He was then admitted to Garibaldi's irregular army (really the volunteer brigade of general Torres), as a captain, and met Mazzini.
Back in Genoa, he worked more on a literary side, wrote several hymns and other compositions, he became the director of the newspaperDiario del Popolo ("People's Daily"), and promoted a press campaign for a war againstAustria. In December 1848 Mameli reached Rome, wherePellegrino Rossi had been murdered, helping in the clandestine works for declaration (9 February 1849) of theRoman Republic. Mameli then went toFlorence where he proposed the creation of a common state betweenTuscany andLatium.
In April 1849 he was again in Genoa, with Bixio, where a popular insurrection was strongly opposed by GeneralAlberto La Marmora. Mameli soon left again for Rome, where the French had come to support thePapacy (Pope Pius IX had actually escaped from the town) and took active part in the combat.
During thesiege of Rome, he was an aide ofGiuseppe Garibaldi, who fought inPalestrina (9 May) and inVelletri (19 May).[2] In particular he fought in the defense of the Villa del Vascello on theJaniculum hill. He was wounded in the left leg by the French duringthe last assault of 3 June atVilla Corsini, occupied by the French.[2]
Mameli suffered fromgangrene, which doctor Pietro Maestri observed after four days. After a consultation with Maestri and other doctors, it was decided to amputate the leg, performed by surgeon Paolo Maria Raffaello Baroni. Despite this, the infection gradually increased to the point of causing death bysepsis, on 6 July 1849, at the age of 21, in the hospice of Trinità dei Pellegrini.[3][4]He was originally buried atCampo Verano in Rome; however, his remains were moved to the Garibaldi Ossuary Mausoleum on the Janiculum in 1941.[3][4][5]
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