Vincenzo Cuoco | |
|---|---|
 Vincenzo Cuoco | |
| Born | (1770-10-01)1 October 1770 |
| Died | 14 December 1823(1823-12-14) (aged 53) |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | University of Naples Federico II |
| Philosophical work | |
| Region | |
| School | Counter-Enlightenment |
| Main interests | Political philosophy Philosophy of history |
| Notable works | Historical Essay on the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799 (1801) |
| Notable ideas | Passive revolution[1] |
Vincenzo Cuoco (1 October 1770 – 14 December 1823) was an Italian writer andpolitical theorist. He is mainly remembered for hisSaggio Storico sulla Rivoluzione Napoletana del 1799 ("Historical Essay on the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799"). He is considered as one of the precursors of the realist school and Italianliberalism.[2][3] Cuoco adapted the critique of political rationalism ofEdmund Burke andJoseph de Maistre for liberal ends, and has been described as a better historian than either of them.[4] He influenced many subsequent Italian intellectuals, fromUgo Foscolo andAlessandro Manzoni toBertrando andSilvio Spaventa toBenedetto Croce andAntonio Gramsci.[4][5]
Vincenzo Cuoco was born into amiddle class family in the town ofCivitacampomarano, nearCampobasso in theMolise region ofcentral Italy. His father was Michelangelo Cuoco, alawyer and economist, while his mother was Colomba de Marinis. He studied in his native town underFrancesco Maria Pepe, then moved toNaples in 1787 to studyjurisprudence and become a lawyer, but instead found himself attracted toeconomics,philosophy,history, andpolitics.
In Naples, Cuoco had the opportunity to meet some of the prominentintellectuals ofSouthern Italy, includingNicola Fergola andGiuseppe Maria Galanti. In a letter to Vincenzo's father Galanti described the young man ascapace, di molta abilità e di molto talento ("able, of great skill and great talent"), althoughtrascurato ("careless") andindolente ("lazy"); he was probably not entirely satisfied with Vincenzo's collaboration on hisDescrizione Geografica e Politica delle Sicilie. During his studies, Cuoco was deeply influenced byEnlightenment writers from Southern Italy (Genovesi, Galiani, and Galanti) and France (Montesquieu andJean Jacques Rousseau), as well as by earlier writers, especiallyGiambattista Vico andNiccolò Machiavelli.
When theNeapolitan revolution broke out in January 1799, Vincenzo Cuoco strongly supported the newRepublican government installed in place of themonarchy ofFerdinand I of the Two Sicilies; he became secretary toIgnazio Gonfalonieri and was tasked with the organisation of theVolturno Department. Following the reinstatement of the monarchy in June 1799, Cuoco was imprisoned for a few months, his belongings confiscated, and was then forced intoexile. He took refuge first inParis, then inMilan, where he published his main work ("Saggio Storico sulla Rivoluzione Napoletana del 1799").
In Milan Cuoco befriended the youngManzoni and knewVincenzo Monti andUgo Foscolo, two of the leading intellectuals of early nineteenth century Italy. Through his literary endeavors he earned the esteem of the Northern Italians and of the French authorities. He accepted positions in theRepubblica Cisalpina and theRepubblica Italiana, most notably the job ofexecutive editor of thenewspaperGiornale Italiano during the period 1804–1806. His articles in theGiornale spurred Italians towards change in ethics, society, politics, and the economy, in order to make themselves worthy ofnational independence. During this period, he also wrote hisepistolary novel "Platone in Italia", published in 1806).
In 1806 Vincenzo Cuoco returned toNaples, asFerdinand I of the Two Sicilies had been deposed in favour ofGiuseppe Bonaparte (Napoleon's elder brother). He was given significant responsibilities in the public administration, first asConsigliere di Cassazione (councilor to theSupreme Court), then asDirettore del Tesoro (director of theTreasury); he distinguished himself as one of the most important councilors of the government ofJoachim Murat. He wrote for themagazineMonitore delle Due Sicilie ("Monitor of the Two Sicilies"), and founded theGiornale Costituzionale delle Due Sicilie ("Constitutional Journal of the Two Sicilies").
In 1809, Cuoco drafted aProgetto per l'Ordinamento della Pubblica Istruzione nel Regno di Napoli" ("Project for the Ordainment of Public Education in theKingdom of Naples"), in which he expounded his view of public education as an indispensable tool towards the formation of a common national awareness in the people. In 1808 he was the president of theAccademia Pontaniana. In 1810, he was named Chief of the Provincial Council ofMolise and, in 1812, wrote theViaggio in Molise ("Journey Through Molise") about his native region. In 1815, after Ferdinand I was restored to the throne following theBattle of Tolentino, Cuoco retired from politics.
After his retirement, Cuoco started to show worrying signs of mental instability.[6] He reportedly destroyed some of his writings, had frequent breakdowns, and became increasingly apathetic and withdrawn from social life. There are no clues as to the exact cause of these symptoms. After a fall caused him to fracture his femur and he was struck by fever and gangrene, he died inNaples in 1823.[7]
