Supporter of Garibaldi was also an ‘apostle for peace’
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| Ernesto Teodoro Moneta |
Moneta was only 15 when he was involved in the Five Days of Milan uprising against the Austrians in 1848, but in later life he became a peace activist.
He won the Nobel Peace prize in 1907, but publicly supported Italy’s entry into the First World War in 1915. On the Nobel Prize official website he is described as ‘a militant pacifist’.
Moneta was born in 1833 to aristocratic parents in Milan. He fought next to his father to defend his family home during the revolt against the Austrians and then went on to attend the military academy in Ivrea.
In 1859 Moneta joined Garibaldi’s Expedition of the Thousand and fought in the Italian army against the Austrians in 1866.
He then seemed to become disillusioned with the struggle for Italian unification and cut short what had been a promising military career.
For nearly 30 years Moneta was editor of the Milan democratic newspaper, Il Secolo. Through the columns of his newspaper he campaigned vigorously for reforms to the army which would strengthen it and reduce waste and inefficiency.
During this time Moneta also wrote his work Wars, Insurrection and Peace in the 19th Century, in which he describes the development of the international peace movement.
He wrote articles for pamphlets and periodicals and gave lectures campaigning for peace. In 1887 he founded the Lombard Association for Peace and Arbitration, which called for disarmament.
Alongside Louis Renault, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1907.
But Moneta’s Italian patriotism led him to support the Italian conquest of Libya in 1912 and later publicly express his agreement with Italy’s entry into the First World War.
Travel tip:
There is a monument to Moneta in the Porta Venezia Gardens in Milan. The inscription reads: ‘Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, garibaldine, thinker, journalist, apostle of peace among free people.’ The gardens are the largest public park in the city and a rare area of greenery in Milan. They are next to the Bastioni di Porta Venezia, part of the walls built to defend Milan in the 16th century.
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Travel tip:
Ivrea, where Moneta attended a military academy, is a town in the province of Turin in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It has a 14th century castle and the ruins of a first century Roman theatre that would have been able to hold 10,000 spectators. During the annual carnival before Easter, Ivrea stages the Battle of the Oranges, where teams of locals on foot throw oranges at teams riding in carts.
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| The Battle of the Oranges in Ivrea, in which fighting can be particularly intense. |
Ivrea, where Moneta attended a military academy, is a town in the province of Turin in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It has a 14th century castle and the ruins of a first century Roman theatre that would have been able to hold 10,000 spectators. During the annual carnival before Easter, Ivrea stages the Battle of the Oranges, where teams of locals on foot throw oranges at teams riding in carts.
Ivrea hotels from Booking.com
More reading:
Garibaldi and the Expedition of the Thousand
How the people of Milan rose up against the Austrians in the Five Days of Milan
Grazia Deledda - the first Italian woman to win a Nobel Prize
Also on this day:
More reading:
Garibaldi and the Expedition of the Thousand
How the people of Milan rose up against the Austrians in the Five Days of Milan
Grazia Deledda - the first Italian woman to win a Nobel Prize
Also on this day:
1791: The birth of painter Francesco Hayez
1821: The birth of painter Roberto Bompiani
1944: The birth of author and politician Raffaele Lauro
1953: The founding of energy giant ENI
1944: The birth of author and politician Raffaele Lauro
1953: The founding of energy giant ENI
1966: The birth of footballer Andrea Silenzi
(Picture credit: Battle of the Oranges by Gio via Wikimedia Commons)
(Picture credit: Battle of the Oranges by Gio via Wikimedia Commons)