L'annessione di Genova al Regno di Sardegna tra il mito e la storia - M. Elisabetta Tonizzi 07/05/24

The annexation of Genoa to the Kingdom of Sardinia between myth and history. Intersecting views between Genoa and Turin with M. Elisabetta Tonizzi 07/05/2024 for the series: "History of Genoa from the Middle Ages to the Unification of Italy" edited by M. Elisabetta Tonizzi On December 30, 1814, by will of the victorious powers of Napoleon gathered at the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Savoy incorporated the Republic of Genoa, thus achieving a long-sought goal. Realpolitik thwarted the strenuous attempts of the city's representatives to secure the "Restoration" of the ancient aristocratic institutions. All the other republics, not only Italian ones, also lost their independence. The Genoese experienced the annexation as a hateful injustice perpetrated through deception, a myth still rooted in the city's memory. In the light of history, events unfolded very differently. The Savoys showed respect for the renamed "Duchy of Genoa," granting it substantial privileges, both financial and otherwise. However, these were not enough to stem the deep and enduring hostility. This was repaid by the mistrust of the Piedmontese. Annexation was, in fact, a very thorny issue, not only for Genoa, deprived of its freedom, but also for Turin, which feared the disintegration of the state. The maritime-mercantile interests of the former and the "land" interests of the latter were, in fact, very difficult to reconcile. This affair is the subject of a lecture by M. Elisabetta Tonizzi, who compares myth and history and considers the perspectives of both sides.   M. Elisabetta Tonizzi teaches Contemporary History and History of Journalism in the Department of Political and International Sciences at the University of Genoa. He has published numerous studies on the history of Genoa in the 19th century, including: Genoese Salons in the Age of the Risorgimento, 2004; Bourgeois in Genoa in the 19th Century: Recreational and Cultural Associations of the Elite between the Restoration and Unification, 2010; “Friend of Friends.” Rubattino and the Social Networks of the Genoese Elite from the Kingdom of Sardinia to the Unification of Italy, 2010; Cavour and Genoa: Economy and Politics (ed.), 2011; Genoa and Napoleon 1805-1814, 2013; Genoa in the 19th Century. From Napoleon to Unification, 2013.