Giulio Genoino

Giulio Genoino
Giulio Genoino and Masaniello in a picture of the 18th century
Born	1567  Cava de' Tirreni
Died	January 1648  (aged 80–81) Mahón
Occupation	Catholic priest, lawyer, agitator, utopian

Giulio Genoino (born c. 1565 in Cava de' Tirreni), the 'mind of Masaniello', was a key figure in the 7 July 1647 popular insurrection against Spanish authority in the Kingdom of Naples.

Biography

A priest, lawyer, and academic, Genoino had for three decades attempted to influence constitutional change to involve the Third Estate in the government of the city. Despite being a representative of the king to Naples, he was accused of spreading sedition and instigating riots during unrest in 1585 and 1620. After periods of imprisonment and exile, and then in his 80s, he returned to Naples and began advising the fisherman and smuggler Tommaso Aniello—later known as Masaniello —a popular figure among the city's populace. Genoino was the real power behind the popular movement, and supplied the directionless and illiterate Masaniello with advice and a coherent policy. Following the uprising of 7 July, and the assassination of Masaniello on 16 July, the Viceroy attempted to restore order by handing governance of the city to Genoino. He was unable to resist the most extreme demands of the populace. Following a second revolution in August, Genoino was exiled and the Neapolitan Republic proclaimed.

References

• Cavendish, Richard (7 July 1997). "Masaniello's Naples Revolt against Spain". History Today . 47 (7).

• Calabria, Antonio (1990) Good Government in Spanish Naples. p. 254. OCLC   19815217
• Kamen, Henry (1971) The Iron Century: Social Change in Europe, 1550-1660. p. 362-3. OCLC   278868

External links

• Di Rienzo, Eugenio (2000). "GENOINO, Giulio". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Volume 53: Gelati–Ghisalberti (in Italian). Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. ISBN   978-88-12-00032-6.