Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "France" to "Francis Joseph I.": Volume 10, Slice 8Various
History
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "France" to "Francis Joseph I.": Volume 10, Slice 8
Various
Encyclopedias and dictionaries
divided into four classes, viz. "very loyal, loyal, less loyal, and
disloyal," and the reaction became worse than ever, the duke interfering
in the minutest details of administration, such as hospitals, schools,
and roads. New methods of procedure were introduced to deal with
political trials, but the ministerial cabal by which the country was
administered intrigued and squabbled to such an extent that it had to be
dismissed.
On the 20th of February 1846 Francis died. Although he had many domestic
virtues and charming manners, was charitable in times of famine, and was
certainly the ablest of the Italian despots, Liberalism was in his eyes
the most heinous of crimes, and his reign is one long record of
barbarous persecution. (L. V.*)
FRANCIS V. (1819-1875), duke of Modena, son of Francis IV., succeeded
his father in 1846. Although less cruel and also less intelligent than
his father, he had an equally high opinion of his own authority. His
reign began with disturbances at Fivizzano and Pontremoli, which Tuscany
surrendered to him according to treaty but against the wishes of the
inhabitants (1847), and at Massa and Carrara, where the troops shot down
the people. Feeling his position insecure, the duke asked for and
obtained an Austrian garrison, but on the outbreak of revolution
throughout Italy and at Vienna in 1848, further disorders occurred in
the duchy, and on the 20th of March he fled with his family to Mantua. A
provisional government was formed, and volunteers were raised who fought
with the Piedmontese against Austria. But after the Piedmontese defeat
Francis returned to Modena, with Austrian assistance, in August and
conferred many appointments on Austrian officers. Like his father, he
interfered in the minutest details of administration, and instituted
proceedings against all who were suspected of Liberalism. Not content
with the severity of his judges, he overrode their sentences in favour
of harsher punishments. The disturbances at Carrara were ruthlessly
suppressed, and the prisons filled with politicals. In 1859 numbers of
young Modenese fled across the frontier to join the Piedmontese army, as
war with Austria seemed imminent; and after the Austrian defeat at
Magenta the duke left Modena to lead his army in person against the
Piedmontese, taking with him the contents of the state treasury and many
valuable books, pictures, coins, tapestries and furniture from the
palace. The events of 1859-1860 made his return impossible; and after a
short spell of provisional government the duchy was united to Italy. He
retired to Austria, and died at Munich in November 1875.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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