{{Short description|Italian general, patriot and politician}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Luigi Mezzacapo |image = Luigi Mezzacapo.JPG |office = [[Minister of War (Italy)|Minister of War]] |term_start = 20 November 1876 |term_end = 24 March 1878 |predecessor = [[Cesare Ricotti-Magnani]] |successor = [[Giovanni Bruzzo]] |office2= [[Senate of the Kingdom of Italy|Senator]] |term_start2= 13 December 1870 |term_end2= 27 January 1885 }} '''Luigi Mezzacapo''' ([[Trapani]], 25 January 1814 – [[Rome]], 27 January 1885) was an Italian general, patriot and politician.
==Youth== He attended the [[Nunziatella Military School]] between 1825 and 1832 where his brother [[:it: Carlo Mezzacapo|Carlo]], [[Giuseppe Salvatore Pianell]] and [[Enrico Cosenz]] were among his classmates. When he graduated he became an artillery officer in the army of the [[Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]].<ref name="Annuario">{{cite book |last1=Brunialti |first1=Attilio |title=Annuario biografico universale raccolta delle biografie dei piu illustri contemporanei |date=1885 |publisher=Unione Tipografico-Editrice Torinese |location=Turin |pages=333–336 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uD8vS8XatR0C&dq=mezzacapo+repubblica+roma&pg=PA334 |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="Pomba">{{cite book |title=Il mondo illustrato giornale universale |date=1861 |publisher=G. Pomba |location=Turin |page=212 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TPo1eTxEndUC&dq=luigi+mezzacapo&pg=PA212 |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref>
==First War of Independence== Appointed captain in 1847, in 1848 he was part of the expeditionary force of 15,000 men that the constitutional government of [[Carlo Troya]] sent to [[Lombardy]], under the command of [[Guglielmo Pepe]] to help the [[Kingdom of Sardinia]] in the [[First Italian War of Independence]]. After the recall of the expeditionary force by [[Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies|King Ferdinand II]] Luigi Mezzacapo joined his brother Carlo and numerous other soldiers of the Sicilian army including Guglielmo Pepe, Enrico Cosenz, [[:it:Cesare Rosaroll]], [[Alessandro Poerio]] and [[:it:Girolamo Calà Ulloa]] in besieged [[Venice]] where he distinguished himself in the defense of the city at the fort of Brondolo.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nisco |first1=Niccola |title=La difesa di Venezia e di Roma |date=1889 |publisher=A. Moran’a |location=Naples |pages=27, 137|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xWUpAAAAYAAJ&q=luigi+mezzacapo+venezia |access-date=6 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="Atti">{{cite book |title=Atti del Parlamento italiano Discussioni · Volume 11 |date=1885 |publisher=Camera dei deputati |location=Rome |pages=11081–3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YEcyAQAAMAAJ&dq=luigi+mezzacapo+venezia&pg=PA11081 |access-date=6 December 2023}}</ref>
From 16 February 1849 he was substitute for the war minister of the [[Roman Republic (1849–1850)|Roman Republic]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tomassini |first1=Stefano |title=Roma, il Papa, il Re. L'unità d'Italia e il crollo dello Stato Pontificio |date=2011 |publisher=Il Saggiatore |location=Milan |isbn=9788865760864 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zZhIuTYXF3cC&dq=luigi+mezzacapo+repubblica+romana&pg=PA239 |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref> He participated in its defense against the French and was appointed major general on 30 June.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ferrarelli |first1=Giuseppe |title=Il generale Luigi Mezzacapo e i suoi tempi |date=1885 |publisher=Voghera Carlo |location=Rome |pages=20–21 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SaEtAAAAYAAJ&dq=mezzacapo+repubblica+roma&pg=PA22 |access-date=6 December 2023}}</ref> After the fall of Rome Mezzacapo did not return to Naples but went into exile, first to [[Malta]], and then [[Piedmont]] to where with his brother Carlo he created the "Military library for the use of Italian youth" and the " [[:it: Rivista Militare (periodico)|Rivista Militare]]" in 1856.<ref>{{cite web |title=News Esercito: "Rivista Militare" presenta la 4° uscita dell'anno a Palazzo Cusani |url=https://www.reportdifesa.it/esercito-rivista-militare-presenta-la-4-uscita-dellanno-a-palazzo-cusani/ |website=report difesa.it |date=8 December 2022 |publisher=Report Difesa |access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Rivista Militare |url=https://www.esercito.difesa.it/comunicazione/editoria/Rivista-Militare |website=esercito.difesa.it |publisher=Esercito Italiano |access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="Treccani">{{cite web |title=Mezzacapo, Luigi |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/luigi-mezzacapo/ |website=treccani.it |publisher=Enciclopedia on line |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="Pomba"/> While in Piedmont he married Malvina Saliceti, sister of [[Aurelio Saliceti]].<ref name="Sarti">{{cite book |last1=Sarti |first1=Telesforo |title=Il Parlamento subalpino e nazionale, profili e cenni biografici di tutti di deputati e senatori eletti e creati dal 1848 al 1890 (legislature XVI). |date=1890 |publisher=Editrice dell' Industria |location=Milan |page=660 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=95JNAQAAMAAJ&dq=luigi+mezzacapo&pg=PA660 |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="Atti"/>
==Second War of Independence== In 1859, during the [[Second Italian War of Independence]], he entered the Piedmontese army where he was granted the rank of major general, and organized the "Mezzacapo Division" a division of volunteers from [[Romagna]] and the [[Marche]],<ref name="Treccani"/> assisting [[Manfredo Fanti]] in the preparation of the annexation of Emilia and Romagna to the Kingdom of Sardinia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scirocco |first1=Alfonso |title=Garibaldi Citizen of the World: A Biography |date=2007 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, NJ |isbn=9780691115405 |page=226 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0M-LKFEoUFEC&dq=manfredo+fanti+luigi+mezzacapo&pg=PA226 |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref> In 1860 he took part in the expedition of the Piedmontese regular army to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In March 1861, taking the place of [[:it:Ferdinando Augusto Pinelli]], he commanded the siege and finally conquered the fortress of [[Civitella del Tronto]], the last bastion of the Bourbon forces.<ref name="Treccani"/><ref name="Pomba"/>
==Political career== He was appointed Senator of the Kingdom of Italy from 1 December 1870 and served as [[Minister of War (Italy)|Minister of War]] of the Kingdom of Italy in the [[first Depretis government|first]] and [[second Depretis government]]s (1876 - 1878).<ref name="Sarti"/><ref name="Senato">{{cite web |title=MEZZACAPO Luigi |url=http://notes9.senato.it/web/senregno.nsf/2a9c00aad2bca710c125711400599e36/81373db4660a5e904125646f005d7492?OpenDocument |website=senato.it |publisher=Senato Della Repubblica |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref> During his period of office he increased the number of territorial army commands to twelve and the divisional commands to twenty. The number of military districts was increased to 88 to support faster mobilisation.<ref name="Harpers">{{cite book |title=Harper's New Monthly Magazine Volume 85 |date=1892 |publisher=Harper's Magazine Company |location=New York |page=421 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wGkCAAAAIAAJ&dq=luigi+mezzacapo&pg=PA421 |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref> He also removed a number of senior army officers from their positions, which led to a great deal of trouble and recrimination.<ref name="Sarti"/><ref name="Annuario"/> He also secured large numbers of modern rifles for the army, strengthened the cavalry by purchasing some eight thousand horses in just two months, and increased the strength of the [[Alpini]] units.<ref name="Annuario"/>
In 1879 he was given command of the army corps of Rome, a position he held until his death in 1885.<ref name="Sarti"/> He was twice invited to return to the position of Minister of War, but refused on both occasions as he did not believe that parliament would agree the military budgets he felt were necessary to press forward with the modernisation of Italy’s armed forces.<ref name="Annuario"/>
==Works==
* Luigi Mezzacapo & Carlo Mezzacapo, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=jzsFOPdk8P8C&q=luigi+mezzacapo Studi topografici e strategici su l'Italia]''. Milan: Vallardi, 1859 * Luigi Mezzacapo, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=RdlhAAAAcAAJ&q=luigi+mezzacapo Alcune considerazioni militari sul Piemonte]'', Turin: G. Cassone,1859 * Luigi Mezzacapo, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=XL9kGQz4WMYC&q=luigi+mezzacapo La difesa dell'Italia dopo il trasferimento della capitale]''. Florence: Tip. Militare, 1865 * Luigi Mezzacapo, ''Relazione sulle banche-usure fuse con Scilla e Costa dell'amministratore giudiziario Luigi Mezzacapo''. Naples: tip. di A. Cons., 1870 * Giovanni Nicotera & Luigi Mezzacapo, ''Istruzioni per il servizio di repressione del malandrinaggio in Sicilia ''. Rome: tip. Bencini, 1876 * Luigi Mezzacapo, ''Quid faciendum? ''. Rome: Tipografia Barbera, 1879 * Luigi Mezzacapo, ''Siamo pratici ''. Rome: Tipografia Barbera, 1879 * Luigi Mezzacapo, ''Grandi manovre (1880): Caratteri topografico-militari del terreno prescelto per le grandi manovre di corpi d'armata contrapposti''. Rome. Tip. E. De Angelis, 1880 * Luigi Mezzacapo, ''Disposizioni di massima per l'esecuzione delle Grandi Manovre di corpi d'armata contrapposti (1880)''. Rome: Tip. E. De Angelis, 1880 * Luigi Mezzacapo, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Nb2HNFJT7AAC&q=luigi+mezzacapo Armi e politica]''. Rome: F. Capaccini, 1881
==Honours== {| |- | rowspan=2 style="width:60px; vertical-align:top;" | [[File:Grande ufficiale SSML Regno BAR.svg|60x30px|center|Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus - ribbon for ordinary uniform]] || [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus|Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]] |- | |} {| |- | rowspan=2 style="width:60px; vertical-align:top;" | [[File:Commendatore OMS BAR.svg|60x30px|center|Commander of the Military Order of Savoy - ribbon for ordinary uniform]] || [[Military Order of Savoy|Commander of the Military Order of Savoy]] |- | |}<ref>[http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=3385 Quirinale website]</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mezzacapo, Luigi}}
==External links== * [https://books.google.com/books?id=SaEtAAAAYAAJ&dq=luigi+mezzacapo&pg=PP5 ''Il generale Luigi Mezzacapo e i suoi tempi'', Giuseppe Ferrarelli, Voghera Carlo, Rome 1885]
[[Category:1814 births]] [[Category:1885 deaths]] [[Category:Kingdom of the Two Sicilies people]] [[Category:People from Trapani]] [[Category:Generals of former Italian states]] [[Category:Italian Army generals]] [[Category:Ministers of war of Italy]] [[Category:Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy]]