# Rimini Proclamation

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1815 proclamation by Joachim Murat, King of Naples

Copy of the Rimini Proclamation, held in [Turin](/source/Turin)'s [Museum of the Risorgimento](/source/Museum_of_the_Risorgimento_(Turin))

The **Rimini Proclamation** ([Italian](/source/Italian_language): *Proclama di Rimini*) was a [proclamation](/source/Proclamation) by [Joachim Murat](/source/Joachim_Murat), [King of Naples](/source/Kingdom_of_Naples_(Napoleonic)), calling for the establishment of a united, self-governing [Italy](/source/Italian_Peninsula) ruled by [constitutional law](/source/Constitutional_law). Its text is widely attributed to [Pellegrino Rossi](/source/Pellegrino_Rossi),[1][2] later [Papal Minister of Interior](/source/List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_the_Papal_States) under [Pope Pius IX](/source/Pope_Pius_IX).[1] While it is primarily considered as a desperate attempt from Murat to retain the Neapolitan throne,[3] the Rimini Proclamation was among the earliest calls for [Italian unification](/source/Unification_of_Italy).[1][3]

The Rimini Proclamation is dated to 30 March 1815, when Murat's army was passing through [Rimini](/source/Rimini) in the [Neapolitan War](/source/Neapolitan_War) against the [Austrian Empire](/source/Austrian_Empire), though it may have been published only after Murat's defeat at the [Battle of Tolentino](/source/Battle_of_Tolentino) in May 1815.[1] The citizens' address begins with the call:[4]

Italians! The hour has come to engage in your highest destinies.

## Background

Further information: [Neapolitan War](/source/Neapolitan_War)

The [Kingdom of Naples](/source/Kingdom_of_Naples), which ruled the southern half of the [Italian peninsula](/source/Italian_Peninsula), was a [client state](/source/Client_state) of [Napoleon Bonaparte](/source/Napoleon)'s [French Empire](/source/First_French_Empire).[5] In 1808, Napoleon named [Joachim Murat](/source/Joachim_Murat) as [King of Naples](/source/List_of_monarchs_of_Naples); Murat had married [Caroline Bonaparte](/source/Caroline_Bonaparte), Napoleon's younger sister, in 1800.[6] The northern half of the Italian peninsula was divided by the French Empire and, from 17 March 1805, the [Kingdom of Italy](/source/Kingdom_of_Italy_(Napoleonic)), another French client state, with Napoleon as [King of Italy](/source/King_of_Italy).[5][7]

Portrait of [Joachim Murat](/source/Joachim_Murat) as [King of Naples](/source/List_of_monarchs_of_Naples) by [François Gérard](/source/Fran%C3%A7ois_G%C3%A9rard), c. 1812

By January 1814, Napoleon was losing the [War of the Sixth Coalition](/source/War_of_the_Sixth_Coalition), in which a coalition of European states fought against the French Empire and its client states.[3] On 11 January 1814, the Kingdom of Naples and the [Austrian Empire](/source/Austrian_Empire) signed the [Treaty of Naples](/source/Treaty_of_Naples_(1814)), under which Murat defected to the coalition. As part of the treaty, Murat would keep the Neapolitan throne in return for sending 30,000 troops against the Kingdom of Italy.[8] Murat's troops passed through the city of [Rimini](/source/Rimini), at the southern tip of the Kingdom of Italy, on 1 February 1814.[9]

Following further military defeats, Napoleon abdicated on 6 April 1814.[10] At the [Congress of Vienna](/source/Congress_of_Vienna), [Klemens von Metternich](/source/Klemens_von_Metternich), Austria's [Foreign Minister](/source/Foreign_Minister_of_the_Austrian_Empire), was bound by other coalition allies that wanted to restore [Ferdinand IV](/source/Ferdinand_I_of_the_Two_Sicilies) of the [House of Bourbon](/source/House_of_Bourbon) to the Neapolitan throne,[1] particularly [Britain](/source/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland).[6][11]

With his throne no longer secure, following Napoleon's [return from exile](/source/Hundred_Days), Murat switched sides in an unsuccessful attempt to return to Napoleon's favour. On 15 March 1815, the Kingdom of Naples declared war on the Austrian Empire, starting the [Neapolitan War](/source/Neapolitan_War).[3][5][6] With an estimated 45,000 troops, the Neapolitan army invaded the [Papal States](/source/Papal_States), [Tuscany](/source/Grand_Duchy_of_Tuscany), and the [Marche](/source/Marche).[5][3][1] Though the Austrian army in [northern Italy](/source/Northern_Italy) numbered 94,000 troops, it was widely distributed.[11] On 30 March 1815, Murat's troops arrived in Rimini, where they were hosted by the Battaglini counts.[1] In a final attempt to gain allies, Murat published the Rimini Proclamation.[2]

## Contents

Drawing of [Pellegrino Rossi](/source/Pellegrino_Rossi) by Luigi Bridi, 1859

The Rimini Proclamation consists of two documents: one addressed to soldiers and one addressed to citizens.[1][2] The proclamation is often identified as the latter address to citizens.[1] Most scholars attribute the text of the addresses to [Pellegrino Rossi](/source/Pellegrino_Rossi),[1][2] later [Papal Minister of the Interior](/source/List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_the_Papal_States) under [Pope Pius IX](/source/Pope_Pius_IX).[1]

The citizens' address begins with the call:[4]

Italians! The hour has come to engage in your highest destinies. Providence ultimately calls you to be an independent nation. From the [Alps](/source/Alps) to the [Strait of Scylla](/source/Strait_of_Messina), you hear a single cry: "The independence of Italy!" And under what title do foreign peoples claim to take away this independence, the first right and first good of every people?

The proclamation references Italy's [physical geography](/source/Physical_geography) – "the barriers of the Alps" and "inaccessible seas and mountains" – as evidence of Italy's call to independence. It compares Italy's subjection to "England, that model of [constitutional](/source/Constitution) rule, that free people, who goes to glory to fight". It calls on the "good and unhappy Italians of [Milan](/source/Milan), [Bologna](/source/Bologna), [Turin](/source/Turin), [Venice](/source/Venice), [Brescia](/source/Brescia), [Modena](/source/Modena), [and] [Reggio](/source/Reggio_Emilia)" to "come together in firm union" for "a Constitution worthy of the century and of you".[4]

In its desire for independence and constitutionalism, the proclamation was written to inspire liberal elites in northern Italy.[5]

## Aftermath

400 volunteers joined Murat's army on 30 March 1815.[2] Murat's eastern column advanced northwards from Rimini towards the [River Po](/source/Po_(river)), entering Bologna on 2 April, while the western column reached [Florence](/source/Florence) on 8 April.[11] On the same day, the eastern column engaged 3,000 Austrian soldiers at the [Battle of Occhiobello](/source/Battle_of_Occhiobello).[3][2] Following its defeat at Occhiobello, it was pushed southwards, leading to Murat's decisive defeat at the [Battle of Tolentino](/source/Battle_of_Tolentino) on 2–3 May.[6][2] Murat returned to Naples on 18 May, where Caroline had already surrendered to the British, and fled immediately to southern France.[11]

Hearing of Napoleon's defeat at the [Battle of Waterloo](/source/Battle_of_Waterloo) on 18 June 1815,[2] Murat fled to [Corsica](/source/Corsica),[2][3][6] from which he attempted an impossible invasion of [Calabria](/source/Calabria).[2][5][6] Napoleon remarked: "Murat attempted to reconquer with 200 men that territory which he failed to hold when he had 80,000 at his disposal."[1] Murat was captured, sentenced to death,[2][6] and shot by firing squad in [Pizzo Calabro](/source/Pizzo%2C_Calabria) on 13 October 1815.[1][5][6]

In *Il re lazzarone* (1999), [Risorgimento](/source/Unification_of_Italy) scholar Giuseppe Campolieti hypothesises that the Rimini Proclamation was only published on 12 May 1815, after Murat's defeat at Tolentino, and backdated to 30 March.[2][12]

## Legacy

The Rimini Proclamation is primarily considered a desperate attempt from Murat to retain the Neapolitan throne. Nevertheless, and somewhat ironically for a French king,[3] it was among the earliest calls for Italian unification and independence.[1][3] The proclamation impressed poet [Alessandro Manzoni](/source/Alessandro_Manzoni), who wrote a song entitled *[Il proclama di Rimini](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Il_proclama_di_Rimini&action=edit&redlink=1)* [[it](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_proclama_di_Rimini)],[1] but he left it unfinished after Murat's campaign failed.[2]

## See also

- (in Italian) [Text of the proclamation](https://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Proclama_di_Rimini) on Italian Wikisource

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:0_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:0_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-:0_1-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-:0_1-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-:0_1-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-:0_1-11) [***m***](#cite_ref-:0_1-12) [***n***](#cite_ref-:0_1-13) [***o***](#cite_ref-:0_1-14) ["Il proclama di Rimini"](https://www.ilponte.com/il-proclama-di-rimini/) [The Rimini Proclamation]. *Il Ponte* (in Italian). 6 May 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:1_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:1_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:1_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:1_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:1_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-:1_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-:1_2-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-:1_2-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-:1_2-11) [***m***](#cite_ref-:1_2-12) ["30 marzo 1815 - Gioacchino Murat firma il Proclama di Rimini (o di Tolentino?)"](https://www.chiamamicitta.it/30-marzo-1815-proclama-rimini-tolentino/) [30 March 1815 – Joachim Murat signs the Proclamation of Rimini (or of Tolentino?)]. *Chiamami Città* (in Italian). 29 March 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:2_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:2_3-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:2_3-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:2_3-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-:2_3-8) Sacco, Antonio (30 May 2020). ["Unificare l'Italia, il sogno di Murat"](https://napoli.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/20_maggio_30/unificare-l-italia-sogno-murat-5de17248-a286-11ea-a5d1-29996a211afa.shtml) [Unifying Italy, Murat's dream]. *[Corriere della Sera](/source/Corriere_della_Sera)* (in Italian). Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:3_4-2) Gualterio, Filippo Antonio (1852). [*Gli ultimi rivolgimenti italiani, memorie storiche di F.A. Gualterio*](https://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Proclama_di_Rimini) [*The latest Italian upheavals: Historical memories by FA Gualterio*] (in Italian). Florence: Felice Le Monnier. pp. 267–69. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:4_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:4_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:4_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:4_5-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:4_5-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:4_5-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:4_5-6) Melfi, Luigi (28 February 2021). ["Agli albori dell'unificazione politica, amministrativa e militare nazionale"](http://www.istitutodelnastroazzurro.org/2021/02/28/luigi-melfi-agli-albori-dellunificazione-politica-amministrativa-e-militare-nazionale/) [At the dawn of national political, administrative, and military unification]. *Istituto del Nastro Azzurro* (in Italian). Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:5_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:5_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:5_6-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:5_6-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:5_6-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:5_6-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:5_6-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:5_6-7) Mark, Harrison W. ["Joachim Murat"](https://www.worldhistory.org/Joachim_Murat/). *[World History Encyclopedia](/source/World_History_Encyclopedia)*. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Hicks, Peter](/source/Peter_Hicks). ["How Napoleon became 'King of Italy'"](https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/how-napoleon-became-king-of-italy/). *[Fondation Napoléon](/source/Fondation_Napol%C3%A9on)*. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Riley, Jonathon P.](/source/Jonathon_Riley_(British_Army_officer)) (2000). *Napoleon and the World War of 1813: Lessons in Coalition Warfighting*. [Routledge](/source/Routledge). p. 357. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780714648934](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780714648934).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["1 febbraio 1814 - Arriva a Rimini Gioacchino Murat"](https://www.chiamamicitta.it/1-febbraio-1814-arriva-a-rimini-gioacchino-murat/) [1 February 1814 – Joachim Murat arrives in Rimini]. *Chiamami Città* (in Italian). 31 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Napoleon I - Defeat, Exile, Abdication"](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Napoleon-I/Downfall-and-abdication). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica)*. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:6_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:6_11-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:6_11-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:6_11-3) Pappas, Dale. ["Joachim Murat and the Kingdom of Naples: 1808–1815"](https://www.napoleon-series.org/research/biographies/marshals/Murat/c_Murat1815.html#_ftn9). *The Napoleon Series*. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Camploieti, Giuseppe (1999). *Il re lazzarone* [*The Lazy King*] (in Italian). Milan: Mondadori. p. 410. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [88-04-40528-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/88-04-40528-7).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rimini Proclamation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rimini_Proclamation) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rimini_Proclamation?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.