One of the most dangerous secret societies in 19th century Italy was the Carbonari. Fighting for a united Italy, many across Europe feared them and what they represented. This article explains who they were and how they ended up in prison in Brno, Czechia.

Resistance

In the 18th and 19th century, Europe underwent plenty of change. There were many revolutions, the French one being the most famous. One key effect of these revolutions is that liberal ideas spread across the continent and took root in many other areas too.

The Italian peninsula was not unified at the time. There was a broad north-south split. The southern half was the Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples, while the north was a broad collection of states, republics and duchies.

A secret group known as the Carbonari evolved as an offshoot of the Freemasons. They would hide in forests and, to avoid suspicion, would chop wood and make charcoal¹. This is where their name comes from (Carbonaro is Italian for ‘charcoal maker’). They had one simple aim: they wanted a single unified Italy². They operated all across the Italian peninsula and in the south even operated as a state within a state^{1 3}. Foreigners who had a love of Italy and all things Italian also joined, like Lord Byron¹.

Active resistance

They made themselves well known during the Napoleonic occupation. In 1820 they started a revolution in Naples against King Ferdinand I³. The revolutions had enough of an effect on Ferdinand that he agreed to their demands to create a new constitution and allow a parliament³.  Austria worried about this as it meant they could lose control over states in northern Italy³.

King Ferdinand was the brother of the Prince of Capua, who was exiled in Malta.

In October 1820 Russia, Austria and Prussia met in Opava to discuss the Napoletan crisis⁴. On 19 November 1820 they issued a joint declaration known as the Troppau Protocol⁴. This stated that when revolutionary methods were used against European states, the 3 countries would bind together, by force if need be, to bring the state back to a position of “legal order and stability.”⁴

In February 1821 they sent troops to the south. Outnumbered, the Carbonari suffered from this attack. In Piedmont, King Vittorio Emmanuele I didn’t know what to do. He abdicated in favour of his brother, Charles, who invited the Austrian army to defeat the rebels.

Imprisonment

The sentence for the crime of ‘Carbonarism’ was death. In many cases the authorities commuted the sentences to harsh jail sentences instead^{1 2}. The prisoners served these jail sentences in a prison in Austria¹.

This prison was a 13th century castle⁵ and fortress called Špilberk castle, outside Brno city^{1 2}. This was what we would now call a maximum-security detention facility. Its casemates in the hollowed walls housed the most hardened criminals in Austria. We can see what they thought of the Carbonari to imprison them here.

The authorities transferred prisoners by train avoiding major cities. These trains arrived at night in Brno so they could transfer prisoners to their cells under cover of darkness.². They abused prisoners here, and several Carbonari died in Špilberk castle¹.

The prison guards also separated prisoners from the same country to ensure they wouldn’t gang up².

Špilberk castle is open for visitors today. The exhibits explain the history behind the political prisoners. They don’t only talk about the Italian Carbonari, but include separatists and freedom fighters from around Austria, and later Austria-Hungary.

References

1. The Carbonari; Cornelia Shiver; Social Science Vol. 39, No. 4; 1964-10[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. As observed in Špilberk castle; 2020-02-22[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
3. Political repression in 19th century Europe; Robert Justin Goldstein; 2013-06-17[↩][↩][↩][↩]
4. Political repression in 19th century Europe; Robert Justin Goldstein; 2013-06-17[↩][↩][↩]
5. History of the castle; Spilberk.cz; (Retrieved 2020-03-07) [↩]

Remember: links were correct at time of publication.