AGEROLA ::: THE BRIGANDAGE ::: PORTALE di Colle Salario ROMA

In the 1529 the Spanish dominion was asserted that it fortified it against the Turkish raids, constructing to towers of long sight shorelines, castles, ports fortify and armed to you. The oppression of the taxes carried to the poverty these normally given over people to agriculture, the pastorizia and the peach; from that the first uprisings gushed when also to Naples in the 1647 the revolts burst. Brigandage is diffused, the plague seeded the dead women in every place. This period of Spanish domination had valence in the art because it knew to diffuse the baroque.

Brigandage is a characteristic shape of banditry of the situations of social and political instability. Already present in the roman world in the late republican age and, more emphasized, in the low empire, it was manifested in shape virulenta with the final crisis of the feudalesimo. In Germany between the 1400's and the 1500's of the small feudalità and the knights were promotori often. Around to XVI the century in Campania, Abruzzi and Calabria peasants gave themselves to brigandage harry to you from the state treasury and the barons.

It was endemic phenomenon, from the 1600 century, in the Ottoman dominions, above all in Albania. In Southern Italy d' Italy ripresentò between the beginning of the 1600 and half of the 1800's in I interlace of social motivations (the revolt of the peasants against “galantuomini”), national, religious and the political ones. Repressed hardly, under Murat, from general Manhès, ricomparve with characteristics of mass after the Italian State Standard, which expression of the uneasiness of the poor peasants.

Brigandage also in the Lazio of the XVI sec. has given one large one to make, in fact, the bandit Mark Sciarra, coming from from the Abruzzi, where it possessed a castle, scorrazzò for these zones associated to an other delinquent, such Angel Iron. Sciarra had a small army estimated in approximately thousand men, between its enterprises it detaches that one happened to Bottoms where it put to iron and fire the Acquaviva castle.

The Iron, is said, had to think miracolato because for intercessione of the Madonna of the Civita, it stopped the malavitosa activity and it was enlisted in the rows of Filippo II engaged to fight in the Fiandre. Mark Sciarra continued instead razziare and killing in the zones that today go from the south pontino until the peninsula sorrentina. It was settled down to Itri, where it placed general its quartier in the castle that dominates the city, taxing the travellers who journeyed for the Way Appia. Most illustrious between these was Torquato Rate, recognized from the bandit tells, was forwarded without that damage was brought it.

15 February 1798 was born the Roman Republic, but a sure malaise serpeggiava between the Latium population that did not appreciate the advent of the new masters. Very that they took place focolai of revolt against the new laws of the baby Republic; one revolt that caused tens of dead men. The repression from part of the French army was hardest, began from Rome and extended to the zones of the frusinate ones until arriving in Earth of Job. They were slaughters hundred to you of persons and of their bodies it was made scempio. 18 January of the 1799 Itri was theatre of the sixty killing of its sons, between this Francisco Pezza father of Michele, alias Between Devil; the country in this circumstance endured pillages and violences, were put to fire, many perished between wall to them of their houses disable to you to escape. The death certificates of that period are found transcribed near the parishes of S.Maria in Announced Public square and that one of S. Michele Arcangelo located in the historical center of Itri.

The cause “capeggiata Sanfedista” from Ruffo cardinal animated the populations of the south in order to hunt the invaders from those lands. Answering to the appeal of Ruffo, bands were enlisted of deprive of hope and heads to you risen mass of every, in Calabria like in Basilicata, decided ricacciare the French and to bring back on the throne of Naples Ferdinand IV. The Campania did not remain stranger to the events and in particolar way the Earth of Job (Caserta).

Here it established quartier the general Michele Pezza, to the century Between' Devil, personage who discosta from the brigante traditional figure. It was accused of two homicides, the causes that had pushed it to the spot, null had to that to see with brigandage. It was only for love that had living hidden for some time, before being graziato and being enlisted like regulating in the borbonico army.

IL BRIGANTE MICHELE PEZZA DETTO FRA DIAVOLO - AGEROLA

Of that period not there is trace of its sets in action criminal in the police relationships. The news on the life of most famous “chef de brigands” com' was called from Giuseppe Bonaparte king of Naples, also covering the degrees of colonel of the borbonico army. It was not from little Peter Colletta (historical and political) official borbonico, esonerato from the assignment because it joined to the Neapolitan Republic. In the pages of the biweekly periodical the “Neapolitan Monitor”, official organ of the Republic, founded from Eleonora Fonseca, published in the period February-june '99, is defined: “Murderous, head of murders, infame and guilty”.

To the beginnings there was an insurrectionary movement against the French for the slaughters that took place in Campania and Basilicata where the napoleoniche troops killed, depredated all that that a minimum of value had, profanarono sacred places beloveds to people. It was rendered legal then, from the movement “Sanfedista”, that it swept up the short existence of the “Neapolitan Republic”. Also in that occasion, slaughters and killings of French and simpatizzanti they were taken place. The “restoration”, gave a semblance of legality to bandit, than guilty of the most brutal crimes became; xecutioners in just, one political situation of difficult interpretation.

GIUSEPPE BONAPARTE RE DI NAPOLI - AGEROLA

But the French returned newly to Naples, before with the king Giuseppe Bonaparte and subsequently in 1808 with Gioacchino Murat. In that period bands of briganti they attested themselves between mounts of the low Lazio. The zone that went between “Portella and the Epitaffio”, considered “earth of nobody”, divenne the preferred place of the briganti that passed with facility from one be to the other escaping to you respect to you gendarmi. I confine of the Papal State per year went back 1000, as he is brought back in the Bubble of Pope Silvestro II, to the century Gerberto di Aurillac. The fortilizio of the Epitaffio therefore he is called for one lapide made to affix from the viceré of Naples Perafan de Ribera, in 1568; he was I invite turned the travellers who entered in the Reign Naples to behave themselves in friendly way.

Begun risorgimentale brigandage post in the 1860 historically has been concluded to the end of 1865, even if regurgitations were had until 1871. Giuseppe Miozzi, but, in the volume “the police officers in the repression of brigandage - and Fungus-1923-Florence”, divides that period in two parts: ” [...] until 1863 political brigandage, that one of ordinary crime until 1870 ". Successive brigandage to the Unit of Italy is considered from some historians like movement of social fight. The sale of lands of the Federal property to the weel-off people partially of the north, only resource of the peasants of the south, influenced to aggravate the dissatisfaction of less well-to-do. The disappointment was a lot for those who had riposto confidence in the enterprise garibaldina of being able to occupy state property lands. A situation of dissatisfaction of people of the south was created, on which it weighed also the economic crisis of the Sabaudo State. The payment of new taxes, nearly tripled, regarding those taxes from the Borboni pushed most violent between the peasants to rebel itself. The obligatory military lever carried many to escape on mounts for sottrarsi to it law obligation.

In 1863 to Agerola, brigandage resumed totally in the organizational shape. Birth of two bands, that one of Giuseppe Apuzzo, saying ò Cascettone, and that one of Francisco Vuolo, ò Viettechese, was cause of much uneasiness between population, for which the Beneficence it had to assist some travagliatori of the mountain that they could not, for emergency reasons, to go to work in the forests.

Against the imperversare of the briganti operate to Agerola the Police officer, a unit of the 7° Infantry, reinforce furniture and the Guard National. In spite of this deployment of antirepressive forces, the situation became more and more indefensible.

And then ours concittadino, don Gennaro Avitabile, Extraordinary Commissioner to the Common one, were placed bravely at the head of the National Guard and chase some briganti. The enterprise does not make them because its fellow soldiers were to the height of the situation.

Guard Felice Coccia merit on the field the Silver Medal to the value. In 1864 brigandage she raised the shooting and seizure in locality S. Cross marquis Stanislao of the Tufo, in travel towards Agerola together to other persons. The liberation of the seized one only happened after some day.

In that year a frightening criminal, than later divenne ringleader, said Peter Olive Piero é Lia, showed oneself on the scene with several crimes. On its head large ransom was placed one. As a result of the criminal events, a dislocated other joined to the units parking in every fraction on the mountain, in locality S. Maria of Mounts. Expenses for the repression of the heavy and equally onerous briganti divennero much were those in order to assist numerous the poor ones, which the checks to the relatives of the captured criminals were added and deport to you in Sardinia.

1871 were the end of brigandage, the ringleader Peter Olive were assassinated from the same ones follow to us that they composed its cracking. The end of the frightening brigante gate the apprehensions of an entire population. When the corpse of Olive was transported in public square S. Lazzaro and came recognized from the citizens and the sottoprefetto of Castellammare, shooting a relief breath. Hour could be dedicated to us to social works without having other worries on the emergency of people! Therefore in the course of the year the Municipal Committee on the agenda held alone two sitting with brigandage. To propose a history course on the phenomenon of brigandage appears, today, still useful, in order rileggere and to comprise more to bottom the origins of our economic backwardness. This and as well as to the aim not to characterize like causes political responsibilities and debatable economic strategies, as far as the aim not only to recover also in our present those signs of cultural rebirth that feeds the choices of many honest men and women of the South. “The South, earth of briganti” is not therefore more a infamante brand, but in an intellectually changed scene, it is a sign “strongly” of belongings, one trace of the memory.