Gabriele Rossetti

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Gabriele Rossetti painted in 1848 by his son Dante

Gabriele Pasquale Giuseppe Rossetti (born February 28, 1783 in Vasto , Chieti Province , Abruzzo region , Italy , † April 24, 1854 in London ) was an Italian poet and scholar .

Life

His father traded in hardware in Vasto d'Ammone. Gabriele was custodian at what was then the Bourbon Museum in Naples and campaigned for more freedom. In 1806 he had published the volume of poetry “Poesie Varie pel glorioso monarca”, which he dedicated to Joseph Bonaparte, who praised him for having ousted the Bourbons from the throne.

The Bourbons take over the throne again after Napoleon had to abdicate in 1813. Ferdinand IV. United Naples and Sicily in 1816 back to the Kingdom of the Two Sicily (Regno delle Due Sicilie) and now called himself Ferdinand I . of Sicily. Rossetti also belonged to the circle of insurgents who had forced the king in Naples to grant a constitution in 1820. As early as 1821, however, he revoked this at the Congress of the Holy Alliance in Laibach and enforced his absolute regiment with the help of Austrian troops. Terrible criminal courts were passed on the Liberals.

Known for his patriotic songs and publications, Rossetti had to go into hiding. The English admiral's wife, Sir Graham Moore, had heard of the danger Rossetti was in. She was able to convince the admiral, with the help of his adjutant, to take him in a carriage to a ship that sailed for Malta the next day. For this, the poet was disguised in an English uniform. In Malta, where he stayed from 1823 to 1825, he made friends with the local governor, John Hookham Frere, who gave him valuable introductory letters to London. Arrived there in 1825, he lived as an exile, although he was deprived of all advantages of his reputation in Italy.

On April 10, 1826, at the age of 43, he married Frances Mary Lavinia Polidori, 17 years his junior, whose father Gaetano had also fled from Italy. The marriage is described as happy. Four children emerged from the mutual connection:

His house on Charlotte Street was the first port of call for Italian refugees for many years. In 1831 Rossetti was appointed Professor of Italian Language and Literature at King's College , London. In 1843 Gabriele became blind in one eye and there was a risk that the other eye could be affected - but luckily he was not completely deprived of his eyesight. Inevitably he had to give up the professorship. Towards the end he had only a few students, because they now preferred to study the German language.

Now everyone was forced to contribute to the family support. William had to leave college in 1845 and found a job with the tax office. Maria Francesca went to Gertrude Thynne, a niece of Lady Bath, as a tutor. The mother, Frances Mary Lavinia, opened a day school on Arlington Street. Another school in Frome Selwood, Sommerset, had to be abandoned after a year. Strokes occurred later that made him unable to move. He endured his suffering with patience and courage.

He published his works in Italian and was considered the capacity for Dante Alighieri's works, on which he published a 6-volume edition.

Gabriele Rossetti died on April 26, 1854 at 166 Albany Street, Regent's Park, London, in the presence of the whole family. He was buried in the Highgate Cemetery.

In Italy, Rossetti was still respected as a freedom fighter. In 1883 the centenary birthday was celebrated. A medal was struck in his honor. His house in Vasto was acquired by the municipality and is now the seat of the “Rossetti European Center” in “Casa Rossetti”. The former “Piazza del Pesce” was renamed “Piazza Gabriele Rossetti”. The "Teatro Comunale Rossetti" also bears his name.

gallery

  • Painting by Dante's mother Frances Mary Lavinia from 1854

  • Drawing by his father 1853

  • Oil painting of the mother 1865

  • The Rossetti brothers 1838

Works

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dante Gabriel Rossetti. His Family-Letters with a Memoir (Volume One) authored by William Michael Rossetti. Publisher: Robert Brothers; Boston 1895, p. 10 ff.
  2. ↑ Centro di Studi Europco Rossettiani

Web links

Commons : Gabriele Rossetti  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Rossetti, Gabriele
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rossetti, Gabriele Pasquale Giuseppe (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian poet and scholar
DATE OF BIRTH February 28, 1783
PLACE OF BIRTH Vasto , Chieti Province , Abruzzo Region , Italy
DATE OF DEATH April 24, 1854
Place of death London