Giorgio Des Geneys

Giorgio Des Geneys

Count and Baron Giorgio Andrea Agnes Des Geneys (born April 29, 1761 in Chiomonte , Piedmont , † January 3, 1839 in Genoa ) was an admiral of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont . After the end of Napoleonic rule, he re-established the kingdom's navy from 1814 , which was then absorbed into the Italian navy in 1861 .

Life

At the age of 12 he joined the small navy of the House of Savoy as an officer candidate . This navy, founded by Emanuel Philibert of Savoy in the 16th century, took part in the Battle of Lepanto under Admiral Andrea Provana in 1571 and fought mainly against North African pirates in the centuries that followed . The young naval officer Giorgio Des Geneys also took part in skirmishes against pirates, for example in the roadstead of Bizerta in 1776 . On July 13, 1789, he captured three pirate ships, which were immediately taken over into the Sardinian-Piedmontese Navy.

After the government in Turin had rejected the French Republic's demand for the cession of the county of Nice in September 1792 , French revolutionary troops occupied Nice and Villafranca . Giorgio Des Geneys escaped with his San Vittorio . At first he thought of operating against French shipping in the Atlantic . Instead he participated in the coalition that defended the port of Toulon against Napoleon . After Napoleon's victory, the crew set the San Vittore on fire and set sail with the more modern and better armed French frigate Alceste . However, a French squadron retook the Alceste shortly afterwards after a heavy battle; Des Geneys was taken prisoner until 1795.

After he had distinguished himself as governor in the defense of Oneglia in 1798 , he followed the king to Sardinia , where he had gone after the loss of Piedmont . In Sardinia, Des Geneys took command of the remnants of the Royal Navy in 1801. Under the boatswain Domenico Millelire it had distinguished itself there in 1793 in the battle at La Maddalena against the French. While in the Mediterranean mainly British naval units under Nelson took care of the French, Des Geneys fought again against North African pirates who repeatedly attacked and plundered coastal towns on the island (including Carloforte ). On September 15, 1804 Des Geneys succeeded after a long battle in the capture of two well-armed pirate ships, to which two more were added on July 28, 1811 near Teulada .

After the restoration , Des Geneys took part as a diplomat at the Congress of Vienna , on which 1814 a. a. the connection of Liguria to Sardinia-Piedmont was decided. After the congress he became governor of Genoa and temporarily took over the leadership of the new Carabinieri troop from Giuseppe Thaon di Revel . From 1815, as the navy commander, he practically rebuilt the fleet and in 1816 also founded the Royal Naval School, which took care of the training of the offspring of officers .

Just a few years later, modern Piedmontese ships were cruising in the Aegean Sea and off North Africa . When the Bey of Tripoli demanded special tributes and threatened raids, the government in Turin dispatched a diplomatic delegation to Tripoli, which was escorted by Des Geneys warships . When the Bey renewed its threats during the negotiations, boarding teams set fire to several of the Bey's warships on the night of September 27, 1825. Thereupon he waived further demands. Shortly afterwards, the Bey of Tunis was also forced to surrender a Piedmontese merchant ship that had been confiscated for no reason.

Admiral Giorgio Des Geneys took care of the expansion of the navy and the protection of the coasts and shipping against attacks by North African pirates in the years that followed. The fleet repeatedly contributed to the success of diplomatic initiatives and enabled or accelerated the conclusion of trade agreements with North African rulers.

See also

For the pirate problem at the time, see also: American-Tripolitan War .

Web links

• Entry in the DBI on treccani.it