Francesco Paolo Bozzelli
Francesco Paolo Bozzelli (22 May 1786 – 2 February 1864) was an Italian jurist, philosopher and politician, best known for being the draftsman of the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1848.
Contents
Biography
Early life and education
Francesco Paolo Bozzelli was born in Manfredonia, the son of Michele Bozzelli and Maria Vittoria (née Ricci). After secondary school at the Escolapios, Bozzelli studied at the University of Naples, where he enrolled in 1806. After graduating in law, he entered the state administration: in 1813 he was a judicial auditor at the Council of State; and in 1816 he entered the Superintendency of Health, first as inspector general and then as secretary. At the same time Bozzelli also devoted himself to literary activity, and in 1815 he published Poesie varie an anthology of verses written in the taste of the 18th century.
Exile (1821–1837)
Of liberal sentiments, Bozzelli took part in the constitutional uprisings of 1820–1821 that first cost him prison and then exile, which lasted over fifteen years, which he spent abroad, mainly in France. During his exile he expounded in numerous French-language essays his political views as a moderate liberal, an advocate of a constitutional monarchy and opposed to the democratic-radical program. He also wrote philosophical essays on ethics and aesthetics.
The Constitution of 1848
Bozzelli was only able to return to his homeland in 1837. The reputation of great legal culture and moral integrity acquired during his exile granted Bozzelli great prestige within the liberal party of the Two Sicilies. His popularity became even greater after a new period of imprisonment suffered in 1844 along with Carlo Poerio and Mariano d'Ayala. Therefore, after the Sicilian insurrection began (January 12, 1848) Bozzelli was commissioned by President Serracapriola to prepare the royal decree, later published on January 29, 1848, which set the constitutional principles. On January 30, 1848 Bozzelli was appointed minister of the interior, replacing Carlo Cianciulli, with the task of drafting the text of the Constitution.
At first Bozzelli was a proponent, with Carlo Poerio and Mariano d'Ayala, of the idea of restoring the Neapolitan Constitution of 1820. However, soon afterwards he became convinced of the need to draft completely new constitutional paper, a task he completed alone and in only ten days (January 30–February 8, 1848). The constitution of the Two Sicilies prepared by Bozzelli consisted of 89 articles: it actually traced both the French Constitution of 1830 (except for the points dealing with local autonomies) and the Belgian Constitution of 1831. However, Bozzelli's Constitution was immediately criticized by the Democrats because it did not offer sufficient guarantees of freedom to citizens, limited electoral rights on a census basis, and left the King with broad discretionary powers.
Later life
On April 6, 1848 Bozzelli was excluded from Carlo Troya's constitutional government because of disagreements over foreign policy (Bozzelli was against the war against Austria). Instead, he participated as minister of the Interior and Public Instruction in the Spinelli government formed after Ferdinand II's coup d'état on May 15, 1848. Although Bozzelli's intent was to mitigate the royal reaction and hasten the return to legality, he was united by public opinion in discrediting the government of the Two Sicilies, despite being replaced at the Interior with Giovanni Vignali by order of Ferdinand II himself (Sept. 7, 1848). Bozzelli therefore retired to private life, having as his only source of income the pension he had accrued for having been a state counselor in 1820. With the conquest of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1860) the new Kingdom of Italy revoked this as well.
Works
- Poesie varie (1815)
- Essais sur les rapports primitifs qui lient ensemble la philosophie et la morale (1825)
- De l'union de la philosophie avec la morale (1830)
- Della Imitazione tragica presso gli antichi e presso i moderni (1836–1838)
- Cenni estetici sulle origini e le vicende della poesia ebraica (1842)
- Cenni estetici sulle origini e le doti del teatro indiano (1845)
References
- D'Agostino, Guido (1971). "Bozzelli, Francesco Paolo." In: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Vol. 13. Roma: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana.
- Gentile, Giovanni (1930). Storia della Filosofia Italiana dal Genovesi al Galluppi. Milan: Fratelli Treves.
