Giuseppe Musolino
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Musolino, better known as the "Brigante Musolino" or the "King of Aspromonte" (24 September 1876 - 22 January 1956), was an Italian
brigand and folk hero
.
, in a rugged area of Calabria
, in southern Italy
.
He worked as a woodcutter in the Aspromonte
area of Calabria, an isolated and mountainous region near the "toe" of the Italian "boot". Musolino, much like Robin Hood
in English
folklore, was reputed to have turned outlaw when he was falsely accused of attempted murder in 1897. False testimony was brought forward against him and he was sent to prison in Gerace
. In 1899, he escaped from jail, and for the next three years conducted his own brigand version of justice.
While hiding among the hills of Aspromonte, Musolino killed off the two alleged traitors who had borne witness against him; but "in expiation of their sins and his own", he kept busy as well at a multitude of good works. Among his good deeds, it was said he assisted peasants and gave large sums of money stolen from the rich to monasteries and churches. He also kept King Victor Emmanuel
posted by letter on the need for local reforms.
Musolino was captured, while heading to seek pardon from King Victor Emmanuel in 1901, near Urbino
, apparently caught in some wire while fleeing two Carabinieri
that recognized him. He was tried and sent to prison for life, where he was declared insane twelve years later. He died in Reggio Calabria
's mental hospital at the age of 79.
throughout Italy and abroad. He became the subject of many Calabrian folk tales and popular songs. The 1950 film Il Brigante Musolino
, by Mario Monicelli
, was based on his life.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
brigand and folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
.
Biography
Musolino was born in Santo Stefano in AspromonteSanto Stefano in Aspromonte
Santo Stefano in Aspromonte is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 110 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 12 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...
, in a rugged area of Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
He worked as a woodcutter in the Aspromonte
Aspromonte
Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the province of Reggio Calabria . The name means "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate. It overlooks the Strait of Messina, being limited by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas and by the Pietrace...
area of Calabria, an isolated and mountainous region near the "toe" of the Italian "boot". Musolino, much like Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
in English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
folklore, was reputed to have turned outlaw when he was falsely accused of attempted murder in 1897. False testimony was brought forward against him and he was sent to prison in Gerace
Gerace
Gerace is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy.Gerace is located some 10 km inland from Locri, yet the latter town and the Sea can be seen from Gerace's perch atop a 500 m vertical rock...
. In 1899, he escaped from jail, and for the next three years conducted his own brigand version of justice.
While hiding among the hills of Aspromonte, Musolino killed off the two alleged traitors who had borne witness against him; but "in expiation of their sins and his own", he kept busy as well at a multitude of good works. Among his good deeds, it was said he assisted peasants and gave large sums of money stolen from the rich to monasteries and churches. He also kept King Victor Emmanuel
Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
Victor Emmanuel III was a member of the House of Savoy and King of Italy . In addition, he claimed the crowns of Ethiopia and Albania and claimed the titles Emperor of Ethiopia and King of Albania , which were unrecognised by the Great Powers...
posted by letter on the need for local reforms.
Musolino was captured, while heading to seek pardon from King Victor Emmanuel in 1901, near Urbino
Urbino
Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482...
, apparently caught in some wire while fleeing two Carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
that recognized him. He was tried and sent to prison for life, where he was declared insane twelve years later. He died in Reggio Calabria
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
's mental hospital at the age of 79.
Musolino as legend
It can be said that Musolino was seen by his countrymen as a symbol of the injustice Calabria was facing at the time. As an elusive fugitive, always managing to escape traps, Musolino stirred the imagination of many people in Italy and in short order he became a legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
throughout Italy and abroad. He became the subject of many Calabrian folk tales and popular songs. The 1950 film Il Brigante Musolino
Il Brigante Musolino
Il Brigante Musolino , released in the US as Outlaw Girl, is a 1950 Italian crime drama film inspired by the life of the Calabrian outlaw Giuseppe Musolino. It was directed and written by Mario Camerini...
, by Mario Monicelli
Mario Monicelli
Mario Monicelli was an Italian director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all'Italiana , three times nominated for Oscar.-Biography:...
, was based on his life.
See also
- Eric HobsbawmEric HobsbawmEric John Ernest Hobsbawm , CH, FBA, is a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author...
's concept of the social bandit (see also Hobsbawm, Primitive Rebels, 1959) - Cesare LombrosoCesare LombrosoCesare Lombroso, born Ezechia Marco Lombroso was an Italian criminologist and founder of the Italian School of Positivist Criminology. Lombroso rejected the established Classical School, which held that crime was a characteristic trait of human nature...
's "The Last Brigand" (1902)
External links
- "Musolino and the Law", from Old Calabria (1915) by Norman DouglasNorman DouglasGeorge Norman Douglas was a British writer, now best known for his 1917 novel South Wind.-Life:Norman Douglas was born in Thüringen, Austria . His mother was Vanda von Poellnitz...
Arrestato il famoso e temutissimo brigante Musolino, La Domenica del Corriere del 27 ottobre 1901 Il processo contro il brigante Musolino, La Domenica del Corriere del 4 maggio 1902 Il rientro del bandito Musolino nel carcere, La Tribuna Illustrata del 4 maggio 1902