Luigi Wolff
Encyclopedia
Luigi Wolff, also known as Louis Wolff or Adolfo Wolff, was an Italian revolutionary of German birth and Jewish ancestry.
, the son of Ludwig Alexander Wolff and Apollonia von Megenauer. The precise dates of his birth and death are uncertain, but he was probably alive between 1810 and 1875. In the 1830s he joined the French Foreign Legion
and fought with distinction in the French conquest of Algeria
(1830-47). Before 1849 he served in the Papal army. In 1848-49 he participated in the Italian Revolution, and in 1856 he fought in the Crimean War
as part of an Anglo-Italian contingent. During his adventurous youth, Wolff became a partisan of the Italian Risorgimento and a champion of Italian unification. In addition to nationalist and democratic ideas, he was influenced by utopian socialist doctrines. He became an associate of Giuseppe Mazzini
and served as Mazzini's secretary from 1860 to 1870. In 1860-62, Wolff fought with Giuseppe Garibaldi's
troops in several campaigns. When he was not away fighting somewhere, Wolff usually resided in London. In the early 1860s he helped organise an association of Italian workers in London. In 1864, at Mazzini's suggestion, Wolff served as one of the Italian delegates to the newly founded First International. In 1864-65, he served on its Genreral Council. He was involved in drafting the International's rules and statutes, much to the dismay of Karl Marx
, who deplored Mazzini's influence. (Marx eventually wrote the rules adopted by the International.) In 1865, Wolff withdrew from the General Council of the International. In 1865 he was imprisoned in Alexandria. In 1866 he volunteered once again for Garibaldi's forces and fought in the third Italian war of independence. He fought in the battle of Ponte Caffaro on June 25 and in the battle of Monte Suello on July 3, 1866. Wolff attained the rank of colonel and was given the medal of valour after Italy achieved her independence. However, in 1871, after the fall of the Second French Empire
, documents found in Paris apparently proved that Wolff had been a paid informer of the imperial police of Napoléon III. This damaged Wolff's reputation among Italian nationalists, who never forgave Napoléon III for his attack on the Roman revolutionaries in 1849, and among socialists and trade unionists, who remembered the persecution of their French comrades. Wolff disappeared after this and was not heard from again.
Life
Adolfo Luigi Wolff was born in AugsburgAugsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, the son of Ludwig Alexander Wolff and Apollonia von Megenauer. The precise dates of his birth and death are uncertain, but he was probably alive between 1810 and 1875. In the 1830s he joined the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
and fought with distinction in the French conquest of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
(1830-47). Before 1849 he served in the Papal army. In 1848-49 he participated in the Italian Revolution, and in 1856 he fought in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
as part of an Anglo-Italian contingent. During his adventurous youth, Wolff became a partisan of the Italian Risorgimento and a champion of Italian unification. In addition to nationalist and democratic ideas, he was influenced by utopian socialist doctrines. He became an associate of Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini , nicknamed Soul of Italy, was an Italian politician, journalist and activist for the unification of Italy. His efforts helped bring about the independent and unified Italy in place of the several separate states, many dominated by foreign powers, that existed until the 19th century...
and served as Mazzini's secretary from 1860 to 1870. In 1860-62, Wolff fought with Giuseppe Garibaldi's
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
troops in several campaigns. When he was not away fighting somewhere, Wolff usually resided in London. In the early 1860s he helped organise an association of Italian workers in London. In 1864, at Mazzini's suggestion, Wolff served as one of the Italian delegates to the newly founded First International. In 1864-65, he served on its Genreral Council. He was involved in drafting the International's rules and statutes, much to the dismay of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, who deplored Mazzini's influence. (Marx eventually wrote the rules adopted by the International.) In 1865, Wolff withdrew from the General Council of the International. In 1865 he was imprisoned in Alexandria. In 1866 he volunteered once again for Garibaldi's forces and fought in the third Italian war of independence. He fought in the battle of Ponte Caffaro on June 25 and in the battle of Monte Suello on July 3, 1866. Wolff attained the rank of colonel and was given the medal of valour after Italy achieved her independence. However, in 1871, after the fall of the Second French Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
, documents found in Paris apparently proved that Wolff had been a paid informer of the imperial police of Napoléon III. This damaged Wolff's reputation among Italian nationalists, who never forgave Napoléon III for his attack on the Roman revolutionaries in 1849, and among socialists and trade unionists, who remembered the persecution of their French comrades. Wolff disappeared after this and was not heard from again.
Sources
- Marx, K., 'On Mazzini’s Attitude to The International Working Men’s Association.' Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 20, p. 401.
- Marx-Engels Gesamtausgabe. - Werke, Artikel, Entwürfe, September 1864-September 1867. Berlin, 2003, p. 390 f. and p. 453 ff.
- Ferino, U.Z., La Campagna Garibaldina dall’Adda al Garda. Trento 1966.
- King, B., The Life of Mazzini. London, 1902.
- King, H. (ed.), Letters and Recollections of Mazzini. New York, 1912.