Paolo Di Avitabile
Encyclopedia
General Paolo Crescenzo Martino Avitabile (Abu Tabela) (25 October 1791 – 28 March 1850) was an Italian
soldier, mercenary and adventurer. A peasant's son born in Agerola
, near Amalfi in Italy, he served in the Neapolitan militia during the Napoleonic
wars. After Waterloo
he drifted east like many other adventurous soldiers. He first served as a mercenary in Persia, before he was hired by the Maharaja Ranjit Singh
of the Punjab
.
between 1807 and 1809, when he joined the artillery of the regular army. As a part of the Imperial Army, Avitabile served under Murat
on several campaigns. In these campaigns he earned the rank of Lieutenant, as well as the command of the 15th Battery. After the fall of Napoleon
and the defeat of Murat at Tolentino
, Naples was restored to Ferdinand I of Sicily
. Avitabile retained his rank and command and joined the army of the new Kingdom of Two Sicilies, where he joined the siege of Gaeta
under the command of the Austrian general Delaver.
During this siege, he displayed great bravery and was wounded twice. The general recommended him for a promotion and a decoration, but was not heard. Avitabile was transferred instead to a position of lieutenant in a regiment of light infantry. It is said he quit in disgust over this treatment. His European career had come to an end.
but this ended in a shipwreck off Marseille. Instead, he was advised to seek employment to the east. In Constantinople he was approached by an agent of the Persian Shah Fath Ali Shah recruiting European officers; in 1820, Avitabile took service with the Persian Shah. He remained in this employment for six years, during which period he rose to the rank of khan and a grade of colonel in the Persian army. Here he also met Claude August Court
who would later accompany him on the travel to Punjab. Avitabile was rewarded for his services by two of Persia's highest decorations as Grand Commander of The Lion and Sun and of The Two Lions and Crown, but found the pay lacking. When he heard favourable notice from Jean-Baptiste Ventura
of his employment in Punjab Ventura again broke up to travel further to the east.
. While Court was given a position with the artillery, Avitabile was given a civilian position as governor of Wazirabad
. It would seem he was an able administrator, as he held the position for the next seven years. He governed the city with a firm - at times, cruel - hand and managed to impose order and discipline. As a result, Wazirabad prospered.
In 1834 he was appointed governor of Peshawar
, an area the Maharaja had conquered from the Afghans
the previous year.
His rule of Wazirabad
is described as just and rigorous, and his governorship of Peshawar
as a rule of "gallows and gibbets".
With a ruthless, at times brutal, style of government, Avitabile established order in the province where he became known as Abu Tabela. Summary executions became usual, and it is said that he would have people executed by throwing them from the top of Mahabat Khan's mosque. While this brutality was shocking to visiting Europeans (in the words of Sir Henry Lawrence
: he acts like a savage among savage men, instead of showing them that a Christian can wield the iron sceptre without staining it by needless cruelty), it proved both successful in maintaining order and even popular among the peaceful inhabitants.
His iron fist rule over Peshawar has made a place for him in local folklore. Even today unruly children in the city are brought to control by invoking Abu Tabela's name. In times of unrest, law-abiding citizens send a small wish for the return of an Abu Tabela to finally re-impose law and order.
As governor of Peshawar, Avitabile controlled the southern entrance to the Khyber Pass
. The control of this strategic position, brought him in contact with the British army during the First Anglo-Afghan War
(1839-42), where he was able to render vital assistance. During Elphinstone
's advance in 1839, the British were well received in Peshawar and their officers received a princely treatment. Captain Havelock
spent a month in Peshawar, and describes the splendour of Avitabile's court in his memoirs. He also gives a favourable characterization of the governor: "He is, moreover, a frank, gay, and good-humoured person, as well as an excellent and skillful officer."
Avitabile was also a scholar and an engineer, who worked very closely with the most brilliant Sikh engineer Lehna Singh Majithia.
When the British returned in 1842, to avenge the defeat of Elphinstone, they were given every possible assistance by Avitabile's government. In addition to supplies and transportation, he also personally advanced large sums of money to the British campaign treasury. By lending the British as much as ten lakh
s (1 million) of rupees, he not only helped them paying their troops. He also managed to transfer a considerable fortune to safety in Europe.
Avitabile remained in the position of Governor during the First Anglo-Afghan War
until he left in 1843. Having secured his retirement in Europe, he resigned his position to return home.
, where he built a grand home in San Lazzaro (Agerola
). He died soon after marrying a local girl: Enrichetta Coccia. The following legal battle over his inheritance, and the many distant relatives asserting their claims, made Avitabile's cousin something of a byword in Italy
.
and the United States, where his name was changed to "Avitable" by registrars at Ellis Island
, who were misinformed by a typographical error on the passenger manifest from the Italian Steam Navigation Company.
Not all Avitabiles in the United States have had their name changed. There are still many with the original last name.
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...
soldier, mercenary and adventurer. A peasant's son born in Agerola
Agerola
Agerola is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 35 km southeast of Naples.As of the last official census on 31 December 2004, it had a population of 7,392 and an area of 19.6 km²....
, near Amalfi in Italy, he served in the Neapolitan militia during the Napoleonic
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
wars. After Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
he drifted east like many other adventurous soldiers. He first served as a mercenary in Persia, before he was hired by the Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
of the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
.
Career in Europe
The young Avitabile served in the local levies of the Kingdom of NaplesKingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
between 1807 and 1809, when he joined the artillery of the regular army. As a part of the Imperial Army, Avitabile served under Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
on several campaigns. In these campaigns he earned the rank of Lieutenant, as well as the command of the 15th Battery. After the fall of Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and the defeat of Murat at Tolentino
Battle of Tolentino
The Battle of Tolentino was fought on 2 – 3 May 1815 near Tolentino, in what is now Marche, Italy: it was the decisive battle in the Neapolitan War, fought by the Napoleonic King of Naples Joachim Murat to keep the throne after the Congress of Vienna. The battle itself shares many parallels with...
, Naples was restored to Ferdinand I of Sicily
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I reigned variously over Naples, Sicily, and the Two Sicilies from 1759 until his death. He was the third son of King Charles III of Spain by his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. On 10 August 1759, Charles succeeded his elder brother, Ferdinand VI, as King Charles III of Spain...
. Avitabile retained his rank and command and joined the army of the new Kingdom of Two Sicilies, where he joined the siege of Gaeta
Siege of Gaeta (1815)
The Siege of Gaeta of 1815 was a three-month siege of the city of Gaeta by Austrian forces during the Neapolitan War. On August 8, 1815 the city capitulated.- References :*...
under the command of the Austrian general Delaver.
During this siege, he displayed great bravery and was wounded twice. The general recommended him for a promotion and a decoration, but was not heard. Avitabile was transferred instead to a position of lieutenant in a regiment of light infantry. It is said he quit in disgust over this treatment. His European career had come to an end.
In Persia
Having quit the army in Naples, Avitabile set his eyes on a career abroad. His initial idea was to, as many of his countrymen, seek fortune in AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but this ended in a shipwreck off Marseille. Instead, he was advised to seek employment to the east. In Constantinople he was approached by an agent of the Persian Shah Fath Ali Shah recruiting European officers; in 1820, Avitabile took service with the Persian Shah. He remained in this employment for six years, during which period he rose to the rank of khan and a grade of colonel in the Persian army. Here he also met Claude August Court
Claude August Court
Claude Auguste Court was a French soldier and mercenary.He was hired by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab in 1827 to organize and train the artillery. He was promoted to the rank of General, and served as one of the leading European officers in the Khalsa....
who would later accompany him on the travel to Punjab. Avitabile was rewarded for his services by two of Persia's highest decorations as Grand Commander of The Lion and Sun and of The Two Lions and Crown, but found the pay lacking. When he heard favourable notice from Jean-Baptiste Ventura
Jean-Baptiste Ventura
Jean-Baptiste Ventura was a soldier, mercenary and adventurer who ended up in the Sikh Empire in Punjab....
of his employment in Punjab Ventura again broke up to travel further to the east.
In Punjab
Together with Court, Avitabile arrived in Lahore in 1827 and was hired by the Maharaja Ranjit SinghRanjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
. While Court was given a position with the artillery, Avitabile was given a civilian position as governor of Wazirabad
Wazirabad
AYAZ KHANWazirabad is an industrial city located in Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan. Wazirabad is situated on the banks of the Chenab River nearly 100 kilometres north of Lahore on the Grand Trunk Road. It is 45 kilometres from Sialkot, 30 kilometres from the district capital - Gujranwala...
. It would seem he was an able administrator, as he held the position for the next seven years. He governed the city with a firm - at times, cruel - hand and managed to impose order and discipline. As a result, Wazirabad prospered.
In 1834 he was appointed governor of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, an area the Maharaja had conquered from the Afghans
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
the previous year.
His rule of Wazirabad
Wazirabad
AYAZ KHANWazirabad is an industrial city located in Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan. Wazirabad is situated on the banks of the Chenab River nearly 100 kilometres north of Lahore on the Grand Trunk Road. It is 45 kilometres from Sialkot, 30 kilometres from the district capital - Gujranwala...
is described as just and rigorous, and his governorship of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
as a rule of "gallows and gibbets".
With a ruthless, at times brutal, style of government, Avitabile established order in the province where he became known as Abu Tabela. Summary executions became usual, and it is said that he would have people executed by throwing them from the top of Mahabat Khan's mosque. While this brutality was shocking to visiting Europeans (in the words of Sir Henry Lawrence
Henry Montgomery Lawrence
Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence was a British soldier and statesman in India, who died defending Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny.-Career:Lawrence was the brother of John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence and was born at Matara, Ceylon...
: he acts like a savage among savage men, instead of showing them that a Christian can wield the iron sceptre without staining it by needless cruelty), it proved both successful in maintaining order and even popular among the peaceful inhabitants.
His iron fist rule over Peshawar has made a place for him in local folklore. Even today unruly children in the city are brought to control by invoking Abu Tabela's name. In times of unrest, law-abiding citizens send a small wish for the return of an Abu Tabela to finally re-impose law and order.
As governor of Peshawar, Avitabile controlled the southern entrance to the Khyber Pass
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....
. The control of this strategic position, brought him in contact with the British army during the First Anglo-Afghan War
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
(1839-42), where he was able to render vital assistance. During Elphinstone
Mountstuart Elphinstone
Mountstuart Elphinstone was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay where he is credited with the opening of several educational institutions accessible to the Indian population...
's advance in 1839, the British were well received in Peshawar and their officers received a princely treatment. Captain Havelock
Henry Havelock
Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, KCB was a British general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Cawnpore from rebels during Indian Rebellion of 1857.-Early life:...
spent a month in Peshawar, and describes the splendour of Avitabile's court in his memoirs. He also gives a favourable characterization of the governor: "He is, moreover, a frank, gay, and good-humoured person, as well as an excellent and skillful officer."
Avitabile was also a scholar and an engineer, who worked very closely with the most brilliant Sikh engineer Lehna Singh Majithia.
When the British returned in 1842, to avenge the defeat of Elphinstone, they were given every possible assistance by Avitabile's government. In addition to supplies and transportation, he also personally advanced large sums of money to the British campaign treasury. By lending the British as much as ten lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
s (1 million) of rupees, he not only helped them paying their troops. He also managed to transfer a considerable fortune to safety in Europe.
Avitabile remained in the position of Governor during the First Anglo-Afghan War
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
until he left in 1843. Having secured his retirement in Europe, he resigned his position to return home.
Back home
As one of the few European adventurers in the area, he succeeded in building a fortune and getting away with it. He returned to NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, where he built a grand home in San Lazzaro (Agerola
Agerola
Agerola is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 35 km southeast of Naples.As of the last official census on 31 December 2004, it had a population of 7,392 and an area of 19.6 km²....
). He died soon after marrying a local girl: Enrichetta Coccia. The following legal battle over his inheritance, and the many distant relatives asserting their claims, made Avitabile's cousin something of a byword in 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...
.
Descendants
Avitabile's family is spread throughout NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and the United States, where his name was changed to "Avitable" by registrars at Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
, who were misinformed by a typographical error on the passenger manifest from the Italian Steam Navigation Company.
Not all Avitabiles in the United States have had their name changed. There are still many with the original last name.
Sources
- Major Pearse, Hugh; Ranjit Singh and his white officers. In
- Nicola Forte: "Viaggio nella memoria persa del Regno delle Due Sicilie", ed. imagaenaria, p.156, 2008, ISBN 8889144777, ISBN 9788889144770.