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{{Short description|20th-century Italian military officer and colonial official}}
{{redir|Pietro Badoglio|the 2nd Duke of Addis Abeba|Pietro Badoglio, 2nd Duke of Addis Abeba}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{multiple issues|
{{Infobox Prime Minister
{{refimprove|date=October 2017}}<!--many paragraphs have no citations-->
{{POV|date=August 2022}}
}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Marshal of Italy]]<br>The 1st [[Duke of Addis Abeba]]
| name = Pietro Badoglio
| name = Pietro Badoglio
| image = Pbadoglio.jpg|150px
| image = Pietro Badoglio 3.jpg
| order = 41st <br> [[President of the Council of Ministers of Italy]]
| office = [[Prime Minister of Italy]]
| monarch = [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]]
| monarch = [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Vittorio Emanuele III]]
| 1blankname = {{nowrap|Lieutenant General}}
| term_start = [[July 25]], [[1943]]
| term_end = [[June 18]], [[1944]]
| 1namedata = [[Umberto II of Italy|The Prince of Piedmont]]
| predecessor = [[Benito Mussolini]]
| deputy1 = [[Palmiro Togliatti]]
| successor = [[Ivanoe Bonomi]]
| term_start = 25 July 1943
| term_end = 8 June 1944
| birth_date = {{birth date|1871|9|28|mf=y}}
| predecessor1 = [[Benito Mussolini]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1956|11|1|1871|9|28|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Grazzano Badoglio]], [[Italy]]
| successor1 = [[Ivanoe Bonomi]]
| office2 = [[Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| death_place = [[Grazzano Badoglio]], [[Italy]]
| term_start2 = 11 February 1944
| term_end2 = 8 June 1944
| primeminister2 = Himself
| predecessor2 = [[Raffaele Guariglia]]
| successor2 = [[Ivanoe Bonomi]]
| office3 = [[Ministry of the Colonies (Italy)|Minister of the Italian Africa]]
| term_start3 = 11 February 1944
| term_end3 = 8 June 1944
| primeminister3 = Himself
| predecessor3 = [[Melchiade Gabba]]
| successor3 = [[Ivanoe Bonomi]]
| office4 = [[List of viceroys of Italian East Africa|Governor-General]] of the [[Italian East Africa]] <br /> [[Italian Ethiopia|Viceroy of Ethiopia]]
| term_start4 = 9 May 1936
| term_end4 = 11 June 1936
| monarch4 = [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Vittorio Emanuele III]]
| 4namedata4 = [[Benito Mussolini]]
| 4blankname4 = Duce
| predecessor4 = Offices established
| successor4 = [[Rodolfo Graziani]]
| office5 = Commissary of the [[Italian East Africa]]
| term_start5 = 28 November 1935
| term_end5 = 9 May 1936
| predecessor5 = [[Emilio De Bono]]
| successor5 = Office abolished
| office6 = [[List of colonial governors of Eritrea|Governor]] of [[Italian Eritrea|Eritrea]]
| term_start6 = 22 November 1935
| term_end6 = 9 May 1936
| predecessor6 = [[Emilio De Bono]]
| successor6 = [[Alfredo Guzzoni]]
| office7 = [[List of colonial governors of Italian Tripolitania|Governor]] of [[Italian Tripolitania|Tripolitania]] and [[Italian Cyrenaica|Cyrenaica]]
| term_start7 = 24 January 1929
| term_end7 = 31 December 1933
| predecessor7 = [[Emilio De Bono]] {{small|(Tripolitania)}}<br />[[Attilio Teruzzi]] {{small|(Cyrenaica)}}
| successor7 = [[Italo Balbo]] {{small|(Governor of Libia)}}
| office8 = [[Regio Esercito|Chief of Staff of the Royal Italian Army]]
| term_start8 = 25 November 1919
| term_start9 = 4 May 1925
| term_end8 = 2 February 1921
| term_end9 = 1 February 1927
| predecessor8 = [[Armando Diaz]]
| predecessor9 = Giuseppe Francesco Ferrari
| successor8 = Giuseppe Vaccari
| successor9 = Giuseppe Francesco Ferrari
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1871|9|28|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1956|11|1|1871|9|28|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Grazzano Badoglio|Grazzano Monferrato]], [[Piedmont]], [[Kingdom of Italy]]
| death_place = [[Grazzano Badoglio]], Piedmont, Italy
| nationality = [[Italians|Italian]]
| nationality = [[Italians|Italian]]
| party = None (Provisional Military Government)
| party = [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Sofia Valania|1904|1942|reason=died}}
| allegiance = {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
| branch = {{Army|Kingdom of Italy}}
| serviceyears = 1892–1943
| rank = [[Marshal of Italy]]
| battles = [[First Italo–Ethiopian War]]<br />[[Italo–Turkish War]]<br />[[World War I]]<br />[[Pacification of Libya]]<br />[[Second Italo–Ethiopian War]]<br />[[World War II]]
}}
}}


'''Pietro Badoglio, 1st [[Duke of Addis Abeba]], 1st Marquess of Sabotino''' ({{IPAc-en|US|b|ə|ˈ|d|oʊ|l|j|oʊ}} {{respell|bə|DOH|lyoh}},<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Badoglio|access-date=10 August 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|it|ˈpjɛːtro baˈdɔʎʎo|lang}}; 28 September 1871&nbsp;– 1 November 1956), was an Italian general during both [[World War]]s and the first [[viceroy]] of [[Italian East Africa]].<ref name=EBweb>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pietro-Badoglio|title=Pietro Badoglio|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica|date=28 October 2023 }}</ref> With the [[fall of the Fascist regime in Italy]], he became [[Prime Minister of Italy]].
'''Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba''' ([[September 28]], [[1871]] &ndash; [[November 1]], [[1956]]) was an [[Italy|Italian]] soldier, politician and alleged war criminal for the use of poison gas and systematically bombarding and strafing Red Cross hospitals and ambulances during the Ethiopia campaign. Due to post-war expediencies, however, he was never brought to justice.[http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/northeast_african_studies/v006/6.1pankhurst.pdf]


== Early life and career ==
{{Main|First Italo-Ethiopian War|Italo-Turkish War}}
Badoglio was born in 1871. His father, Mario Badoglio, was a modest landowner, and his mother, Antonietta Pittarelli, was of middle-class background. On 5 October 1888 he was admitted to the Royal Military Academy in [[Turin]]. He received the rank of second [[lieutenant]] in 1890. In 1892, he finished his studies and was promoted to first lieutenant.


After completing his studies, he served with the ''[[Regio Esercito]]'' (Italian Royal Army) from 1892, at first as a lieutenant (''tenente'') in [[artillery]]. Badoglio was involved in the [[First Italo-Ethiopian War]] and the [[Italo-Turkish War]].
==Biography==
He was born in Grazzano Monferrato (later [[Grazzano Badoglio]]) in the [[province of Asti]] ([[Piedmont]]).


== First World War ==
After studying at the military academy in [[Turin]], he served with the [[Italian Army]] from 1892, at first as a Lieutenant in [[artillery]], taking part in the campaigns in [[Eritrea]] (1896) and [[Libya]] (1912), where he distinguished himself at the [[Battle of Zanzur]]. At the beginning of Italian participation in [[World War I]], he was a Lieutenant Colonel; he rose to the rank of General following his handling of the capture of [[Monte Sabotino]] in May 1916 and by the late months of 1917 was the ''Sottocapo di Stato Maggiore'' vice chief of the staff despite being partially responsible in the disaster at [[Battle of Caporetto|Caporetto]] ([[October 24]], [[1917]]).
At the beginning of Italian participation in the [[First World War]], he was a [[lieutenant colonel]] (''tenente colonnello''); he rose to the rank of [[major general]] following his handling of the capture of [[Monte Sabotino]] in May 1916 and by the late months of 1917, by now already a [[lieutenant general]], was named as vice-chief of staff (''sottocapo di stato maggiore'') despite being one of those mainly responsible for the disaster during the [[Battle of Caporetto]] on 24 October 1917.


With regard to the Battle of Caporetto, although he was blamed in various quarters for his disposition of the forces under his command before the battle, a commission of inquiry rejected most of the criticisms made upon him.<ref name=eb>{{cite EB1922|wstitle=Badoglio, Pietro}}</ref> In the years after the First World War, in which he held several high posts in the ''[[Regio Esercito]]'', Badoglio exerted a constant effort in modifying official documents in order to hide his role in the defeat.<ref name="Quirico 2006">{{cite book|first=Domenico|last=Quirico|title=Generali|chapter=I vinti|publisher=Mondadori|year=2006}}</ref>
Post-war, he was named as a senator, but also remained in the army with special assignments to [[Romania]] and the [[United States|U.S.]] in 1920 and 1921. At first, he opposed [[Benito Mussolini]] and after 1922 was side-lined as ambassador to [[Brazil]]. A change of political heart soon returned him to Italy and a senior role in the army as Chief of Staff from [[May 4]], [[1924]]. He was governor of Libya from 1929 to 1933. While [[Emilio de Bono]] began the [[Second Italo-Abyssinian War|invasion of Abyssinia]] in 1935, he was replaced by Badoglio in 1936. He approved the use of [[mustard gas]] and finally captured [[Addis Ababa]] and won the conflict.


== Genocide in Libya ==
Marshal Badoglio led the Italian troops into Addis Ababa on [[May 5]], and [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] declared King [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy]] Emperor of Ethiopia and Ethiopia an Italian [[province]]. On this occasion, Badoglio was declared the first Viceroy of Ethiopia and received the title of "Duke of Addis Abeba". He was not in favour of the Italian-German [[Pact of Steel]] and was pessimistic about the chances of Italian success in any European war but didn't oppose the decision of Mussolini and the [[Vittorio Emanuele III|King]] to declare war on France and Great Britain. He resigned in December 1940, following the Italian army's poor display in the [[Greco-Italian War|invasion of Greece]].
{{Main|Libyan genocide (1929–1934)}}
After the war, Badoglio was named as a [[Senate of the Kingdom of Italy|senator]], but also remained in the army with special assignments to [[Romania]] and the [[United States|U.S.]] in 1920 and 1921. At first, he opposed [[Benito Mussolini]] and after 1922 was side-lined by being sent to [[Brazil]] as ambassador. A political change of heart soon returned him to Italy and a senior role in the army, as chief of staff from 4 May 1925. On 25 June 1926, Badoglio was promoted to the rank of [[marshal of Italy]] (''maresciallo d'Italia'').


Badoglio was the first sole governor of [[Tripolitania]] and [[Cyrenaica]]<ref>[[Giovanni Ameglio]] and [[Vincenzo Garioni]] were also unique governors of [[Tripolitania]] and [[Cyrenaica]], but this seemed to be a temporary, not permanent, policy.</ref> (later amalgamated as [[Italian Libya]]) from 1929 to 1933. During his governorship, he played a vital part (with [[Rodolfo Graziani]], deputy governor of Cyrenaica) in defeating the Libyan Resistance by waging a near-genocidal campaign. On 20 June 1930, Badoglio wrote to Graziani: "As for overall strategy, it is necessary to create a significant and clear separation between the controlled population and the rebel formations. I do not hide the significance and seriousness of this measure, which might be the ruin of the subdued population ... But now the course has been set, and we must carry it out to the end, even if the entire population of Cyrenaica must perish."<ref>Grand, Alexander de "Mussolini's Follies: Fascism in Its Imperial and Racist Phase, 1935–1940" pp. 127–147 from ''Contemporary European History'', Volume 13, No. 2 May 2004 p. 131.</ref> By 1931, well over half of the population of Cyrenaica were confined to 15 concentration camps where many died as a result of overcrowding (and lack of water, food and medicine) while Badoglio's air force used chemical weapons against the Bedouin rebels in the desert.<ref>Grand, Alexander de "Mussolini's Follies: Fascism in Its Imperial and Racist Phase, 1935–1940" pp. 127–147 from ''Contemporary European History'', Volume 13, No. 2 May 2004 p. 131.</ref> On 24 January 1932 (the third anniversary of his appointment), Badoglio proclaimed the end of [[Libyan resistance movement|Libyan resistance]] for the first time since the Italian invasion in 1911.
Following the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]] in 1943, there was a meeting of the [[Fascist Grand Council]] on [[July 24]] and the following day, in a technical [[coup d'etat]], King [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy]] dismissed Mussolini and appointed Badoglio to head the government. [[Martial law]] was declared, Mussolini was arrested and negotiations were opened with the Allies.


== Italian invasion of Ethiopia ==
Badoglio signed the [[Armistice with Italy|Italian armistice with the Allies]] on [[September 3]] in [[Cassibile]]; the document was published by the Allies on [[September 8]], when Badoglio had not yet communicated this decision to the Italian forces, which were surprised by the switch; after that, he together with Victor Emanuel III and some military ministries and the Chief of General Staff escaped to [[Pescara]] and [[Brindisi]], seeking Allied protection. The longer version of the armistice was signed on [[September 23]] in [[Malta]] and the Badoglio government officially declared war on [[Germany]] on [[October 13]]. Badoglio did not head the government for long: following the rescue of Mussolini, the liberation of [[Rome]] and increasingly strong opposition, he was replaced by [[Ivanoe Bonomi]] and other committed anti-Fascists. He was never brought to justice by the allies because he helped them in the invasion of Italy.
{{Main|Second Italo-Abyssinian War}}
On 3 October 1935, because the progress of [[De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia]] was judged by Mussolini to be too slow, Badoglio, who had in the meantime launched an epistolary campaign against [[Emilio de Bono]], replaced de Bono as the commander. Badoglio asked for and was given permission to use [[chemical warfare|chemical weapons]], using the torture and murder of downed Italian pilot [[Tito Minniti]] during the Ethiopian [[Ethiopian Christmas Offensive|"Christmas Offensive"]] as a pretext for doing so. British historian [[Sir Ian Kershaw]] wrote the "barbarous initiatives in the conduct of the war ''in Ethiopia''" came as a rule from the military elite rather than from Mussolini himself.


Badoglio employed [[mustard gas]] to effectively destroy the Ethiopian armies confronting him on the northern front. He commanded the Italian invasion army at the [[First Battle of Tembien]], the [[Battle of Amba Aradam]], the [[Second Battle of Tembien]], and the [[Battle of Shire (1936)|Battle of Shire]]. On 31 March 1936, Badoglio defeated [[Emperor of Ethiopia|Emperor]] [[Haile Selassie]] commanding the last Ethiopian army on the northern front at the [[Battle of Maychew]]. On 26 April, with no Ethiopian resistance left between his forces and [[Addis Ababa]], Badoglio launched his "[[March of the Iron Will]]" to take the Ethiopian capital city and end the war. By 2 May, Haile Selassie had fled the country.
==Private life==
In 1904, Pietro Badoglio married Sofia Valania, by whom he had four children: Mario Ferdinando Antonio Luigi, Francesco Ferdinando, Paulo Ferdinando, and Maria Immacolata Luigia Antonietta. <!-- After his death in 1956, he was succeeded as Duke of Addis Abeba (''Duca di Addis Abeba'') by his grandson [[Pietro Badoglio, 2nd Duke of Addis Abeba]], who married to Princess [[Princess Phương Mai of Vietnam|Phương Mai]] of Vietnam, a daughter of Emperor [[Bao Dai]]. -->


On 5 May 1936, Marshal Badoglio led the victorious Italian troops into Addis Ababa. Mussolini declared [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|King Victor Emmanuel]] to be the [[Emperor of Ethiopia]], and Ethiopia became part of the [[Italian Empire]]. On this occasion, Badoglio was appointed the first [[viceroy]] and [[governor general]] of Ethiopia and ennobled with the [[victory title]] of ''[[Duke of Addis Abeba]]'' ad personam.
==See also==

* [[Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force]]
On 11 June 1936, [[Rodolfo Graziani]] replaced Badoglio as viceroy and governor-general of Ethiopia. Badoglio returned to his duties as supreme chief of the Italian general staff. According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, Badoglio even joined the [[Fascist Party]] in early June.<ref>{{cite magazine|url-access=subscription|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756350,00.html|date=22 June 1936|magazine=Time|title=Guard Changed}}</ref>

== World War II ==

Badoglio was chief of staff from 1925 to 1940, and had the final say on the entire structure of the Armed Forces, including doctrine, selection of officers, and armaments, influencing the whole military environment. He did not oppose the decision of Mussolini and the [[Victor Emmanuel III|King]] to declare war on France and Great Britain. Following the Italian army's poor performance in the [[Greco-Italian War|invasion of Greece]] in December 1940, he resigned from the General Staff. He was replaced by [[Ugo Cavallero]].<ref>Denis Mack Smith, 1983, ''Mussolini'', London: Paladin, p. 306</ref>

By early 1943, there was a widely-held belief among the military elite that Italy needed to sign an armistice in order to exit the war. Mussolini needed to be removed, as he was not willing to sign an armistice, nor were the Allies willing to sign an armistice with him. The two men considered to replace Mussolini were Marshal Badoglio and Marshal [[Enrico Caviglia]].<ref>Mack Smith, Denis ''Italy and Its Monarchy'', New Haven: Yale University Press 1989 p. 304.</ref> As Marshal Caviglia was one of the few Royal Army officers who was known to dislike Fascism, the king was unwilling to have him as prime minister. Victor Emmanuel wanted an officer who was committed to continuing the Fascist system, which led him to choose Badoglio who had faithfully served Mussolini and committed an array of atrocities in Ethiopia, but who had a grudge against Mussolini for making him the scapegoat for the failed invasion of Greece in 1940.<ref>Mack Smith, Denis ''Italy and Its Monarchy'', New Haven: Yale University Press 1989 p. 304.</ref> Moreover, Badoglio was an opportunist well known for his sycophancy towards those in power, which led the king to choose him as Mussolini's successor as he knew that Badoglio would do anything to have power whereas Caviglia had a reputation as a man of principle and honour.<ref>Mack Smith, Denis ''Italy and Its Monarchy'', New Haven: Yale University Press 1989 p. 304.</ref> On 15 July 1943, in a secret meeting Victor Emmanuel told Badoglio that he would soon be sworn in as Italy's new prime minister and the king wanted no "ghosts" (i.e. liberal politicians from the pre-fascist era) in his cabinet.<ref>Mack Smith, Denis ''Italy and Its Monarchy'', New Haven: Yale University Press 1989 p. 304.</ref>

On 24 July 1943, as Italy had suffered several setbacks following the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]] in [[World War II]], Mussolini summoned the [[Fascist Grand Council]], which voted [[vote of no confidence|no confidence]] in Mussolini. The [[25 Luglio|following day]], Mussolini was removed from government by King [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]] and arrested. On 3 September 1943, General [[Giuseppe Castellano]] signed the [[Armistice with Italy|Italian armistice with the Allies]] in [[Cassibile (village)|Cassibile]] on behalf of Badoglio, who was named [[Prime Minister of Italy]]. Wary of the potentially hostile German response to the Armistice, Badoglio hesitated to formally announce the treaty.<ref>Atkinson, Rick. ''The Day of Battle:The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943–1944''. (New York: Henry Holt and Co: 2007), pp. 192–197.</ref>

On 8 September 1943, the armistice document was published by the Allies in the [[Badoglio Proclamation]], and Badoglio had not informed the Italian armed forces. The units of the Italian Royal Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force were generally surprised by the change and unprepared for German actions to disarm them. In the early hours of the following day, 9 September 1943, Badoglio, King Victor Emmanuel, some military ministers, and the chief of the general staff escaped to [[Pescara]] and [[Brindisi]] seeking Allied protection.<ref name="Quirico 2006" />

On 29 September 1943, the longer version of the armistice was signed in [[Malta]]. On 13 October, Badoglio and the [[Kingdom of Italy]] officially declared war on [[Nazi Germany]]. Badoglio continued to head the government for another nine months.<ref>https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pietro-badoglio/</ref>

== Final years ==
Due to [[Cold War|increased tensions with the Soviet Union]], the British government saw Badoglio as a guarantor of an [[anti-communist]] post-war Italy. Consequently, Badoglio was never tried for [[Italian war crimes]] committed in Africa.<ref name="Pedaliu_JContHistory">{{cite journal|author-link=Effie Pedaliu|jstor=4141408|title=Britain and the 'Hand-over' of Italian War Criminals to Yugoslavia, 1945–48|id=Special Issue: Collective Memory|first=Effie G. H.|last=Pedaliu|date=1 January 2004|journal=Journal of Contemporary History|volume=39|issue=4|pages=503–529|doi=10.1177/0022009404046752|s2cid=159985182}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.odradek.it/Schedelibri/criminalidiguerra.html |title=Criminali di guerra Italiani |author=Conti, Davide |publisher=Odradek Edizioni|year=2011 |access-date=14 October 2012}}</ref><ref>Di Sante, Costantino (2005) [http://www.ombrecorte.it/more.asp?id=15 Italiani senza onore: I crimini in Jugoslavia e i processi negati (1941–1951)], Ombre Corte, Milano. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131002054449/http://www.ombrecorte.it/more.asp?id=15 Archived by WebCite®])</ref>

Badoglio died in the ''[[comune]]'' of his birth, [[Grazzano Badoglio]], on 1 November 1956.<ref name=EBweb/>

== See also ==
* [[Royal Italian Army]]
* [[Royal Italian Army (1940–1946)]]
* [[Italian Co-Belligerent Army]]
* [[Italian Co-Belligerent Army]]
* [[Italian Co-Belligerent Navy]]


== References and Sources ==
== Bibliography ==
* Pietro Badoglio: ''Italy in the Second World War, memories and documents''. (Transl.: Muriel Currey). Oxford University Press, 1948. Repr. 1976, Greenwood Press: {{ISBN|0-8371-8485-1}}
* Pietro Badoglio: ''The war in Abyssinia''. (Foreword: [[Benito Mussolini]]). London, Methuen Publishers, 1937.


== References ==
*Italian Defence Minister website official biograrhy of Pietro Badoglio as Chief of the General Staff [http://www.difesa.it/SMD/CaSMD/Capi-SMD/Pietro+BADOGLIO.htm]
{{Reflist|2}}


== Further reading ==
{{start box}}
*Italian Defence Minister website official [https://web.archive.org/web/20101001033605/http://www.difesa.it/SMD/CaSMD/Capi-SMD/Pietro+BADOGLIO.htm biography of Pietro Badoglio] as Chief of the General Staff
{{s-off}}
*Armellini, Quirino, and Pietro Badoglio. ''Con Badoglio in Etiopia, Etc.'' 1937. {{OCLC|556812967}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Italy]]|before=[[Benito Mussolini]]|after=[[Ivanoe Bonomi]]|years=1943–1944}}
*Bertoldi, Silvio. ''Badoglio''. Milano: Rizzoli, 1982. {{OCLC|9862086}}
{{succession box|title=[[Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs]]|before=[[Raffaele Guariglia]]|after=[[Ivanoe Bonomi]]|years=1944}}
*De Luna, Giovanni. ''Badoglio: Un Militaire al Potere''. Milan: Bompiani, 1974. For English translation, see {{OCLC|883962565}}.
{{succession box|title=[[Fascist Grand Council|Head of the Fascist Grand Council]]|before=[[Benito Mussolini]]|after=End Title|years=1944}}
*Whittam, John. ''The Politics of the Italian Army, 1861–1918''. London: Croom Helm, 1977. {{ISBN|0-208-01597-3}} {{OCLC|2373034}}
*Del Boca, Angelo. ''La guerra d'Etiopia. L'ultima impresa del colonialismo''. Milan: Longanesi, 2010. {{ISBN|978-88304-2716-7}}.

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/000854}}

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{{Prime ministers of Italy}}
{{Prime ministers of Italy}}
{{Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs}}
{{Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs}}
{{Marshals of Italy}}
{{Italian Governors of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica}}
{{Italian Governors of Eritrea and Somaliland}}
{{Ministers of Italian Colonies}}
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[[Category:Prime Ministers of Italy]]
[[Category:Field Marshals of Italy]]
[[Category:Italian Ministers of Foreign Affairs]]
[[Category:World War II political leaders]]
[[Category:Italian military personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Italian military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Asti]]
[[Category:Addis Ababa]]
[[Category:Italian nobility]]
[[Category:1871 births]]
[[Category:1871 births]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:Colonial officials for Italy]]
[[Category:Military history of Italy]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Italy]]
[[Category:Field marshals of Italy]]
[[Category:Ministers of foreign affairs of Italy]]
[[Category:Italian military personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Italian military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:People of former Italian colonies]]
[[Category:Military history of Addis Ababa]]
[[Category:Dukes in Italy]]
[[Category:Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Italian general staff]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian politicians]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]
[[Category:Italian war crimes in Ethiopia]]
[[Category:People from Grazzano Badoglio]]
[[Category:Italian anti-communists]]
[[Category:Italian fascists]]
[[Category:Libyan genocide perpetrators]]


[[Category:Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War]]
[[af:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[Category:Italian military personnel of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War]]
[[ar:بييترو بادوليو]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre]]
[[br:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[Category:Second Italo-Senussi War]]
[[bg:Пиетро Бадолио]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Maurician medal]]
[[de:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[Category:Royal Italian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[es:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[Category:World War II political leaders]]
[[eo:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[fr:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[hr:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[is:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[it:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[he:פייטרו באדוליו]]
[[la:Petrus Badoglio]]
[[lmo:Badoglio]]
[[nl:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[ja:ピエトロ・バドリオ]]
[[pl:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[pt:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[ru:Бадольо, Пьетро]]
[[scn:Pietru Badogliu]]
[[sl:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[sr:Пијетро Бадољо]]
[[sv:Pietro Badoglio]]
[[uk:Бадольо П'єтро]]

Latest revision as of 10:45, 3 January 2025

Marshal of Italy
The 1st Duke of Addis Abeba
Pietro Badoglio
Prime Minister of Italy
In office
25 July 1943 – 8 June 1944
MonarchVittorio Emanuele III
Lieutenant GeneralThe Prince of Piedmont
DeputyPalmiro Togliatti
Preceded byBenito Mussolini
Succeeded byIvanoe Bonomi
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
11 February 1944 – 8 June 1944
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byRaffaele Guariglia
Succeeded byIvanoe Bonomi
Minister of the Italian Africa
In office
11 February 1944 – 8 June 1944
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byMelchiade Gabba
Succeeded byIvanoe Bonomi
Governor-General of the Italian East Africa
Viceroy of Ethiopia
In office
9 May 1936 – 11 June 1936
MonarchVittorio Emanuele III
DuceBenito Mussolini
Preceded byOffices established
Succeeded byRodolfo Graziani
Commissary of the Italian East Africa
In office
28 November 1935 – 9 May 1936
Preceded byEmilio De Bono
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Governor of Eritrea
In office
22 November 1935 – 9 May 1936
Preceded byEmilio De Bono
Succeeded byAlfredo Guzzoni
Governor of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica
In office
24 January 1929 – 31 December 1933
Preceded byEmilio De Bono (Tripolitania)
Attilio Teruzzi (Cyrenaica)
Succeeded byItalo Balbo (Governor of Libia)
Chief of Staff of the Royal Italian Army
In office
25 November 1919 – 2 February 1921
Preceded byArmando Diaz
Succeeded byGiuseppe Vaccari
In office
4 May 1925 – 1 February 1927
Preceded byGiuseppe Francesco Ferrari
Succeeded byGiuseppe Francesco Ferrari
Personal details
Born(1871-09-28)28 September 1871
Grazzano Monferrato, Piedmont, Kingdom of Italy
Died1 November 1956(1956-11-01) (aged 85)
Grazzano Badoglio, Piedmont, Italy
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
Sofia Valania
​
​
(m. 1904; died 1942)​
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Italy
Branch/service Royal Italian Army
Years of service1892–1943
RankMarshal of Italy
Battles/warsFirst Italo–Ethiopian War
Italo–Turkish War
World War I
Pacification of Libya
Second Italo–Ethiopian War
World War II

Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino (US: /bəˈdoʊljoʊ/ bə-DOH-lyoh,[1] Italian: [ˈpjɛːtro baˈdɔʎʎo]; 28 September 1871 – 1 November 1956), was an Italian general during both World Wars and the first viceroy of Italian East Africa.[2] With the fall of the Fascist regime in Italy, he became Prime Minister of Italy.

Early life and career

[edit]
Main articles: First Italo-Ethiopian War and Italo-Turkish War

Badoglio was born in 1871. His father, Mario Badoglio, was a modest landowner, and his mother, Antonietta Pittarelli, was of middle-class background. On 5 October 1888 he was admitted to the Royal Military Academy in Turin. He received the rank of second lieutenant in 1890. In 1892, he finished his studies and was promoted to first lieutenant.

After completing his studies, he served with the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) from 1892, at first as a lieutenant (tenente) in artillery. Badoglio was involved in the First Italo-Ethiopian War and the Italo-Turkish War.

First World War

[edit]

At the beginning of Italian participation in the First World War, he was a lieutenant colonel (tenente colonnello); he rose to the rank of major general following his handling of the capture of Monte Sabotino in May 1916 and by the late months of 1917, by now already a lieutenant general, was named as vice-chief of staff (sottocapo di stato maggiore) despite being one of those mainly responsible for the disaster during the Battle of Caporetto on 24 October 1917.

With regard to the Battle of Caporetto, although he was blamed in various quarters for his disposition of the forces under his command before the battle, a commission of inquiry rejected most of the criticisms made upon him.[3] In the years after the First World War, in which he held several high posts in the Regio Esercito, Badoglio exerted a constant effort in modifying official documents in order to hide his role in the defeat.[4]

Genocide in Libya

[edit]
Main article: Libyan genocide (1929–1934)

After the war, Badoglio was named as a senator, but also remained in the army with special assignments to Romania and the U.S. in 1920 and 1921. At first, he opposed Benito Mussolini and after 1922 was side-lined by being sent to Brazil as ambassador. A political change of heart soon returned him to Italy and a senior role in the army, as chief of staff from 4 May 1925. On 25 June 1926, Badoglio was promoted to the rank of marshal of Italy (maresciallo d'Italia).

Badoglio was the first sole governor of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica[5] (later amalgamated as Italian Libya) from 1929 to 1933. During his governorship, he played a vital part (with Rodolfo Graziani, deputy governor of Cyrenaica) in defeating the Libyan Resistance by waging a near-genocidal campaign. On 20 June 1930, Badoglio wrote to Graziani: "As for overall strategy, it is necessary to create a significant and clear separation between the controlled population and the rebel formations. I do not hide the significance and seriousness of this measure, which might be the ruin of the subdued population ... But now the course has been set, and we must carry it out to the end, even if the entire population of Cyrenaica must perish."[6] By 1931, well over half of the population of Cyrenaica were confined to 15 concentration camps where many died as a result of overcrowding (and lack of water, food and medicine) while Badoglio's air force used chemical weapons against the Bedouin rebels in the desert.[7] On 24 January 1932 (the third anniversary of his appointment), Badoglio proclaimed the end of Libyan resistance for the first time since the Italian invasion in 1911.

Italian invasion of Ethiopia

[edit]
Main article: Second Italo-Abyssinian War

On 3 October 1935, because the progress of De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia was judged by Mussolini to be too slow, Badoglio, who had in the meantime launched an epistolary campaign against Emilio de Bono, replaced de Bono as the commander. Badoglio asked for and was given permission to use chemical weapons, using the torture and murder of downed Italian pilot Tito Minniti during the Ethiopian "Christmas Offensive" as a pretext for doing so. British historian Sir Ian Kershaw wrote the "barbarous initiatives in the conduct of the war in Ethiopia" came as a rule from the military elite rather than from Mussolini himself.

Badoglio employed mustard gas to effectively destroy the Ethiopian armies confronting him on the northern front. He commanded the Italian invasion army at the First Battle of Tembien, the Battle of Amba Aradam, the Second Battle of Tembien, and the Battle of Shire. On 31 March 1936, Badoglio defeated Emperor Haile Selassie commanding the last Ethiopian army on the northern front at the Battle of Maychew. On 26 April, with no Ethiopian resistance left between his forces and Addis Ababa, Badoglio launched his "March of the Iron Will" to take the Ethiopian capital city and end the war. By 2 May, Haile Selassie had fled the country.

On 5 May 1936, Marshal Badoglio led the victorious Italian troops into Addis Ababa. Mussolini declared King Victor Emmanuel to be the Emperor of Ethiopia, and Ethiopia became part of the Italian Empire. On this occasion, Badoglio was appointed the first viceroy and governor general of Ethiopia and ennobled with the victory title of Duke of Addis Abeba ad personam.

On 11 June 1936, Rodolfo Graziani replaced Badoglio as viceroy and governor-general of Ethiopia. Badoglio returned to his duties as supreme chief of the Italian general staff. According to Time magazine, Badoglio even joined the Fascist Party in early June.[8]

World War II

[edit]

Badoglio was chief of staff from 1925 to 1940, and had the final say on the entire structure of the Armed Forces, including doctrine, selection of officers, and armaments, influencing the whole military environment. He did not oppose the decision of Mussolini and the King to declare war on France and Great Britain. Following the Italian army's poor performance in the invasion of Greece in December 1940, he resigned from the General Staff. He was replaced by Ugo Cavallero.[9]

By early 1943, there was a widely-held belief among the military elite that Italy needed to sign an armistice in order to exit the war. Mussolini needed to be removed, as he was not willing to sign an armistice, nor were the Allies willing to sign an armistice with him. The two men considered to replace Mussolini were Marshal Badoglio and Marshal Enrico Caviglia.[10] As Marshal Caviglia was one of the few Royal Army officers who was known to dislike Fascism, the king was unwilling to have him as prime minister. Victor Emmanuel wanted an officer who was committed to continuing the Fascist system, which led him to choose Badoglio who had faithfully served Mussolini and committed an array of atrocities in Ethiopia, but who had a grudge against Mussolini for making him the scapegoat for the failed invasion of Greece in 1940.[11] Moreover, Badoglio was an opportunist well known for his sycophancy towards those in power, which led the king to choose him as Mussolini's successor as he knew that Badoglio would do anything to have power whereas Caviglia had a reputation as a man of principle and honour.[12] On 15 July 1943, in a secret meeting Victor Emmanuel told Badoglio that he would soon be sworn in as Italy's new prime minister and the king wanted no "ghosts" (i.e. liberal politicians from the pre-fascist era) in his cabinet.[13]

On 24 July 1943, as Italy had suffered several setbacks following the Allied invasion of Sicily in World War II, Mussolini summoned the Fascist Grand Council, which voted no confidence in Mussolini. The following day, Mussolini was removed from government by King Victor Emmanuel III and arrested. On 3 September 1943, General Giuseppe Castellano signed the Italian armistice with the Allies in Cassibile on behalf of Badoglio, who was named Prime Minister of Italy. Wary of the potentially hostile German response to the Armistice, Badoglio hesitated to formally announce the treaty.[14]

On 8 September 1943, the armistice document was published by the Allies in the Badoglio Proclamation, and Badoglio had not informed the Italian armed forces. The units of the Italian Royal Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force were generally surprised by the change and unprepared for German actions to disarm them. In the early hours of the following day, 9 September 1943, Badoglio, King Victor Emmanuel, some military ministers, and the chief of the general staff escaped to Pescara and Brindisi seeking Allied protection.[4]

On 29 September 1943, the longer version of the armistice was signed in Malta. On 13 October, Badoglio and the Kingdom of Italy officially declared war on Nazi Germany. Badoglio continued to head the government for another nine months.[15]

Final years

[edit]

Due to increased tensions with the Soviet Union, the British government saw Badoglio as a guarantor of an anti-communist post-war Italy. Consequently, Badoglio was never tried for Italian war crimes committed in Africa.[16][17][18]

Badoglio died in the comune of his birth, Grazzano Badoglio, on 1 November 1956.[2]

See also

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Pietro Badoglio: Italy in the Second World War, memories and documents. (Transl.: Muriel Currey). Oxford University Press, 1948. Repr. 1976, Greenwood Press: ISBN 0-8371-8485-1
  • Pietro Badoglio: The war in Abyssinia. (Foreword: Benito Mussolini). London, Methuen Publishers, 1937.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Badoglio". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Pietro Badoglio". Encyclopaedia Britannica. 28 October 2023.
  3. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Badoglio, Pietro" . Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company.
  4. ^ a b Quirico, Domenico (2006). "I vinti". Generali. Mondadori.
  5. ^ Giovanni Ameglio and Vincenzo Garioni were also unique governors of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, but this seemed to be a temporary, not permanent, policy.
  6. ^ Grand, Alexander de "Mussolini's Follies: Fascism in Its Imperial and Racist Phase, 1935–1940" pp. 127–147 from Contemporary European History, Volume 13, No. 2 May 2004 p. 131.
  7. ^ Grand, Alexander de "Mussolini's Follies: Fascism in Its Imperial and Racist Phase, 1935–1940" pp. 127–147 from Contemporary European History, Volume 13, No. 2 May 2004 p. 131.
  8. ^ "Guard Changed". Time. 22 June 1936.
  9. ^ Denis Mack Smith, 1983, Mussolini, London: Paladin, p. 306
  10. ^ Mack Smith, Denis Italy and Its Monarchy, New Haven: Yale University Press 1989 p. 304.
  11. ^ Mack Smith, Denis Italy and Its Monarchy, New Haven: Yale University Press 1989 p. 304.
  12. ^ Mack Smith, Denis Italy and Its Monarchy, New Haven: Yale University Press 1989 p. 304.
  13. ^ Mack Smith, Denis Italy and Its Monarchy, New Haven: Yale University Press 1989 p. 304.
  14. ^ Atkinson, Rick. The Day of Battle:The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943–1944. (New York: Henry Holt and Co: 2007), pp. 192–197.
  15. ^ https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pietro-badoglio/
  16. ^ Pedaliu, Effie G. H. (1 January 2004). "Britain and the 'Hand-over' of Italian War Criminals to Yugoslavia, 1945–48". Journal of Contemporary History. 39 (4): 503–529. doi:10.1177/0022009404046752. JSTOR 4141408. S2CID 159985182. Special Issue: Collective Memory.
  17. ^ Conti, Davide (2011). "Criminali di guerra Italiani". Odradek Edizioni. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  18. ^ Di Sante, Costantino (2005) Italiani senza onore: I crimini in Jugoslavia e i processi negati (1941–1951), Ombre Corte, Milano. (Archived by WebCite®)

Further reading

[edit]
  • Italian Defence Minister website official biography of Pietro Badoglio as Chief of the General Staff
  • Armellini, Quirino, and Pietro Badoglio. Con Badoglio in Etiopia, Etc. 1937. OCLC 556812967
  • Bertoldi, Silvio. Badoglio. Milano: Rizzoli, 1982. OCLC 9862086
  • De Luna, Giovanni. Badoglio: Un Militaire al Potere. Milan: Bompiani, 1974. For English translation, see OCLC 883962565.
  • Whittam, John. The Politics of the Italian Army, 1861–1918. London: Croom Helm, 1977. ISBN 0-208-01597-3 OCLC 2373034
  • Del Boca, Angelo. La guerra d'Etiopia. L'ultima impresa del colonialismo. Milan: Longanesi, 2010. ISBN 978-88304-2716-7.
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Pietro Badoglio.
Military offices
Preceded by Chief of Staff of the Italian Army
1919–1921 		Succeeded by
Giuseppe Vaccari
Position established Chief of the Defence Staff
1925–1940 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by
Emilio De Bono
as Commissary of Tripolitania
 Commissary of Tripolitania and Cirenaica
1929–1933 		Succeeded by
Italo Balbo
as Governor of Libia
Preceded by
Attilio Teruzzi
as Commissary of Cyrenaica
Preceded by Commissary of Eritrea
1935–1936 		Succeeded by
Commissary of the Italian East Africa
1935–1936 		Position abolished
Positions established Viceroy of the Italian East Africa
Viceroy of Ethiopia
1936 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of the Italian Africa
1944 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs
1944
Academic offices
Preceded by President of the National Research Council
1937–1941 		Succeeded by
Giancarlo Vallauri
Political offices
Preceded by Head of the Fascist Grand Council
1943 		Position abolished
Prime Minister of Italy
1943–1944 		Succeeded by
Italian nobility
New title Duke of Addis Abeba
1936–1956 		Succeeded by
Pietro Badoglio, 2nd Duke of Addis Abeba
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