Ruggero Settimo

Ruggero Settimo Prince of Fitalia and Marquis of Giarratana
President of the Italian Senate
In office 18 February 1861 – 12 May 1863
Monarch	Victor Emmanuel II
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Federico Sclopis
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sicily
In office 12 January 1848 – 14 May 1848
Monarch	Ferdinand II
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	(1778-05-19)19 May 1778 Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily
Died	12 May 1863(1863-05-12) (aged 84) Malta, United Kingdom
Nationality	Italian
Political party	Independent
Profession	Military Diplomat

Ruggero Settimo (19 May 1778 – 12 May 1863) was an Italian politician, diplomat, and patriotic activist from Sicily. He was a counter-admiral of the Sicilian Fleet. He fought alongside the British fleet in the Mediterranean Sea against the French under Napoleon Bonaparte. He reconquered the island of Malta, and defended the city of Gaeta near Naples. In 1811 he had to retire from the military to health problems. He was a member of the Sicilian government of Prince Castelnovo in 1812 as Minister of the merchant navy. Was a member of the revolutionary junta of 1820-1821 and in 1848 as president of the Sicilian Senate was appointed as Chief of the government of the Kingdom of Sicily and led the Sicilian government until 1849.

His family name, which means "Seventh", originated in Pisa (Tuscany). His family was in legacy for marriage with the last heir of the family Calvello (about 1468), so became proprietary of one of the largest estates in Sicily. With his father Trajan Settim Aversa the feud (fief) was given the title of the Principality of Fitalia. The fief was formed in 1130 after the investiture of King Roger II King of Sicily. King Roger gifted this fief to the husband of the woman who nursed him and his brother Simon.

Life

Ruggero Settimo was born in Palermo.

He was one of the most important protagonists of the Sicilian revolution of independence of 1848, after which he was effective head of state of an independent Sicily that replaced the Bourbon Two Sicilies for 16 months. Once the rebellion was put down by King Ferdinand II's army, he escaped to Malta, where he lived out the rest of his life in exile.

Following the success of the Risorgimento movement during 1860 and 1861, he was the President of the Senate of the newly created Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy until his death.

See also

• Revolutions of 1848
• Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states

Bibliography

• Correnti, Santi (2002) A Short History of Sicily, Les Editions Musae, Montreal.
• Scianò, Giuseppe (2004) Sicilia, Sicilia, Sicilia!, Edizione Anteprima, Palermo (in Italian).