Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies

Ferdinand II (Ferdinando Carlo, 12 January 1810 22 May 1859) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830
until his early death in 1859.

Family

Ferdinand was born in Palermo, the son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife and
first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain.

His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Maria Carolina
of Austria. His maternal grandparents were Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma.
Ferdinand I and Charles IV were brothers, both sons of Charles III of Spain and Maria Amalia of
Saxony.

Early reign

In his early years he was fairly popular. Progressives credited with Liberal ideas and in addition,
his free and easy manners endeared him to the so-called lazzaroni, the lower classes of
Neapolitan society.

On succeeding to the throne in 1830, he published an edict in which he promised to give his most
anxious attention to the impartial administration of justice, to reform the finances, and to use
every effort to heal the wounds which had afflicted the Kingdom for so many years. His goal, he
said, was to govern his Kingdom in a way that would bring the greatest happiness to the greatest
number of his subjects while respecting the rights of his fellow monarchs and those of the Roman
Catholic Church.

The early years of his reign were comparatively peaceful: he cut taxes and expenditures, had the
first railway in Italy built (between Naples and the royal palace at Portici), his fleet had the first
steamship in the Italian Peninsula, and he had telegraphic connections established between
Naples and Palermo, Sicily.

However, in 1837 he violently suppressed Sicilian demonstrators demanding a constitution and

maintained strict police surveillance in his domains. Progressive intellectuals, who were
motivated by visions of a new society founded upon a modern constitution, continued to demand
the King to grant a constitution and to liberalize his rule.

Revolutions of 1848

In September 1847, violent riots inspired by Liberals broke out in Reggio Calabria and in
Messina and were put down by the military. On 12 January 1848 a rising in Palermo, spread
throughout the island and served as a spark for the Revolutions of 1848 all over Europe.
After similar revolutionary outbursts in Salerno, south of Naples, and in the Cilento region which
were backed by the majority of the intelligentsia of the Kingdom, on 29 January 1848 King
Ferdinand was forced to grant a constitution patterned on the French Charter of 1830.

A dispute, however, arose as to the nature of the oath which should be taken by the members of
the chamber of deputies. As an agreement could not be reached and the King refused to
compromise, riots continued in the streets. Eventually, the King ordered the army to break them
and dissolved the national parliament on 13 March 1849. Although the constitution was never
formally abrogated, the King returned to reigning as an absolute monarch.

During this period, Ferdinand showed his attachment to Pope Pius IX by granting him asylum at
Gaeta. The pope had been temporarily forced to flee from Rome following similar revolutionary
disturbances. (see Roman Republic (19th century), Giuseppe Mazzini.

In the meantime, Sicily proclaimed its independence under the leadership of Ruggeru Sttimu,
who on 13 April 1848 declared the King deposed. In response, the King assembled an army of
20,000 under the command of General Carlo Filangieri and dispatched it to Sicily to subdue the
Liberals and restore his authority. A naval flotilla sent to Sicilian waters shelled the city of
Messina with "savage barbarity" for eight hours after its defenders had already surrendered,
killing many civilians and earning the King the nickname "Re` Bomba" ("King Bomb").

After a campaign lasting close to nine months, Sicily's Liberal regime was completely subdued
on 15 May 1849.

Later reign

Between 1848 and 1851, the policies of King Ferdinand caused many to go into exile.
Meanwhile, an estimated 2,000 suspected revolutionaries or dissidents were jailed.

After visiting Naples in 1850, Gladstone began to support Neapolitan opponents of the Bourbon
rulers: his "support" consisting of a couple of letters that he sent from Naples to the Parliament of
London, describing the "awful conditions" of the Kingdom of Southern Italy and claiming that "it
is the negation of God erected to a system of government". Gladstone had not actually been to
Southern Italy and therefore some of his accusations were unreliable, however reports of
misgovernment in the Two Sicilies were widespread throughout Europe during the 1850s.
Gladstone's letters provoked sensitive reactions in the whole of Europe, and helped to cause the
diplomatic isolation of the Kingdom prior to the invasion and annexation of the Kingdom of the
Two Sicilies by the Kingdom of Piedmont, with the following foundation of modern Italy. The
British Government, which had been the ally and protector of the Bourbon dynasty during the
Napoleonic Wars, had already additional interests to limit the independence of the Kingdom
governed by Ferdinand II. The British Government possessed extensive business interests in
Sicily and relied on Sicilian sulfur for certain industries.[1] The King had endeavored to limit
British influence, which had been beginning to cause tension. As Ferdinand ignored the advice of
the British and the French governments, those powers recalled their ambassadors in 1856.
A soldier attempted to assassinate Ferdinand in 1856 and many believe that the infection he
received from the soldier's bayonet led to his ultimate demise. He died on 22 May 1859, shortly
after the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia had declared war against the
Austrian Empire. This would later lead to the invasion of his Kingdom by Giuseppe Garibaldi
and Italian unification in 1861.

Marriage and issue

Name Birth Death Notes

By Princess Maria Cristina of Savoy (married 21 November 1832 in Cagliari; b. 12 November 1812, d. 21
January 1836)

succeeded as King of the Two Sicilies

Francesco II of the 16 27
married Duchess Maria Sophie in Bavaria; had
Two Sicilies January 1836 December 1894
issue.

By Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (married 9 January 1837 in Vienna; b. 31 July 1816, d. 8
August 1867)

married Duchess Mathilde Ludovika in

Bavaria; their only daughter, Princess Maria
Luigi, Count of Trani 1 August 1838 8 June 1886
Teresa, married Prince Wilhelm of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.

Alberto, Count of 17
12 July 1844 died in childhood.
Castrogiovanni September 1839

married his first cousin Maria Antonia of the

Alfonso, Count of
28 March 1841 26 May 1934 Two Sicilies and has issue. The current lines of
Caserta
Bourbon-Sicily descend from him.

Maria Annunciata of married Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria; had

24 March 1843 4 May 1871
the Two Sicilies issue.

Maria Immacolata
18 married Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria; had
Clementina of the Two 14 April 1844
February 1899 issue.
Sicilies

married Infanta Isabel of Spain (eldest

Gaetano, Count of 26 November
12 January 1846 daughter of Queen Isabella II of Spain) and
Girgenti 1871
was created Infante of Spain; no issue
Giuseppe, Count of 28 September
4 March 1848 died in childhood.
Lucera 1851

Maria Pia of the Two 29 September married Roberto I, Duke of Parma and
21 August 1849
Sicilies 1882 Piacenza; had issue.

Vincenzo, Count of 13
26 April 1851 died in childhood.
Melazzo October 1854

Pasquale, Count of 15 21 married morganatically to Blanche

Bari September 1852 December 1904 Marconnay; no issue.

Maria Immacolata of 21 23 married Prince Henry of Bourbon-Parma,

the Two Sicilies January 1855 August 1874 Count of Bardi; no issue.

Gennaro, Count of 28 13
died in childhood.
Caltagirone February 1857 August 1867

Titles and styles

12 January 1810 - 12 December 1816 His Royal Highness The Prince Don Ferdinando of Naples
12 December 1816 - 4 January 1825 His Royal Highness Don Ferdinando, The Duke of Noto
4 January 1825 8 November 1830 His Royal Highness Don Ferdinando, Duke of Calabria
8 November 1830 22 May 1859 His Majesty The King

References

http://www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/gotha/2sicilies.html

Notes

1. http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art342.htm