Alessandro Manzoni at 150 Years: Faith, Literature, and Italian Unification

On the 150th anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death, Artribune revisits the life and work of the Italian writer (1785–1873). Born in Milan to Giulia Beccaria and Pietro Manzoni, he had a solitary childhood educated by Somaschi and Barnabite fathers. Reacting against aristocratic libertinage, he developed moral rigor influenced by Parini, Monti, Dante, and Latin classics. Initially drawn to Enlightenment rationalism, he distanced himself from Catholicism but dramatically returned to the faith in 1810, aided by his first wife Enrichetta Blondel, a Calvinist convert. His Catholic piety, critical of Rome's support for Restoration, is expressed in the Inni Sacri and tragedies like Il Conte di Carmagnola and Adelchi. His masterpiece I promessi sposi evolved from the gothic Fermo e Lucia (1821–1823) through the 1827 edition to the definitive 1840 version with Francesco Gonin's engravings. Manzoni 'rinsed his clothes in the Arno,' adopting Florentine Italian to create a popular national language. The novel critiques Spanish rule in Lombardy and, by extension, Austrian domination, supporting Italian unification. Manzoni's patriotic odes (Aprile 1814, Il proclama di Rimini, Marzo 1821) circulated clandestinely until the 1848 Five Days of Milan. His son Filippo fought in the uprising. Manzoni suffered from neurosis, agoraphobia, and family tragedies, leading to isolation. Indro Montanelli called him the true Vate of Risorgimento Italy.