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Urbano Rattazzi

Italian politician and statesman (1808–1873)

Urbano Rattazzi
Prime Minister of Italy
In office 10 April 1867 – 27 October 1867
Monarch	Victor Emmanuel II
Preceded by	Bettino Ricasoli
Succeeded by	Luigi Federico Menabrea
In office 3 March 1862 – 8 December 1862
Monarch	Victor Emmanuel II
Preceded by	Bettino Ricasoli
Succeeded by	Luigi Carlo Farini
President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 18 February 1861 – 3 March 1862
Monarch	Victor Emmanuel II
Preceded by	Giovanni Lanza
Succeeded by	Sebastiano Tecchio
In office 10 January 1859 – 21 January 1860
Monarch	Victor Emmanuel II
Preceded by	Carlo Bon Compagni
Succeeded by	Giovanni Lanza
In office 11 May 1852 – 27 October 1853
Monarch	Victor Emmanuel II
Preceded by	Pier Dionigi Pinelli
Succeeded by	Carlo Bon Compagni
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 18 February 1861 – 5 June 1873
Constituency	Alessandria (1st) Tortona (2nd)
Personal details
Born	(1808-06-20)20 June 1808 Alessandria, French Empire
Died	5 June 1873(1873-06-05) (aged 64) Frosinone, Kingdom of Italy
Nationality	Italian
Political party	Historical Left
Spouse(s)	Marie Bonaparte-Wyse ​ ​ (m. 1863⁠–⁠1873)​ ; his death
Children	Romana Rattazzi
Alma mater	University of Turin
Profession	Lawyer
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Urbano Pio Francesco Rattazzi (Italian pronunciation: [urˈbaːno ratˈtattsi]; 29 June 1808  – 5 June 1873) was an Italian politician and statesman.

He was born in Alessandria, Piedmont. He studied law at Turin, and in 1838 began his practice, which met with marked success at the capital and Casale. His wife, Laetitia Marie Wyse Bonaparte, whom he married in 1863, was a noted French novelist and a grandniece of Emperor Napoleon I.^[1] Together they had one daughter: Romana Rattazzi (1871–1943).

In 1848, Rattazzi was sent to the Sardinian chamber of deputies in Turin as representative of his native town. He allied himself with the Liberal party, i.e. Democrats. By his debating powers, he contributed to the defeat of the Balbo ministry, and in August received the portfolio of Public Instruction, though he left office after a few days. In December, in the Gioberti cabinet, he became Minister of the Interior, and on the fall of Gioberti, in February 1849, Rattazzi was entrusted with the formation of a new cabinet. The defeat at Novara compelled Rattazzi's resignation in March 1849.^[1][2]

He left the Democrats for the Moderate Liberals, and formed the group of the center-left. This party formed a coalition with the center-right headed by Cavour. This coalition was known as the connubio, i.e. the union of the moderate men of the Right and of the Left, and brought about the fall of the d'Azeglio cabinet in November 1852 and the organization of a new ministry by Cavour. Rattazzi gave up a Parliament presidency in 1853 to become Minister of Justice and later Minister of the Interior. As Minister of the Interior, he carried a number of measures of reform, including that for the suppression of certain of the monastic orders, partial secularization of church property, and restricting the influence of the religious associations. This precipitated a bitter struggle with the Clerical party. During a momentary reaction of public opinion he resigned office in 1858, but again entered the cabinet under La Marmora in 1859 as Minister of the Interior.^[1][2]

In consequence of the negotiations for the cession of Nice and Savoy to France, which cession he opposed, he again retired in January 1860. On changing his views on this policy, he became president of the lower chamber in the first Italian Parliament, and in March 1862 succeeded Ricasoli in the government, retaining for himself the portfolios of Foreign Affairs and of the Interior. However, in consequence of his policy of repression towards GaribaldiatAspromonte, he was driven from office in the following December. He was again Prime Minister in 1867, from April to October. Popular reaction to his hostility to Garibaldi again drove him from office. He died at Frosinone on 5 June 1873.^[1][2]

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• "Rattazzi, Urbano" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.