Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Bourbon Paradox
Assessment of Bourbon rule in southern Italy is a controversial topic. Many historians con-
sider it a period of exploitation and stagnation. Others, more recently, have started to re-
evaluate the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, pointing out the raft of positive reforms Charles
III implemented. These included abolishing many noble and clerical privileges, curtailing
the legal rights of landowners within their fiefs and restricting ecclesiastical jurisdiction at
a time when the Church was reputed to own almost a third of the land within the kingdom.
Naples had already begun prospering under the rule of Spanish viceroy Don Pedro de
Toledo (1532-53), whose building boom attracted some of Italy's greatest artistic talent.
Under Charles, the city became one of the great capital cities of Europe, attracting hun-
dreds of aristocratic travellers. On top of this, Charles was a great patron of architecture
and the arts. During his reign Pompeii and Herculaneum (both destroyed in the AD 79
eruption of Mt Vesuvius) were discovered and the Archaeological Museum in Naples was
founded. He was responsible for the building of the Teatro San Carlo, the largest opera
house in Europe, and he also built the huge palaces of Capodimonte and Caserta. Some
subsequent Bourbon monarchs also made positive contributions, such as Ferdinand II
(1830-59), who laid the foundations for modern industry, developing the southern har-
bours, creating a merchant fleet, building the first Italian railway line, constructing road
systems, including the dramatic Amalfi Coast drive.
The exodus of southern Italians to North and South America between 1880 and WWI is one of the great
mass movements of a population in modern times. By 1927, 20% of the Italian population had emigrated.
But while Charles might rightfully claim a place among southern Italy's outstanding
rulers, later Bourbon princes were some of the most eccentric and pleasure-seeking mon-
archs in Europe. Charles' son, Ferdinand I (1751-1825), was venal and poorly educated.
He spent his time hunting and fishing, and he delighted in the company of the
lazzaroni,
the Neapolitan underclass. He much preferred to leave the business of government to his
wife, the ambitious and treacherous Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria, whose main
aim was to free southern Italy from Spanish influence and secure a rapprochement with
Austria and Great Britain. Her chosen administrator was the English expatriate Sir John
Acton, who replaced the long-serving Tanucci, a move that was to mire court politics in
damaging corruption and espionage.
