((Can't believe I missed a new Interactive AAR... must be slipping...))
Francesco de Palma
Born: 29 May 1823, Milan
Ethnicity: Italian (Lombard)
Party: Danubian Liberal Alliance (1848), Italian Independence Party/Republican Alliance (184
Office: Captain in the Austrian Artillery Corps (1845-1848), Deputy for Lombardia (1848-1860), Vice President (1860-)
The son of a Milanese bureaucrat, Francesco received a strong, though informal, education; when a wealthy aristocrat noticed that the young man had an aptitude for science and math, he pulled a few strings and soon Francesco was attending the University of Vienna, which is where he became acquainted with many liberal and radical ideas. He graduated in 1845 and promptly enlisted in the Austrian Army as an artilleryman; by the time of the 1848 Revolution, he was a Captain.
At the onset of the fighting, de Palma initially sided with the Royalist forces, but in April, 1848, he (and the majority of the men under his command), announced their support for the rebel cause. He and his men would serve in most major battles of the conflict, from Vienna to Prague.
Immediately after the civil war ended, de Palma returned to Milan and was appointed a Deputy for Lombardia (with the support of his wealthy patron), after the capture and execution of several Royalist deputies opened a few positions. He joined the DLA shortly after his appointment, and is largely regarded as a moderate, with ties to the Italian Independence Party.
At the behest of future War Minister Domenico Mocenigo, he later joined the IIP, and followed several backroom deals (which today are still debated rather heavily amongst Italian political scholars) established himself as its new chairman. Remaining a rather quiet member of the government for several years, he announced in 1856 that the IIP would be renamed Republican Alliance and that he would be running for President of the Federation; during the Alliance (a collection of independent centre-left parties) primary, he defeated his rival and fellow Lombard, Rodrigo Vertucci, which would spawn years of fighting between the two men. Against Victor Kraus (often referred to derisively as King Silvertongue), he and the liberals lost.
Francesco de Palma
Born: 29 May 1823, Milan
Ethnicity: Italian (Lombard)
Party: Danubian Liberal Alliance (1848), Italian Independence Party/Republican Alliance (184
Office: Captain in the Austrian Artillery Corps (1845-1848), Deputy for Lombardia (1848-1860), Vice President (1860-)
The son of a Milanese bureaucrat, Francesco received a strong, though informal, education; when a wealthy aristocrat noticed that the young man had an aptitude for science and math, he pulled a few strings and soon Francesco was attending the University of Vienna, which is where he became acquainted with many liberal and radical ideas. He graduated in 1845 and promptly enlisted in the Austrian Army as an artilleryman; by the time of the 1848 Revolution, he was a Captain.
At the onset of the fighting, de Palma initially sided with the Royalist forces, but in April, 1848, he (and the majority of the men under his command), announced their support for the rebel cause. He and his men would serve in most major battles of the conflict, from Vienna to Prague.
Immediately after the civil war ended, de Palma returned to Milan and was appointed a Deputy for Lombardia (with the support of his wealthy patron), after the capture and execution of several Royalist deputies opened a few positions. He joined the DLA shortly after his appointment, and is largely regarded as a moderate, with ties to the Italian Independence Party.
At the behest of future War Minister Domenico Mocenigo, he later joined the IIP, and followed several backroom deals (which today are still debated rather heavily amongst Italian political scholars) established himself as its new chairman. Remaining a rather quiet member of the government for several years, he announced in 1856 that the IIP would be renamed Republican Alliance and that he would be running for President of the Federation; during the Alliance (a collection of independent centre-left parties) primary, he defeated his rival and fellow Lombard, Rodrigo Vertucci, which would spawn years of fighting between the two men. Against Victor Kraus (often referred to derisively as King Silvertongue), he and the liberals lost.
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