The brigandage

The brigandage is a form of robbery aimed at extortion which had also a political and social background for years.

Although this phenomenon has remote origins, Italian storiography mentions it in relation to armed gangs in south Italy between the end of the XVIII century and after the proclamation of the reign of Italy.

The political and religious brigandage was hardly put down in the Napoleonic period, during the rule of the Bourbon, in the Risorgimento, and crushed against the troops of the newborn Italian State.

The brigandage movement against Piemontesi who were leading Italy towards unification, developed in the south of Italy soon after Garibaldi's enterprises and involved popular classes.

(Carmine Crocco, in the photo above, was one of the most famous bandit in Italy after unification)

The unification entailed a disadvantage for the south that gave birth to discontent and rebellion. The situation of total chaos was caused by social unrest, failed promises and a reaction against the new State based on the alliance between northern middle classes and southern landowners.

Many battles had already been fought in various parts of the south since the end of 1860, and April a popular revolt broke out in Basilicata. During the summer, many bands of rebels, farmers, former Bourbon soldiers, disillusioned former partisans and even priests, gave birth to forms of violent revolts.
In many southern places the Bourbon flag was put up again and the Government responded ruthlessly. It was a real civil war, fought with ferocity on both sides, with raids, destruction and unlawful executions
Even if brigandage was repeatedly defeated it never disappeared completely.

The most recent historical research has contributed to highlight the political reasons of the resistance of the southern populations in order not to define it as simple a manifestation of criminal intents.

Probably brigandage was the first symptom of the so-called “southern question”, that is the great difference existing between the north and the south of Italy from the political, economical and social point of view.

Di: Lisa, Sara, Francesca, Anita, Camilla