Pietro Badoglio
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| Pietro Badoglio | |
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| In office July 25, 1943 – June 18, 1944 |
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| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
| Preceded by | Benito Mussolini |
| Succeeded by | Ivanoe Bonomi |
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| Born | September 28, 1871 Grazzano Badoglio, Italy |
| Died | November 1, 1956 (aged 85) Grazzano Badoglio, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party | None (Provisional Military Government) |
Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba (September 28, 1871 – November 1, 1956), was an Italian soldier and politician. He was a member of the National Fascist Party and fought alongside his nation's troops under Benito Mussolini in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War; his efforts gained him the title Duke of Addis Abeba.
In July 24, 1943 as Italy had suffered several setbacks in World War II, Mussolini summoned the Grand Council of Fascism, this led to the Fascist vote of no confidence against him. The following day Il Duce was removed from government by king Victor Emmanuel III and arrested. Badoglio was declared Prime Minister of Italy and while mass confusion in Italy reigned, he eventually signed an armistice with the Allies. When this was made public, it threw Italy into chaos. The king and Badoglio fled Rome leaving the Italian Army with no orders to follow.
Eventually from Malta on October 13, Badoglio and the Kingdom of Italy declared war against Nazi Germany. Badoglio did not stay as Prime Minister for long however, as world opinion at that stage desired a person with a non-Fascist past to head the government. By 1944, Badoglio was replaced by Ivanoe Bonomi of the Labour Democratic Party.
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[edit] Biography
He was born in Grazzano Monferrato (later Grazzano Badoglio) in the province of Asti (Piedmont).
After studying at the military academy in Turin, he served with the Italian Army from 1892, at first as a Lieutenant in artillery, taking part in the campaigns in Eritrea (1896) and Libya (1912), where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Zanzur. At the beginning of Italian participation in World War I, he was a Lieutenant Colonel; he rose to the rank of General following his handling of the capture of Monte Sabotino in May 1916 and by the late months of 1917 was the Sottocapo di Stato Maggiore vice chief of the staff despite being partially responsible in the disaster at Caporetto (October 24, 1917).
Post-war, he was named as a senator, but also remained in the army with special assignments to Romania and the U.S. in 1920 and 1921. At first, he opposed Benito Mussolini and after 1922 was side-lined as ambassador to Brazil. A change of political heart soon returned him to Italy and a senior role in the army as Chief of Staff from May 4, 1924. He was governor of Libya from 1929 to 1933. While Emilio de Bono began the invasion of Abyssinia in 1935, he was replaced by Badoglio in 1936. He approved the use of mustard gas and finally captured Addis Ababa and won the conflict.
Marshal Badoglio led the Italian troops into Addis Ababa on May 5, and Mussolini declared King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Emperor of Ethiopia and Ethiopia an Italian province. On this occasion, Badoglio was declared the first Viceroy of Ethiopia and received the title of "Duke of Addis Abeba". He was not in favour of the Italian-German Pact of Steel and was pessimistic about the chances of Italian success in any European war but didn't oppose the decision of Mussolini and the King to declare war on France and Great Britain. He resigned in December 1940, following the Italian army's poor display in the invasion of Greece.
Following the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, there was a meeting of the Fascist Grand Council on July 24 and the following day, in a technical coup d'etat, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy dismissed Mussolini and appointed Badoglio to head the government. Martial law was declared, Mussolini was arrested and negotiations were opened with the Allies.
Badoglio signed the Italian armistice with the Allies on September 3 in Cassibile; the document was published by the Allies on September 8, when Badoglio had not yet communicated this decision to the Italian forces, which were surprised by the switch; after that, he together with Victor Emanuel III and some military ministries and the Chief of General Staff escaped to Pescara and Brindisi, seeking Allied protection. The longer version of the armistice was signed on September 23 in Malta and the Badoglio government officially declared war on Germany on October 13. Badoglio did not head the government for long: following the rescue of Mussolini, the liberation of Rome and increasingly strong opposition, he was replaced by Ivanoe Bonomi and other committed anti-Fascists. He was never tried for war crimes by the allies because he helped them in the invasion of Italy.
[edit] Private life
In 1904, Pietro Badoglio married Sofia Valania, by whom he had four children: Mario Ferdinando Antonio Luigi, Francesco Ferdinando, Paulo Ferdinando, and Maria Immacolata Luigia Antonietta.
[edit] See also
[edit] References and Sources
- Italian Defence Minister website official biograrhy of Pietro Badoglio as Chief of the General Staff [1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Benito Mussolini |
Prime Minister of Italy 1943–1944 |
Succeeded by Ivanoe Bonomi |
| Preceded by Raffaele Guariglia |
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs 1944 |
Succeeded by Ivanoe Bonomi |
| Preceded by Benito Mussolini |
Head of the Fascist Grand Council 1944 |
Succeeded by End Title |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by (none) |
Viceroy and Governor-General of Italian East Africa 9 May 1936 - 11 June 1936 |
Succeeded by Rodolfo Graziani |
| Regnal titles | ||
| Preceded by New Title |
Duke of Addis Abeba 1936–1956 |
Succeeded by Pietro Badoglio, 2nd Duke of Addis Abeba |
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Badoglio, Pietro |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Italian soldier and WWII prime minister |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1871-09-28 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Grazzano Monferrato |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1956-11-1 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Grazzano Monferrato |
