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Francis II is the last King of the Two Sicilies. Under
his reign, the Kingdom was invaded first by the Garibaldian
army, then by the Savoy army and later annexed to
the newborn Kingdom of Italy. All this, only one year
after the death of Ferdinand II, who died aged 48,
and Francis unexpectedly ascended the Throne aged
only 23.
Francis
II of Bourbon
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In
fact he was born on 16 January 1836, elder son
of Ferdinand II and his first wife Maria Cristina
of Savoy (whose canonization is now in progress),
who died when he was only 15-day old. His father,
together with his second wife, Queen Maria Teresa
of Hapsburg, and the help of the Jesuit fathers,
gave him a strongly religious education and
the rudiments of general knowledge, but he never
had the military education that Ferdinand had
received. However, Ferdinand taught him the
love for his Kingdom and his duties for his
subjects, who had priority over everything else
after God, of course. Anyway, his relations
with his stepmother were difficult - because
she naturally gave priority to her own children
(she had 11 children, among which Alfonso Maria,
Count of Caserta, Head of the Royal House after
Francis’ death,) - but never turbulent:
Francis respected the Queen and she respected
him as Crown Prince. |
Ferdinand
chose Maria Sofia of Bavaria - daughter of Duke Maximilian
and sister of Elisabeth, wife of Francis Joseph Emperor
of Austria - as Francis’ wife. As we will see,
Maria Sofia turned to be an exceptional woman in the
tragic days of their lives. Her subjects would never
forget her and all Europe admired her.
Maria
Sofia of Bavaria
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At
the beginning, Maria Sofia met difficulties
at Court, since she had a turbulent relation
with the Queen. But the King liked her and was
fond of her. Unfortunately, when she arrived
in Naples the King got sick and then died. The
coronation of Francis and Maria Sofia worsened
the relations with the Queen Mother, but other
problems were now appearing and Maria Sofia
showed to be a brave and strong Queen as just
a few in history. An easy comparison with Maria
Antoinette in the last days of her life comes
spontaneous: although Maria Sofia was spared
the death of her husband and was not killed
herself, a deep sorrow accompanied her for the
rest of her long life (she died in 1925). |
In
reality, Francis could reign only for one year; then
he had to face the invasion of his Kingdom. However,
despite his short reign, he could show what his reign
could have been if he had reigned as peacefully and
long as his predecessors.
This
photograph by Bernoud shows Maria Sofia (second
from right) and Ferdinand II’s daughters.
It was clearly taken soon after the King’s
death. |
Francis
was certainly not endowed with his father’s
strong character, nor did he possess his political
experience, but he was very humane and magnanimous,
he had a deep faith and a sense of duties towards
his subjects, especially the needy ones. He
joined the reformist approach of his predecessors
and a deep sense of religious duties, which
perhaps made him the best king for his subjects.
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Moreover, the strong pro-Bourbon resistance of the
‘60s (see reference) that involved tenths of
thousands of men and women - as at the time of the
uprising - who rose up to defend their king’s
lawful rights, is the best evidence of what we have
just said. Since his coronation, Francis gave many
amnesties, appointed special committees to improve
the situation of prisons, granted a greater local
autonomy to municipalities, and streamlined bureaucracy;
he granted customs franchise to Palermo and Messina;
established a Commercial Court and Savings Banks in
Catania; remitted customs taxes still due, halved
the tax on flour, abolished that on farmhouses where
poor people lived and reduced customs duties, especially
the tax on foreign books; he also diminished taxes
on foreign goods, established an Exchange Office in
Chieti and Reggio Calabria, ordered the opening of
pawnshops, wheatshops, saving and loan banks in those
cities that did not have any of them. Since the kingdom
had been affected from a wheat shortage, while the
rebels were blaming the King of putting the burden
on the poor, he ordered the distribution of wheat
stocks - that the government had bought from other
countries - to the population at a very low price,
with a clear economic loss for the government. Moreover,
he founded universities, high schools and boarding
schools and he established a commission to improve
the town planning of Naples (to this end he was planning
new government-owned steam mills to offer free grinding,
but the arrival of the Garibaldian troops stopped
his plans); he enlarged the railroad system, personally
controlled and asked liability for the delays of private
firms in the fulfilment of construction contracts
already passed, and by royal decree of 28 April 1860
he ordered the construction of the Naples-Foggia and
Foggia-Capo d’Otranto railroads; then he ordered
the construction of the Basilicata-Reggio Calabria
railroad and the Abruzzi railroad, and he was already
planning a railroad for Palermo, Messina and Catania.
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