Benedetto Cairoli

Benedetto Cairoli (born Jan. 28, 1825, Pavia, Lombardy—died Aug. 8, 1889, Naples) was a politician, leader of the left during the Risorgimento, and three times premier of united Italy.

As a young man Cairoli served as a volunteer in the revolutionary forces of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Twice elected to the Chamber of Deputies from Pavia (1860–64 and 1867–70), he sat with Garibaldi on the extreme left. On March 3, 1878, he formed his first Cabinet, which fell on December 19 after the attempted assassination of King Umberto I in Naples, in which Cairoli himself was wounded. He formed two subsequent ministries (June 14–Nov. 23, 1879; May 2, 1880–April 7, 1881), which were equally ineffectual. Constant dissension on the left plagued Cairoli’s leadership throughout his three governments. He was often criticized for the failure of his foreign policy, which the nationalists regarded as overly friendly to foreign powers, and for his inability to deal effectively with the various factions of the extreme left. His trust in France and lack of political foresight brought about a defeat for Italy in the Treaty of Bardo (1881), which made Tunisia a French protectorate. The reaction against this treaty toppled Cairoli’s government and destroyed him as a serious political force.