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Eleonora Pimentel Fonseca (3 of 3) by Darren Peterson Ital334, Prof. Barbara Nucci, May 1999 |
A Chronology
of
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Articles
Baths of Baiae; Observations and Inferences The Casamari Abbey Christianity- The First 400 Years Agriculture in the Roman Empire Pope Julius II Fonseca The Parthenopean Republic |
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ammunition was exhausted the republicans had no choice other than surrender.
(Une, Online) On June 23rd 1799 Cardinal
Ruffo accepted the surrender of the forts held by the French and their
republican allies under a flag of truce. A general amnesty was granted
to the French allowing them to withdraw unmolested to Toulon. (Marriott,
25)
Within two days King Ferdinand IV returned to Naples. The King denounced the terms accepted by Cardinal Ruffo and terrible retribution was inflicted upon the republicans of Naples. On August 17th 1799 Eleonora sat silently as she listened to the charges for the crimes of which she was accused. These crimes included the following: public speech in the streets, speech on platforms, and last but not least, the drafting of a sordid newspaper. Today these are not considered great crimes in most countries of the world, however in Italy, in 1799, these were offenses that were punishable by death. In her defense she proudly stated that she acted "...so that Neapolitan ground could become free." She added "...the death of the patriots will, one day, not be considered useless." (Une, Online) Despite her family's aristocratic status and her cultured and noble presence, Eleonora was sentenced to death by hanging. She requested the guillotine, which was her right as an aristocrat. The judge responded with the following: "You are not a Neapolitan aristocrat. You dishonored the true aristocrats and the true ladies of the court. Our laws do not grant any nobility to you!"(Une, Online) On August
20th, 1799 Eleonora Pimentel Fonseca refused to confess prior to the execution
of her sentence. She said "I do not have any faults to confess..."
Then she recited the words of Saint Augustine "You, my God, supervise my
steps and release from any uncertainty my mouth and my heart." With
that she was led to the gallows. Proudly, she refused assistance
as she ascended the stairs to the platform.(Une,
Online)
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