Joseph Mazzini (1805-1872): Mazzini was one of the architects of Italian unification. He was the prophet of the unification movement. He was born in Genoa in 1805. He was the son of a Professor of Anatomy. He was influenced by nationalist ideas from his boyhood days. The misery of his country had left a deep impression on his mind and as a symbol of mourning he used to dress himself in ****. He joined the Carbonari. He had studied law and was greatly influenced by the writings of Dante, Milton, Scott and others. Count Cavour’ Risorgimento was a source of great inspiration to him. His ambition was to drive out the Austrians from the Italian soil.
He founded the organization called ‘Young Italy’ in 1813. The main intention of his organization was to train the Italians and make them aware of their great past. It stood for unity and independence and wanted liberty, equality and humanity. He was basically a democrat and he spread the ideas of unity and independence through his personal, abilities without any external help. He was a staunch believer in “Pen is mightier than sword”. He **** a strong foundation for Italian unification. His efforts created a new spark of nationalism throughout the country.
