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Ernesto Burzagli

{{Infobox military person

| name = Ernesto Burzagli

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1873|06|07|df=y}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1944|09|13|1873|06|07|df=y}}

| birth_place = Modena, Italy

| death_place = Montevarchi, Italy

| image = Burzagli giovane.jpg

| caption = Burzagli as a young officer

| nickname =

| allegiance = {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}

| branch = Regia Marina

| serviceyears = 1892–1931

| rank = Admiral

| commands =

| battles = World War I

| awards =

| laterwork =

}}

Ernesto Burzagli {{small|CB GCMM GOA}} (7 June 1873 – 13 September 1944) was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Italy during the early 20th century. During a lifetime career in the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina Italiana), he rose to the rank of admiral and chief of staff. In 1933, King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Burzagli as a senator in Rome.Senato della Repubblica: [http://notes9.senato.it/web/senregno.NSF/1dbf7f5088956bebc125703d004d5ffb/e85245f1a9b500214125646f00596ade?OpenDocument biographical summary]

Despite his life service to the state, Burzagli was arrested in 1944 after clashing with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Although he was released a short time later, Burzagli was forced to withdraw from public life.

Early years

File:Portarthur.jpg (1904).]]

Burzagli entered the Italian Naval Academy (Accademia Navale) in Leghorn (Livorno in Italian) in 1887, and he was commissioned as an ensign in 1892.

File:Giapp.jpg serving with the Imperial Japanese Navy (1904-1906).]]

File:Nastroazzurro.JPG to Ernesto Burzagli.]]

Burzagli was from a noble family of Montevarchi, but was born in Modena, as his father had relocated there to assume a position as a professor of physics at the Military Academy of Modena. Burzagli graduated from the Accademia Navale di Livorno in 1892, and after serving on a number of ships in the Royal Italian Navy, he was assigned as a military attaché to Tokyo, Japan in May 1904. He arrived just in time to become an official foreign observer of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Russo-Japanese War, and witnessed first-hand the naval bombardment of Port Arthur. After the end of the war, in April 1906, he was received by Emperor Meiji of Japan, and received the Order of the Rising Sun before his return to Italy.:File:Portarthur.jpg; :File:Giapp.jpg

Naval career

In 1912, Burzagli was assigned command of an Intrepid-class destroyer. Promoted to commander in 1914, he saw combat in World War I as commander of a squadron of destroyers, and from May 1916 to March 1917, served on the General Staff of the Italian Navy. In 1917, Captain Burzagli sailed the RN Libia across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City.Malcolm, James. (1917). [https://books.google.com/books?id=dQsUAAAAIAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli State Service: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Government of the State of New York and Its Affairs, p. 268.] Near the end of the conflict, he was promoted to higher rank.

File:Award of Order of Ouissam Alaouite.jpg) which proclaims and confirms that the Order of Oissam Alaouite is conferred on Ernesto Burzagli]]

File:Whiterosediploma.jpg

In February 1918, he was awarded the Military Order of Savoy. In 1919 he was decorated with the Navy Cross by the United States Navy for his service to the Allied cause during the World War.

At the end of the war in 1919, Burzagli was sent to Albania to command the Vlore naval base, and played an active role in the suppression of pro-independence Albanian uprising, personally undertaking several reconnaissance flights over rebel-held territory, for which he was awarded the Bronze Medal of Military Valor.

File:Altrefoto (6).jpg

Burzagli was given command of the cruiser RN Libia from February 1921 to February 1923, and during this period, the ship circumnavigated the globe.Library of Congress: [http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/V/VisitadellIncrociatore1921.html RN Libia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829142012/http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/V/VisitadellIncrociatore1921.html |date=2008-08-29 }} On his return, Burzagli was promoted to the rank of rear admiral; and he and assigned to head the Accademia Navale and the Italian Institute of Marine War.

He wrote a treatise in four volumes, Manual of Navigation (1927).

He left his place at the academy in 1927 to accept the position of Chief of Staff of the Navy, a post he held until 1931.Segrè, Claudio G. (1990). [https://books.google.com/books?id=eblfCoh5Mh8C&dq=ernesto+burzagli&pg=PA188 Italo Balbo: A Fascist Life, p. 188.]Zivkovic, Georg. (1971). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ON8DAAAAMAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli Heer- und Flottenführer der Welt; Army and navy-leaders of the world, p. 587.]

Burzagli was a Technical Advisor in the Italian delegation at the London Naval Conference 1930 for the reduction of the armaments.Great Britain Foreign Office. (1930). [https://books.google.com/books?id=-EsSAAAAYAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli Documents of the London Naval Conference, 1930, p. 96.]

Burzagli was promoted to Divisional Admiral in 1926, and promoted again to Vice Admiral in 1928. He was Naval Chief of Staff from 1927 to 1931. He was no longer Naval Chief of Staff in 1932 when Italy announced plans to retire two battleships, twelve cruisers, 25 destroyers, and 12 submarines—in all, 130,000 tons of naval vessels.[https://www.nytimes.com/1932/08/18/archives/italy-will-retire-130000-tons-of-navy-two-battleships-all-that-she.html?sq=burzagli+ernesto&scp=1&st=p "Italy Will Retire 130,000 tons of Navy; Two Battleships, All That She Owns, Are Included in the Sweeping Economy Move. Four New Cruisers to Go [plus] Eight Old Ones, 25 Destroyers and 12 Submarines Also to Be Taken Out of Service,"] New York Times. August 18, 1932.

In 1933, he was also named a Senator.[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francbull.jpg Estratto Bolletino d'Informazioni, Marzo 1934] In the Senate, he served as a member of the Commission for Examination of Law Conversion (1936–1939), a member of the Commission for Finances (1939–1943), and a member of the Commission for the High Court of Justice (1940–1943).

Later years

Burzagli withdrew from the active service in 1936. After the withdrawal to Montevarchi near his estate of Moncioni, he entered into friction with Benito Mussolini for his clear opposition to Italy's entrance into the Axis Powers, and for his subsequent opposition to Italy's entrance into World War II.

In the spring of 1944, he refused to collaborate with the authorities of the Italian Social Republic and was arrested. He was released in consideration of his reputation and his advanced age.

He died on 13 September 1944 and was buried in a monumental tomb in the cemetery of Montevarchi.

Honours

File:Usnavyaw.jpg, awarding the Navy Cross to Burzagli]]

Image:Diplome.jpg was conferred on Burzagli by the President of the Portuguese Republic in 1920]]

Burzagli received many awards and decorations, including awards from several other countries, such as the Navy Cross from the United States, the second-highest award that the nation's military has.

=Decorations=

=Service medals=

Selected works

  • Burzagli, Ernesto. (1927). Manuale dell'Ufficiale di Rotta. Genoa:
  • __________ and A Grillo. (1932). Manual del oficial de derrota (Navigation Manual translated from Italian to Spanish). Barcelona: G. Gilli

See also

{{Portal|Biography}}

Notes

{{Reflist|2}}

References

File:Altrefoto (2).jpg (RN Conte di Cavour), one of the many ships on which Burzagli served.]]

  • Bernotti, Romeo. (1971). Cinquant'anni nella Marina militare. Mursia.
  • Canevari, Emilio. (1948). La guerra italiana, retroscena della disfatta, Tosi.
  • Ceva, Lucio. (1981). Le forze armate, Torino: UTET.
  • Great Britain Foreign Office. (1930). [https://books.google.com/books?id=-EsSAAAAYAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli Documents of the London Naval Conference, 1930: Consisting of the Treaty Signed on April 22, the Minutes of Plenary Meetings, Memoranda Submitted by the United States, French, United Kingdom, Italian and Japanese Delegations of Their Position at the Conference, the Report of the First Committee ....] London: His Majesty's Stationery Office.
  • Leva, Fausto. (1936). Storia delle campagne oceaniche della R. Marina. Rome: Ufficio Storico della Marina.
  • Malcolm, James. (1917). [https://books.google.com/books?id=dQsUAAAAIAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli State Service: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Government of the State of New York and Its Affairs.] Albany, New York: State Service Magazine Co., Inc.
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Peru). (1922). [https://books.google.com/books?id=aSHc5fjhkGEC&q=ernesto+burzagli Discursos y documentos oficiales en el primer centenario de la Independencia.] República del Perú. Lima: Impressa Torres Aguirre.
  • Po, Guido. (1929). [https://books.google.com/books?id=l_kEAAAAMAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli L'opera della R. Marina in Eritrea e Somalia dall'occupazione, alla visita di S.A.R. il Principe Ereditario] (The Action of the Italian Royal Navy in Eritrea and Somalia from the Occupation through the Visit of H.R.H. Crown Prince Umberto). Introduzione, Ernesto Burzagli. Rome: Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato (Italian State Printing Office).
  • Rea, Alberto. (1977). L'Accademia aeronautica: cronistoria dalle origini al 1975. Rome: Ufficio Storico SMA.
  • Sadkovich, James J. (1994). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ngFnAAAAMAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli The Italian Navy in World War II.] Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. {{ISBN|978-0-313-28797-8}}
  • Segrè, Claudio G. (1990). [https://books.google.com/books?id=eblfCoh5Mh8C&q=ernesto+burzagli Italo Balbo: A Fascist Life.] Berkeley: University of California Press. {{ISBN|978-0-520-07199-5}} (paper)
  • {{nihongo|Umetani, Noboru|梅溪昇編|Umetani Noboru}}. (1991). [https://books.google.com/books?id=BjcnAAAAMAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli {{nihongo|Meiji Period Foreign Decoration History Compilation]|明治期外国人叙勲史料集成|Meijiki gaikokujin jokun shiryō shūsei}}. Kyoto: Shibunkaku Shuppan (思文閣出版). {{ISBN|978-4-7842-0666-7}}
  • Vitale, Massimo Adolfo. (1959). Vitale, L'Italia in Africa: serie storico-militare. Rome: Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato (Italian State Printing Office).
  • Wright, Herbert Francis. (1931). Proceedings of the London Naval Conference of 1930 and Supplementary Documents.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  • Zivkovic, Georg. (1971). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ON8DAAAAMAAJ&q=ernesto+burzagli Heer- und Flottenführer der Welt: Army and navy-leaders of the world. Chefs des armées et des flottes du monde.] Osnabrück: Biblio-Verlag. {{ISBN|978-3-7648-0666-8}}

::* This article also derives significantly from the content and style of the "Ernesto Burzagli" article on the Italian Wikipedia.

External links

{{Commons category|Ernesto Burzagli}}

  • [http://notes9.senato.it/web/senregno.NSF/1dbf7f5088956bebc125703d004d5ffb/e85245f1a9b500214125646f00596ade?OpenDocument Senato Italiano: scheda biografica di Ernesto Burzagli]

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Category:1873 births

Category:1944 deaths

Category:Italian military personnel of World War I

Category:World War II political leaders

Category:Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy

Category:People of the Russo-Japanese War

Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus

Category:Honorary companions of the Order of the Bath

Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour

Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania

Category:Grand Officers of the Order of Aviz

Category:Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Category:Knights of the Military Order of Savoy

Category:Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor

Category:Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)

Category:Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun

Category:Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure

Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna

3 Burzagli, Ernesto

Category:Grand Crosses of Naval Merit

Category:20th-century Italian politicians

Category:Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War

Category:Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania

Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy)

Category:Recipients of the Maurician medal