author
Carlo Bianco
1795–1843
An early voice of the Italian Risorgimento, this Piedmontese nobleman turned soldier and exile into a fierce advocate for national independence. His writings on guerrilla-style insurrection helped shape the revolutionary imagination of his time.
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About the author
Born in Barge, Piedmont, in 1795, Carlo Angelo Bianco, count of Saint-Jorioz, served as a lieutenant in the Sardinian army before becoming deeply involved in liberal and nationalist conspiracies. He was linked to the Carbonari and was among the active organizers of the Piedmontese uprising of 1821, moving in the same political world as Santorre di Santarosa.
After the failure of the revolt, he was sentenced to death and forced into exile. He spent time abroad, including in Spain, where he fought with the constitutionalists. His political life remained tied to revolutionary networks, and later references describe him as an important propagandist for the Apofasimeni before that movement was absorbed into Young Italy.
He is remembered above all for his treatise on national insurrection by armed bands, a work that connected military strategy with the cause of Italian independence and gave him a lasting place in the history of the Risorgimento. He died in Brussels in 1843.