Luigi Blanch

Born in Lucera on March 29, 1784, Luigi Blanch was educated at the Nunziatella military academy in Naples and began his career as a soldier. Over time he became known not only as a military man, but also as an economist, politician, and historian.

Blanch lived through some of the most unsettled decades in southern Italian history. He served in the Bourbon army and later under Joachim Murat, was involved with the Neapolitan Carbonari around 1820, and after the restoration spent time in exile in France before returning to Naples to devote himself largely to study and writing.

He is especially remembered for his work on military thought and for historical writings on the Kingdom of Naples. Sources agree that his politics shifted over the years: after earlier liberal involvement, he took a more conservative stance in 1848 and remained attached to the Bourbon cause even after Italian unification. He died in Naples on August 7, 1872.