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The Bourbons of Naples 17341825 Harold Acton 9780571249015 Books



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Download PDF The Bourbons of Naples 17341825 Harold Acton 9780571249015 Books

Naples is one of Europe's most fascinating cities and the ruling dynasty which left its mark more than any other was that of the Bourbons, who arrived in 1734 and were only displaced by the Unification of Italy in 1870. Before that time Naples was the largest of the Italian kingdoms and, with Pompeii and Vesuvius as its main attractions, it drew hundreds of aristocratic travellers and visitors in the 18th century. The city also attracted the armies of revolutionary France and the royal family escaped to Sicily thanks to Admiral Nelson. The Bourbons of Naples was welcomed as a masterpiece at the time of first publication in 1956, and was chosen by Sir Osbert Sitwell as his book of the year. Sir Harold Acton (1904-1994) - famous aesthete and historian - brings 18th-century Naples vividly to life, with unforgettable characters such as Lady Hamilton and Nelson, royal eccentrics and plenty of court intrigue. 'An elaborate comedy of manners played out over 700 pages.' The Times

The Bourbons of Naples 17341825 Harold Acton 9780571249015 Books

Eighteenth-century Naples, like fifteenth-century Burgundy, was a small but culturally important state. Under Charles III and his son Ferdinand the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was a center of art and a tourist attraction that drew many Englishmen on the "Grand Tour". Harold Acton (a relation of Sir John Acton?) made good use of the rich archives of Naples and Sicily as well as the memoirs of Sir William Hamilton, Giacomo Casanova and other contemporaries to evoke the spirit of the age. I only hope the Prion will see fit to reissue Acton's "The Last Bourbons", which covers Neapolitan history from 1825 to the unification of Italy in 1861.

Product details

  • Paperback 768 pages
  • Publisher Faber and Faber; Main edition (July 20, 2011)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10 0571249019

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The Bourbons of Naples 17341825 Harold Acton 9780571249015 Books Reviews


This book is a lost gem and now is thankfully back in print. The author, Harold Acton appears as Anthony Blanche in Waugh's BRIDESHEAD REVISTED (where he is portayed somewhat unfairly as a fop). The Bourbons of Naples, unlike the Bourbons of Spain or France, did not have the same magnificent reputation as their more famous cousins. The best of the lot, Charles, later Charles III, the king of Spain, left an significant mark on Naples, building the city's famous opera house (he frequently dozed off during performances when he could be bothered to attend. The rest of members of the family are fine targets for Acton's wit. And what a canvas he has to paint his scenes of regal decay.

While Charles III was the ideal monarch, his successor (at least to this throne) was a ruler who spent most of his time hunting and fending off attempts by Napoleon to wrest his kingdom from him. This did not bother him so much as it did his wife Maria Caroline.

Like Louise of Prussia, or even Madame de Stael, Maria Caroline hated Napoleon (who in a strange twist of history became her grandson in law) and spent much of her life trying to come up with ineffective means of frustrating attempts at seizing Naples from the Bourbons. Even had Napoleon not tried to evict the Bourbons from Naples (as he had from Spain), Maria Caroline saw him as the heir to the same French Revolution which had cut off the head of her favorite sister Marie Antoinette.

Ambid the efforts of the queen, who was the won who wore the pants, to rule Naples and maintain the throne, and the kings persistent hunting excursions, a whole host of ministers and advisors come into the scope of the Bourbons. Nelson, Lord and Lady Hamilton are supporting characters in this work.

This is one of the best books in English on the Bourbons of Naples, but it is not without its defects. While Harold Acton is well-versed in the family, I would have liked more context, particularly on some of the short comings mentioned, but not fully explored. I was not sure why, after the chief minister (an ancestor of the author named Acton) was unable to bring the army up to respectable levels. Funds are expended and this is looked upon with alarm by the nation's adversaries, but in the end this had little effect. Even after reading this work, I am not sure why the Neapolitan army was so lousy.

Still and all, it is great to see this book in print again, I am hoping the publisher is able to bring out the sequel which addresses how the Bourbons of Naples were finally defeated by their enemies the house of Savoy and were left behind in the unification of Italy.
Every once in a blue moon, one comes across an unexpectedly great work of history that takes your breath away. In addition, THE BOURBONS OF NAPLES was written by a descendent of one of the major players, Sir John Acton, and of that Lord Acton who said "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This work was therefore also an exercise in family history for Harold Acton.
When you conjure up a picture of Naples in the 18th century, what comes to mind is the Grand Tour -- that endless stream of well-to-do English and other Europeans (including Goethe) who considered their upbringing incomplete until they had seen the classical art treasures of Italy, wondered at the magnificence of Vesuvius, and tasted of the fleshpots of Naples. There, they partied with complaisant British consul Sir William Hamilton and his delectable wife Emma (later associated with Horatio Nelson).
The time period covered by the book encompasses the reigns of Charles III and Ferdinand I (or III or IV, depending on whether you are referring to him as King of the Two Sicilies, Sicily, or Naples). Ferdinand was married to Maria Carolina, daughter of the Austrian empress Maria Theresa, sister of Marie Antoinette and grandmother of Napoleon's second wife Marie-Louise. While something of a grand scale manipulator, Maria Carolina pretty much ran the kingdom (into the ground) while Ferdinand spent his time hunting wild boar with cronies. Yet, thanks to the British fleet and Austrian army, she managed to hold on to her throne and write agonized letters to every crowned head in Europe until she proved too much for one British emissary, who packed her away to Vienna with her husband's permission.
The vicissitudes of the Bourbon monarchy in Italy make for fascinating reading. It had twice as many lives as a cat and even managed to survive the threats posed by the French Revolution and Napoleon -- but just barely.
I had owned this book before. It is a famous study of this family and period. I could not find my copy so ordered this replacement.
Based on texts from the period (many letters), the book is a chronicle of life at the court of Naples between 1730 and 1820, including artistic life, archeological discoveries, war with the French, Austrian occupation...Very entertaining and well written.
This is la history of Naples at a time when it was for the most part a backwater but one with many interesting people in it.Acton, the descendant of one of the main characters writes magnificent English and makes the reader share his enjoymemt. He gives pleasure, rarely gets angry and is blessedly free of political correctness. These are people who are ofyen looked down on. Acton who has every right to be a snob treats his reader as an equal and his confidante and never looks down on any of them. If you like Nancy Mitford this will amuse you. Acton writes good history but he writes to amuse.
Eighteenth-century Naples, like fifteenth-century Burgundy, was a small but culturally important state. Under Charles III and his son Ferdinand the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was a center of art and a tourist attraction that drew many Englishmen on the "Grand Tour". Harold Acton (a relation of Sir John Acton?) made good use of the rich archives of Naples and Sicily as well as the memoirs of Sir William Hamilton, Giacomo Casanova and other contemporaries to evoke the spirit of the age. I only hope the Prion will see fit to reissue Acton's "The Last Bourbons", which covers Neapolitan history from 1825 to the unification of Italy in 1861.
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