On July 13th, 1814 the Carabinieri, Italy’s national military police, was created in Turin by King Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia (Victor Emmanuel I of Savoy) with the aim of providing the Kingdom of Sardinia with a police corps.
When the Carabinieri force was first born, it counted 800 men who distinguished themselves for good behavior, distributed across 113 stations. This past week, 200 years after its foundation, the Carabinieri force was celebrated throughout Italy’s 8,093 municipalities thankful for their service.
In Rome, in the picturesque and beautiful Piazza di Siena, right in the heart of Villa Borghese, President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano, together with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and many other politicians and military personalities participated in a large ceremony where many Carabinieri were recognized for outstanding and exceptional service.
On Sunday Pope Francesco, after celebrating Mass in Saint Peters Square, received thousands of Carabinieri coming from all over Italy for the special meeting organized with him to celebrate their 200th anniversary. Pope Francesco warmly thanked them for coming to visit him, “Grazie, cari amici Carabinieri, di essere venuti così numerosi! Il Signore benedica voi e le vostre famiglie” (“My dear Carabinieri friends, thanks for coming in such a large number! May the Lord bless you and your families”).
The Pope also reminded them of the Christian aspects and values of their “mission” and wanted to celebrate the memory of Vice Brigadiere Salvo D’Acquisto, who was executed by the Germans in Palidoro (near Rome) during World War II. D’Acquisto was a young Carabiniere who exchanged his life for the lives of citizens due to be executed in retaliation for the killing of a German soldier by the Partisans; instead, he claimed responsibility and was executed for the offence. In their history the Carabinieri have made countless heroic actions, but Salvo D’Acquisto is the hero they are most proud of today.
Going back in history, the first urban police force is thought to date from the Roman Empire. In 29 A.C. Emperor Cesare Augusto founded two different police authorities called Cohortes, one to keep order and safety at night, the second one to protect the city from foreign attacks. These two forces didn’t have military duties but were created with the sole purpose of safeguarding the city and its people.
Today, coincidentally, Italy still has two main armed forces to protect its citizens and keep order. In fact together with the Carabinieri, the older of the two, there’s also the Polizia. Many people wonder why there are two forces with similar roles. The reason may be found in the past following the Fascist dictatorship when, to prevent a “coup d’état” by one military force, the Polizia was created (1954) to split the military power into two. Yet, despite Carabinieri involvement in the suppression of opposition during the rule of Benito Mussolini, they were also responsible for his downfall. Many units were disbanded by Nazi Germany, which resulted in large numbers of Carabinieri joining the Italian resistance movement.
Nowadays, there’s no reason to fear another dictatorship, but the two organizations are used to working side-by-side, with similar duties, and perfect coordination.
Happy 200th anniversary Carabinieri!
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