Pepe, Guglielmo
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Pepe, Guglielmo: (b. Feb. 14, 1783 at Squillace; d. Aug. 9, 1855 at Turin). General and revolutionary leader. In 1799, at the age of 16, he joined the army of the Parthenopean Republic and was taken prisoner by the Bourbon Army. Condemned to death as a traitor his sentence was commuted to exile. Later, in 1802, he attempted to organize a conspiracy against King Ferdinand IV but was arrested and imprisoned. The arrival of the French soon afterwards led to his release and he entered the service of King Joseph Bonaparte. He fought in the French army in Spain and later returned to Italy to serve in the army of Joachim Murat. By 1815, he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant-General. After the return of the Bourbons to power he remained in the army remained devoted to his Liberal principles. Becoming a member of the Carbonari, he came to command the pro-Constitutional forces in the revolt of 1820. On July 6, 1820 he led his forces into Naples and forced King Ferdinand I to agree to accept a new constitution. Within months, however, Pepe found himself facing an Austrian invading army sent to crush the Liberal movement. His attempt to block the Austrians at Rieti resulted in defeat and he was forced to flee into exile at London. In 1848, he returned home to command the Neapolitan troops against Austria. He attempted a gallant, but hopeless, defense of Venice in 1849. After this failure he retired from the army and took up residence in Paris for a short time. In 1851 he returned to Italy, where he spent his last four years, dying in Turin in 1855.