The Kingdom of Naples 1806-1815
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Naples in the Napoleonic Realm
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More than two hundred years ago, the Apennine peninsula became embroiled in what became the first true attempt at Italian independence in history – the Neapolitan War. The conflict pitted the combined forces of Austria, Tuscany, Modena, Sicily, and Great Britain against the lone Kingdom of Naples, which itself remained the last bastion of Bonapartist power in Italy. In a desperate bid to maintain his throne in the face of foreign aggression, the flamboyant Neapolitan king Joachim Murat launched a daring campaign that would shake Italian society to the very core and set the stage for the famed events of the Risorgimento.
Yet to fully comprehend the motives and origins of the Austro-Neapolitan conflict, one must first understand the Kingdom of Naples: its history, its social and political influence, and its key figures. Founded in 1806 out of the wreckage of the Bourbon Kingdom of Naples, it was initially ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte’s older brother Joseph. His brief but effective reign would bring Napoleonic customs to Southern Italy and set the groundwork for a truly self-sufficient state.
When Joseph was made King of Spain by his brother in 1808, the throne of Naples was passed to one of Napoleon’s most trusted lieutenants: Joachim Murat. Under his guidance Naples would grow to become the dominant military and political presence in Southern Italy, achieving in less than a decade what the Bourbon monarchy could not accomplish in almost half a century.
As a client state, the Kingdom’s borders stretched across the entirety of Southern Italy, from the hills of Abruzzo to the clear shores of Calabria. Structured along the lines of the French government, Naples would prove to be invaluable to the Napoleonic Empire by forming its southernmost line of defence, keeping in check British forces in the region. The Kingdom would also supply a number of troops to serve in Napoleon’s campaigns, namely Spain (1808-1813), Tyrol (1809), Russia (1812) and Germany (1813). The largely raw Neapolitans would prove time and again their courage and tenacity in various engagements and would even receive the honour of escorting Napoleon himself on the retreat from Russia.
The Kingdom’s faith to the Bonapartist cause would waver in 1813, culminating in December 1813 when it mobilised forces to join the Austrians in fighting the Franco-Italians in Northern Italy. This caused a rift in Neapolitan society, with many trusted and experienced administrators and officers of French birth leaving their posts in order not to serve against their homeland. This would prove an immense handicap to the Neapolitan state when it eventually descended into war with Austria in early 1815.
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Joseph Bonaparte's Reign
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The entrance of Joseph Bonaparte into Naples at the head of the French Armée de Naples on February 15th, 1806, marked the beginning of a new era in the far-flung southern corners of Italy. Following the atrocities of the counter-revolution in 1799, the entrance of the enlightened Bonapartist ruler to the capital years later was accepted generally well by the middle and upper classes, and even the troublesome lazzaroni remained quiet on this occasion. Notwithstanding the protests of the clergy, Joseph assumed his official role as King and head of state on the 30th of March by decree of his younger brother, the Emperor. With Joseph’s arrival to Naples also came a tidal wave of French military and civil officials, seeking to enrich themselves on the vast amounts of material wealth in the country.
Fortunately for Joseph, he was not completely alone in the task of reforming and reshaping the old and conservative structure of the Neapolitan Kingdom; on his side presented themselves many capable men, veterans of the French Revolution like Saliceti, Roederer, Dumas and Miot, and insiders to Neapolitan politics such as the Duke di Gallo or Michele Cianciulli who proved themselves ready to set in motion the cogs of reform to an enthusiastic population. While strained under the effort of upkeeping the French troops in the area, the new government soon began to form in a clear way.
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Joachim Murat's Kingdom
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The Army of the Kingdom of Naples was the most active component of the Kingdom’s Armed Forces. Organised along French lines, it was founded in February 1806 from volunteers and the wreckage of the army of the Bourbon Kingdom of Naples.
As a modern force, it was compromised of various regiments of infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers, quite literally organised as replicas of their French counterparts within the Grande Armée. At its peak size in 1815, the Neapolitan army had a total (on-paper) strength of 94,463 men split into 35 regiments and numerous smaller units.
The army consisted of four main “branches”: the Royal Guard, the troops of the Line, the technical troops, and the troops of the interior.
It was almost completely shaped and modelled to mirror the French armed forces, save for the interior troops.
Under the terms of the Treaty of Bayonne, Naples was obliged to supply the Grande Armée with 16,000 infantry, 2,500 light cavalry, and twenty pieces of field artillery; these goals were never met in full, although the Army itself far exceeded this number by 1810.
In 1815, over 70% of the regular army was composed of infantry, three fifths of which were from the line regiments. The cavalry composed around 11%, the split between Guard and Line being relatively even; the remainder of the army was composed of the technical troops (artillery, engineers, and train). This meant that the overall ratio of infantry to cavalry within the army was 6:1, almost double that of the French Army at Waterloo.
Neapolitan troops would serve for many years across various theatres, including in home territory against insurgents and British landings, and in foreign lands such as Spain, Russia, and Germany, albeit with a minor role. In Calabria, the Neapolitans played a crucial role in maintaining the Napoleonic Empire’s southern border in the face of continuous naval landings. Upon Murat’s change of allegiance, the Army fought with little distinction against their old allies in Northern Italy; Neapolitan honour would fortunately be redeemed a year later in the brave but ultimately disastrous Neapolitan War.
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