“Giuseppe enlisted in Albiate’s National Guard in September 1859, becoming second lieutenant in 1860; transferred to Imola with the battalion of the Monza Guard, he remained there until January of the following year, returning already tired from lack of commitment to business.” (CAPROTTI, Le Ossa dei Caprotti, p. 23).
Back home as a young man, Beppo should, like everyone else, spend at least a couple of years of his life under arms (Austrian, since Lombardy was still imperialregia). But rather than let him waste his time away from those pressing affairs, his father shelled out no less than 1,500 florins, a not inconsiderable sum, to obtain his exemption from service. But 1859 arrives, the year that marks the detachment of Lombardy from Austria and its union with the Kingdom of Sardinia; enthusiasm is sky-high, and Beppo enlists in the National Guard (a legacy of 1848, extended to the entire Italian territory by law in 1861, completely detached from the army, under the orders of the civil authorities. Its tasks consisted of maintaining internal order and, if necessary, concurring with the army in the defence of borders). However, this was not to be a lasting enthusiasm; the lure of business was ever stronger, and after a few months he was called back to Albiate to his full satisfaction. Carlo too, when his time came, obtained his exemption and threw himself into the heroics of the Risorgimento, but then abandoned them without too much regret in order to devote himself, too, to the company, ‘which they provided to expand more and more by launching a capillary mechanisation project‘(Ibid., p. 23).
Sources:
Albiate (MB), Villa San Valerio, Villa San Valerio Archives, Giuseppe Caprotti Archives, Giuseppe Caprotti Archives (1837-1895).
Florence, Claudio Caprotti Archives.
Bibliography:
G. CAPROTTI, “Le Ossa dei Caprotti. Una storia italiana’, Milan, 2024/3.
R. ROMANO, “I Caprotti. L’avventura economica e umana di una dinastia industriale della Brianza”, Milan, 1980.
A. CAFLISCH, “Die ersten hundert Jahre”, in “Horgner Jahrheft 1988. 150 Jahre Oberstufe’, pp. 3-10; p. 4.
G. CAPROTTI, ‘The Caprottis and relatives: the formidable Aunt Virginia, sister of great-great-grandfather Giuseppe‘, 26/10/2024.
E. SÀITA, ‘The Caprottis: private aspects, from the Risorgimento to the Second World War‘, 08/11/2022.
EAD., “La ‘Guardia Nazionale di Albiate’. Documents from the Caprotti Archive, in “Sagra di San Fermo”, review of the event, 2006, pp. 18-19.
