Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

An Italian who came to Australia in 1852 to seek his fortune in the goldfields, Raffaello Carboni quickly became involved in the disputes that led to the Eureka Uprising of December 1854. Carboni later wrote an account of the uprising – the only book by a major participant – ensuring his place in the story of the largest civil disturbance in Australia up until that time and an event that was reported in newspapers all over the world. Raffaello Carboni was born on December 15, 1817 in the city of Urbino in central Italy. His parents were Biagio Carboni, a shopkeeper, and Catterina Girolama (née Fioravanti). Carboni was 3 years old when the French withdrew from Urbino, and when he was 13 the city took part in a rebellion against the election of Pope Gregory XVI – an uprising crushed by Austrian soldiers. He attended the College of Nobles and the University of Urbino, but did not graduate. Moving to Rome in 1839, Carboni was soon in trouble for speaking out against Pope Gregory XVI and was jailed on suspicion of working with French republicans. Shortly after his release he began studying English with the vice-rector of the English College in Rome. He rapidly became disillusioned with the election of Pope Pius IX, who turned out to be much more conservative than had been expected. Carboni then served as a colonel in Garibaldi's army, being wounded three times in the 1849 Roman campaign. ... log in or subscribe to read full text