10 EURO SILVER COIN PROOF SANTORRE DI SANTAROSA

Περιγραφή

Count Santarosa (Santorre di Santarosa, 1783–1825) was a military officer and politician from Piedmont (Piemonte), Italy, with a rich record of patriotic action and participation in many battles against Napoleon. A fervent supporter of the unification of Italy and inspired by democratic and liberal ideals that brought him into conflict with authoritarian regimes, he became associated with the Carbonari and in 1821 played a leading role in a revolutionary movement in Piedmont, with the main demand being the granting of a constitution. After the failure of the movement, he was arrested and managed to escape, eventually reaching Great Britain, where he came into contact with the Philhellenic Committee of London. Enthusiastic about the struggle of the Greeks, he decided to come to Greece in 1824 and joined the Greek army as a simple soldier under the pseudonym Derossi. In 1825, Santarosa took part in the campaign against Ibrahim at Pylos, and on May 7 he landed on the island of Sphacteria. In the battle that followed the next day, Santarosa, fighting heroically, was killed along with many other fighters.