Francesco Crispi

His Excellency Francesco Crispi OSSA, OSML, OCI, OMS
Prime Minister of Italy
In office 15 December 1893 – 10 March 1896
Monarch	Umberto I
Preceded by	Giovanni Giolitti
Succeeded by	Antonio Starabba
In office 29 July 1887 – 6 February 1891
Monarch	Umberto I
Preceded by	Agostino Depretis
Succeeded by	Antonio Starabba
President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 26 November 1876 – 26 December 1877
Preceded by	Giuseppe Branchieri
Succeeded by	Benedetto Cairoli
Minister of the Interior
In office 15 December 1893 – 9 March 1896
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Giovanni Giolitti
Succeeded by	Antonio Starabba
In office 4 April 1887 – 6 February 1891
Prime Minister	Agostino Depretis Himself
Preceded by	Agostino Depretis
Succeeded by	Giovanni Nicotera
In office 26 December 1877 – 7 March 1878
Prime Minister	Agostino Depretis
Preceded by	Giovanni Nicotera
Succeeded by	Agostino Depretis
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 29 July 1887 – 6 February 1891
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Agostino Depretis
Succeeded by	Antonio Starabba
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 18 February 1861 – 2 March 1897
Constituency	Castelvetrano (1861–1870) Tricarico (1870–1880) Palermo (1880–1897)
Personal details
Born	(1818-10-04)4 October 1818 Ribera, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Died	11 August 1901(1901-08-11) (aged 82) Naples, Kingdom of Italy
Nationality	Italian
Political party	Historical Left (1848–1883; 1886–1901) Dissident Left (1883–1886)
Spouses	Rosina D'Angelo ​ ​ (m. 1837; died 1839)​ Rosalia Montmasson ​ ​ (m. 1854; div. 1878)​ Lina Barbagallo ​ (m. 1878)​
Relations	Giuseppe Crispi (Uncle)
Children	3
Parent	Tommaso Crispi (Father)
Alma mater	University of Palermo
Profession	Lawyer journalist

Francesco Crispi (4 October 1818 – 11 August 1901) was an Italian patriot and statesman. He was among the main protagonists of the Risorgimento, a close friend and supporter of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, and one of the architects of Italian unification in 1860.^[1] Crispi served as Prime Minister of Italy for six years, from 1887 to 1891, and again from 1893 to 1896, and was the first prime minister from Southern Italy. Crispi was internationally famous and often mentioned along with world statesmen such as Otto von Bismarck, William Ewart Gladstone, and Lord Salisbury.^[1]

Originally an Italian patriot and democrat liberal, Crispi went on to become a bellicose authoritarian prime minister and an ally and admirer of Bismarck. He was indefatigable in stirring up hostility toward France.^[2] His career ended amid controversy and failure: he got involved in a major banking scandal and fell from power in 1896 after the devastating loss of the Battle of Adwa, which repelled Italy's colonial ambitions over Ethiopia. Due to his authoritarian policies and style, Crispi is often regarded as a strongman and seen as a precursor of the Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.^[1][3]