Garibaldi and His Enemies: The Clash of Arms and Personalities in the Making of Italy [ILLUSTRATED]

by Christopher Hibbert

1987

Genres: History, Biography, Italy, Nonfiction, European History, Biography Memoir, Italian Literature

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Christopher Hibbert, MC, FRSL, FRGS (5 March 1924 - 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian and biographer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.

Described by Professor Sir John Plumb as "a writer of the highest ability and in the New Statesman as "a pearl of biographers," he established himself as a leading popular historian/biographer whose works reflected meticulous scholarship.

Reviews

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christopher Hibbert's Garibaldi and His Enemies is an adequate account of Italy's Risorgimento, with heavy focus on Giuseppe Garibaldi's decades-long effort to create an Italy united and free from foreign control. Hibbert's skills as a narrative historian are put to the test: Italian unification was a messy process involving numerous wars, factions and foreign powers angling for power and influence, all spread out over decades. Whenever Hibbert focuses on Garibaldi he scores, capturing something of his unique personality and unflagging idealism. The rest of this volume may be rough-sledding for novices.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much stronger on the biographical side than the historical. The book is alive when writing directly about Garibaldi but fizzles at other times, particularly, at least for me, during the military history

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best histories of Garibaldi and the Thousand available in English. Hibbert writes well and I think his interpretation of events is measured but also sympathetic. He's more sympathetic ti Victor Emmanuel II than Denis Mack Smith was, more sympathetic to Garibaldi to than Thayer was, and less committed to Whig and Liberal ideology than Trevelyan was. The sections on military battles don't quite sparkle as much as the political parts of the book, but on the whole its one of the better books I've read on Garibaldi and the Risorgimento.

[Jack Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's kicked Gari

[Juan Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per me Garibaldi non era altro che una strada della città dove abbondano mariachi, feste e ubriachi.

Questo libro mi ha aiutato a conoscere Giuseppe Garibaldi, l'unificatore di un'Italia che, dopo essere stata un impero (Roma), non era altro che un gruppo di stati indipendenti in costante conflitto per molti anni.

Pensare che l’Italia che conosciamo oggi ha meno anni di esistenza del Messico.

[? · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Roma O Morte"

[Parker Samelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly good overview of Garibaldi and the process of Italian unification.

[Chris Corpora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent telling of the life and career of this amazing figure -- flaws and all. The right balance between documentation and narrative flow. A pleasure to read.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a biography it captures and reinforces the charisma of Garibaldi. As a history, especially a military history, it records his victories and losses but doesn't give much commentary on them. There is a good deal of primary sources and quotations.
I'm left wondering about how Garibaldi seems more lucky than skilled.

[Bob Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book - as usual, Hibbert has written such a readable account of Garibaldi's life and times, and it's a rollicking narrative. I had no idea that the unification if Italy was so intricately bound up with other events in Europe (Louis Napoleon, Franco-Prussian war, Austro-Hungarian empire etc etc). Fascinating.
But so little on the Garibaldi biscuit ?

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of his life in Italy and his work to unify Italy. Pretty sparse about his time in South America. Not a very complete biography of his life.

[Crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Narrative, however I wish more details were given regarding his Time in france and Brazil.