Tommaso Aniello, better known as Masaniello. A man who inspired fear in the hearts of oppressors for three hundred years. A man who stood for liberty, equality, and justice for all.
Gentlemen, don't feel bad that you have never heard of this guy. I read about him in one of Flannery's college history text books.
In 1647, he led a revolt of the common people against the wealthy after another crippling tax was put on fruit which was the food of the poor. Mansaniello was a poor fisherman and had never been a leader of anything but he stood in the market and railed against the wealthy for bleeding the poor of their last few coppers. The crowd listened and they ejected the wealthy from their homes and distributed the wealth evenly. Troops arrived to quell the rebellion, but they drove them back and set up their own government where everyone had a say, and everyone had a share. They kept it going long enough that the powers that be repealed all of the taxes and caved in to their demands of better treatment. Often the mob would seek to kill the wealthy and the tax collecters, but Mansaniello alway had them stay their hand and he ruled with compassion. When it was over he went back to being a fisherman.
From there on out, whenever the poor or the enslaved wanted to scare the wealthy, they invoked the name of Mansaniello.
I need a link to this dood, apparently: at first I thought it was supposed to be Johnny Appleseed in a strange pose!
ReplyDeleteSheesh. I need to go to bed.
And once again, my small town public school education fails me...
ReplyDeleteGentlemen, don't feel bad that you have never heard of this guy. I read about him in one of Flannery's college history text books.
ReplyDeleteIn 1647, he led a revolt of the common people against the wealthy after another crippling tax was put on fruit which was the food of the poor. Mansaniello was a poor fisherman and had never been a leader of anything but he stood in the market and railed against the wealthy for bleeding the poor of their last few coppers. The crowd listened and they ejected the wealthy from their homes and distributed the wealth evenly. Troops arrived to quell the rebellion, but they drove them back and set up their own government where everyone had a say, and everyone had a share. They kept it going long enough that the powers that be repealed all of the taxes and caved in to their demands of better treatment. Often the mob would seek to kill the wealthy and the tax collecters, but Mansaniello alway had them stay their hand and he ruled with compassion. When it was over he went back to being a fisherman.
From there on out, whenever the poor or the enslaved wanted to scare the wealthy, they invoked the name of Mansaniello.
I just thought it was a cool story.
Doc
Cap'n- Click on his name.
ReplyDeleteDoc