Garo's Novella

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Garo Hartounian Period 1 Modern European History,

Mr. Knaus

Historical Novella, ranging 1815-1915

The Assassin of Italia



5 Historical Characters:

1) Giuseppe Mazzini

2) Giuseppe Garibaldi

3) Victor Emmanuel II

4) Camillo Benso (Count Cavour)

5) Napoleon III of France

5 Historical Events:

1) 1814 - Napoleon abdicated his throne and Italy was broken up into smallkingdoms

2) 1820s-1850s Small revolutions in the kingdoms - Venice, Rome and

Tuscany declare themselves Republics3) 1849 - Austria regains control of most of Italy

4) 1959 - Austria is defeated and driven out of Italy with the help of Napoleon III and France

5) 1860 - Northern Italy was joined to the Kingdom of Sardinia

6) 1861 - The Kingdom of Italy was formed under the leadership of GiuseppeGaribaldi and Victor Emmanuel II was crowned king

7) 1912 - Italy defeats the Ottoman Empire in the Italo-Turkish war

8) 1914 - Eve of World War I

3 Economic/Social/Political Trends:

1) Developing Nationalism (by the members Italian society)

2) Imperial Military Expansion (not only by the Austrian Empire into Italy butby Italy itself into Libya)

3) Political cooperation and unity to form one Italian nation (VictorEmmanuel's crowning as king of Italy)

3 Works of Art:

1) Basilica di San Saturnino in Cagliari, Sardinia

2) Doge's Palace designed by Filippo Calendario- architectural form of art inVenice



3) Apotheosis of Venice (oil on canvas) by Paolo Veronese in the Doge'sPalace

Chapter 1 -

"I still can't believe it," murmured one signore to his companion as

he flipped through the newspaper over his morning coffee in the quaint

Venetian cafe.

"What? You thought he would last forever? That his power had no

boundaries?" his friend replied back.

"It seemed so, he was such a great force. It seemed as if all of

Europe was already in the palm of his hand, and all he had to do was

close it into a fist for it all to be his."

" Amico mio, no man is omnipotent, no man can play God. He was

bound to fall. It was only a matter of time until his pride and arrogance

caught up with him."

At his friend's response, the signore sighed deeply. "I suppose so... I

guess I should be happy now that Italia is no longer in danger of being

engulfed by that French empire."

"Buono! That's the side of it from which you should be looking. But

enough of this, we will be late for work if we don't leave soon."



The two men finished their coffee, left their payment on the table,

stood up and left.

A few tables behind where the pair had just been seated was a

young man in his teens who couldn't help but be affected by overhearing

the recent conversation. He got up and slowly walked over to the

vacated table. One of men had left his paper behind with the front facing

up. Dated 1814, its headline read "Napoleon Cade!". Angelo Salvatore

picked it up and skimmed the cover story; he couldn't help but sense a

storm looming on the horizon for Italia.

~~~~~~~~~~

The work of Angelo Salvatore was not a business that could be

openly advertised. It was not something one could go to a regular school

to learn, or easily train one's self in. His trade was something that must

always be kept highly discreet, and to be carried out in not only most

efficient, but also the most covert manner. To the knowledge of those

who only needed to know, Signore Salvatore specialized in the trade of

taking lives.

It was his father's work before him, his father's father's work before

that and so on. The Salvatore family had a long lineage of assassins that

dated back to the days of the Holy Roman Empire. At a young age Angelo

was trained by his father in the physical aspects of assassination as well



as the philosophy behind the lifestyle, where it was ingrained into him

that innocents must never be harmed, and only those people who have

become corrupted to the point of taking, endangering, or harming the

lives of the innocent must be silently removed from this world.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was not so difficult infiltrating the compound. One would think the

Austrian army would take better precautions to guard their officers.

"Perhaps they are becoming overconfident," thought Angelo as he scaled

the far wall of the house in which a prominent Austrian colonel was

staying the night. It was a job he was discreetly hired to carry out by the

Carbonari, a secret association with bold political goals. Put simply, it was

the Carbonari's desire to see a unified Italia under fair terms and one flag.

Angelo was sure there was more to it, but that was all he was told for the

moment.

After passing and peering into many windows, he reached one

through which he could confirm a visual of his target. He had learned all

too well that the colonel was a wicked man that had taken many innocent

lives and stood to take many more with no intention of stopping.

Angelo ever-so-silently opened the window and stepped into the

room. His padded shoes made it so it was practically impossible for any

man to hear his footsteps as he made his way to the colonel's bedside. Of



course there were patrols he had to evade and obstacles to overcome,

but it still seemed too easy.

As he stood less than a meter from his target, he suddenly felt

pangs of guilt and doubt. Who was he to take this man's life? Had he

personally seen every transgression of this man? But as soon as the guilt

came it left his mind. His father's teachings kicked in, he had read the

reports, personally seen other brutality carried out by the Austrian army.

He realized the power to save many lives by taking this corrupt one lied in

grasp, and he would be a fool to waste this opportunity.

He extended his hidden blade and plunged it into the colonel's

heart. The colonel's eyes shot wide open and his body jerked, but only for

a moment; it soon went limp as his life on earth was ended.

"Riposi in pace," he incited as he brushed his fingers over his

victim's eyes in order to close them. It was all part of the last rites he was

taught to offer his victims, so that their deaths were not dishonorable and

so that they might find peace.

Angelo left as quietly as he had come. He would be long gone

before the Austrians even discovered his deed.

Chapter 2 -

Angelo quietly sat in the office and waited for his employer to come

meet him. He looked around the small, dimly lit room and saw it was kept



surprisingly plain. It was his guess that this Carbonari member and his

associates changed their headquarters often in an attempt to escape the

prosecution most Italian states threw their way. In these early 1800's, the

scattered Italian states in power seemed to enjoy their autonomy and had

no wish for unification. Not even close to every Italian had similar wishes

though, especially those men willing to risk their lives in underground

associations such as the Carbonari to see their whole nation unified.

On that thought, he heard someone walking towards the door of the

office, his employer no doubt. The door was opened and in walked the

man he'd been waiting for.

"Ah, Angelo, it is so good to see you," he said.

Angelo stood to meet him and shook his hand.

"Likewise, amico mio. In these hectic times I barely do anymore,

Giuseppe."

"All too true, but we do good work. There will be time enough for

friendship once Italia is united under a single flag," Giuseppe replied.

"Understood my brother, may it be as you wish."

Giuseppe Mazzini was no small-time revolutionary. He was a gifted

leader with a strong, patriotic heart. He hated to see the individual

autonomous Italian states remaining in power, refusing to unite over



things as simple as greed and foolish pride. If that separation wasn't

enough to plague his mind, the presence and danger to Italia offered by

the Austrians burdened him even more. Angelo could clearly notice the

premature lines as well as grey, thinning hairs Giuseppe was

accumulating.

Giuseppe went over to a small cabinet, opened it and procured a

bottle of red wine with three glasses and proceeded to uncork the bottle.

Angelo glanced over and took note of the third glass.

"Will someone be joining us, Giuseppe?"

"Ever the observant one, Angelo. Yes, I want you meet someone

today. He is new to join our cause, but I see great potential in him. There

is a certain fire in his eyes when it comes to the well being of Italia."

As Giuseppe handed Angelo a glass of wine, Angelo heard another's

footsteps approaching the door. Soon it enough it was suddenly thrown

wide open, revealing an impressive man in uniform and a full beard. His

sword was strapped to his side and he seemed to be able to lead a great

deal of men into battle on a moment's notice.

" Buongiorno, Signore Garibaldi. Angelo, I would like you to meet

Giuseppe Garibaldi, a new and very promising member of our

organization," Mazzini said.



Angelo extended his hand to Garibaldi, who grabbed it and shook

with impressive vigor.

"Piacere," Angelo said in slight surprise at the man's enthusiasm

and strength.

" Piacere, piacere, my brother. It is always good to meet any man

dedicated to our cause," Garibaldi replied.

Angelo looked Garibaldi over. He had definitely heard of the man

before. He'd heard Garibaldi was a talented, inspirational military leader,

who led his own personal band of soldiers called the Red Shirts. This was

a man worth keeping an eye on, and certainly not a man to be trifled

with.

After Angelo and Garibaldi had been acquainted, Mazzini urged

them both to have a seat on the modest chairs present in the office.

Angelo could sense that his friend and employer was about to tell them

something very important.

Mazzini cleared his throat just as everyone was seated and began,

"I've called the two of you here today to discuss something of the utmost

importance to our cause. The Austrian occupation of Italia is becoming

more prominent. It's a very troubling matter. The fact that our provinces

are vying for independence in this dire hour where unity is what we need

to drive the invaders out does not help at all. Tuscany, Rome and Venice



have already declared themselves independent republics. My brothers,

we have no time for rest or leisure in the coming years. We must fight

tooth and nail to see our country stand united and free."

Chapter 3 -

Mazzini wasn't lying when he said the coming years would be rough.

In the few decades following 1820, Italia had been thrown into chaotic

turmoil. Angelo had worked harder than he ever thought possible. The

number of lives he took and the amount of blood he spilled “for Italia”

were nothing short of staggering. He was assigned by the nationalists to

kill key figures in no small number. His targets included everything from

Austrian military officials to even Italian politicians that served to oppose

national unity and fight for the continued existence of their segmented

city-state. He blatantly had to refuse a good number of contracts though

due to the innocence of some of his potential targets; many were overall

good men who were merely fighting for what they truly believed in and

had themselves not acted in a corrupted fashion and harmed innocents.

This sometimes angered his superiors, but his set of skills were too

valuable to pass up, and there was no shortage of bad men to be killed as

his consecutive assigning of alternative targets demonstrated. He killed

and he killed, with each swift motion of his blade pushing the scale in

favor of a united Italy, free of the oppressive, invading Austrian presence.

In his campaign Angelo seemed to have visited every corner of Italy,



including Rome, Sicily, Venice, Florence, and most importantly, Sardinia.

Oh, Sardinia. There was no doubting Sardinia was special. Out of all the

Italian provinces, it held the greatest sense of leadership and drive for

national unity, primarily emanating from the source of two great men:

King Victor Emmanuel II, and Camillo Benso, also known as the Count of

Cavour. He still vividly remembered the day he met Victor and Camillo...

"Who better than an assassin to protect against assassination?"

Angelo thought to himself as he made his way through the streets of

Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, to the disclosed rendezvous point. His

assignment was to be a personal bodyguard to King Victor Emmanuel II

and his prime minister, Camillo Benso. The two leaders were scheduled to

march around Cagliari, rally the inhabits, then return back to the city

center where King Emmanuel II was to deliver a speech to the capital of

his province to try and sway them in favor of a united Italia under one

flag. The king was fairly popular with his people, but Angelo's superiors

feared that there would be opposition at the speech, Italians or even

foreign agents who did not wish to see Italia united. Victor Emmanuel was

the prime candidate to rule a united Italian nation, and if he or even his

prime minister were killed, a great blow would be dealt to the unification

effort. Thoughts racing through his mind, Angelo arrived at the

rendezvous point ahead of schedule. He glanced around the square, and

saw nothing but ordinary people tending to their everyday lives.



However, something to the south of the city center caught his eye: it was

none other than the Basilica di San Saturnino. It looked like an ancient

but powerful building as Angelo made his way to read the cornerstone. It

was built in the 5th Century, its Baroque facade, ancient columns,

sculpted parts serving as a true piece of architectural art. In the midst of

his appreciation, Angelo tilted his head upward and noticed the time on

the clock of an adjoining building; there were only a few minutes left until

the rendezvous. He rushed over to the palace doors just in time to meet

Emmanuel and Benso exit the palace with their honor guard. The king

heartily greeted him and shook his hand as he introduced himself and his

advisor, and then asked Angelo for his name.

"My name is Angelo Salvatore, my king, and know that I will do

nothing less than my best to protect you and your honorable prime

minister today."

The King gave a deep, lively laugh and said, "Ah, Angelo, your

dedication and desire to assure my safety is appreciated, but I don't even

think it will be necessary!"

"Regardless, my king, one can never be too prepared," Angelo

answered.

"Perhaps, amico mio. But come, the people wait for us."



And so they began their procession around the city, the king and

prime minister waving to the people from their mounts, the honor guards

forming a tight perimeter around the two, and Angelo vigilantly scanning

the crowds for any source of danger.

They circled the city and returned back to the center with no

problems, and after being introduced by the Count of Cavour, King

Emmanuel delivered his speech. It was nothing short of empowering and

inspirational, drawing roars of applause from the audience.

As Angelo continued to scan the crowds, he did not neglect to lend

an ear to the King's words. He had a strong feeling that this man was fit

to unite and rule Italia.

Chapter 4 -

The years leading to the 19th Century's mid-point were rough for

Italia, to say the least. Austria continued to push for domination of Italy,

and they managed to maintain a steady streak of success until 1849, at

which point they gained nearly full-control of the Italian lands. Needless to

say, there was a fierce sense of opposition among the Italian people once

a foreign power seized control of the lands their ancestors had inhabited

for countless generations. The resistance attempts flared up, and Italians

took up arms all across the land, calling one another brother and realizing

the strength to oust Austria could be found in unity. With the combined



efforts of key figures like Garibaldi with his personal militia, King Victor

Emmanuel II of Sardinia, and especially the swift blade of a certain

shadowy assassin, the Austrians' power fell into a decline throughout the

decade following the very year they seemed to be in their prime. It was

exactly ten years after Austria's triumph in 1849 that it was badly

defeated by the combined forces of France and Sardinia at the Battle of

Solferino, a battle Angelo had personally participated in. It was there he

was able to witness first-hand the political and military talents of King

Emmanuel II in his cooperation with the leader of the French forces,

Napoleon III. Seeing Napoleon first-hand was almost eerie, as Angelo,

along with all of Europe, was nowhere close to forgetting the legacy of the

first Napoleon. But this Napoleon seemed different. As he had silently

watched and listened to King Emmanuel sit and discuss political dealings

as well as military strategy with that ruler of France, he noticed a certain

grace about him. There was certainly not as much sheer power exuding

from Napoleon III as there was from his predecessor, but he seemed like a

respectable man who was truly capable of successfully leading the nation

of France justly into prosperity. After all, he had also been of great aid to

Italia in expelling the Austrian occupation of its land so that in the few

coming years the Italian provinces could be successfully joined together

and Victor Emmanuel II crowned king of the entire nation. It seemed the

calm after the storm had arrived, and things fell relatively quiet in Italia.



~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was beating down on the city of Venice as Angelo browsed

through the marketplace for groceries. At this point he was middle-aged

and officially retired from his work; he would never again pick up his

blade unless absolutely necessary. He filled his shopping bag with large,

golden apples from a stand as he mused about the almost-unsettling

peace that his life was now encompassed by. At the same time, he

couldn't help but feel robbed, robbed of time and of life as he gave

himself so dedicatedly to his work throughout his life. He turned around,

making his way over to the vender to pay when a woman behind him did

the same and crashed into him, causing his apples to spill all over the

floor.

"I.. I'm so sorry signore, me dispiace," she frantically said and she

bent down to gather the apples before Angelo could even catch a glimpse

of her face.

"Don't worry, non ti preoccupare. It's quite alri..." Angelo began, but

in the same instance the woman raised her face to meet his, leaving him

speechless. She was probably the most beautiful woman Angelo had ever

seen in his life. They locked gazes for at least a few minutes, but it felt

like hours.



He had to know this woman, somehow become a part of her life. He

reached out and took her delicate hand, raising it to his lips, and gently

pressed his lips to her smooth skin.

"My name is Angelo, Angelo Salvatore. Might you be so kind as to

let me know yours?"

The woman's face turned a shade of pink as she blushed lightly at

Angelo's introduction.

"Well aren't you the gentleman? My name is Maria, Angelo, and it a

great pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is entirely mine," Angelo replied. "Tell me Maria,

would you be interested in spending the evening with me? We can call it a

date."

Maria's blush deepened as she seemed to be considering the offer.

"Nothing would please me more, I am yours for the evening,

Angelo."

~~~~~~~~~~

Linked arm in arm, the couple gradually walked through Venice,

engaged in genuine conversation, and laughing merrily with one another.

Angelo treated his date to dinner and after their meal Angelo decided to

visit the Doge's Palace with Maria.



"It gets more beautiful every time I look at it," sighed Maria as they

arrived at the palace via gondola and docked. Angelo paid the boatman

and the two stepped off to stand in front of the structure. It stretched

magnificently from side to side, with beautifully carved columns

embedded with crosses all the way through the width. After a few

minutes, Angelo and Maria entered the palace, now converted into a

museum of sorts, to admire the artwork on display. There were many

great pieces on display, but Maria found one in particular to be

outstanding, and led Angelo over to it.

"This is one of my favorite pieces, Angelo, the Apotheosis of Venice,

painted by Paolo Veronese. Do you see the various horizontal levels of

people present, and how angels are the top-most level in heaven while

the brutal soldiers and horses of war are at the lowest level?"

Angelo nodded, impressed by Maria's familiarity and insight with

art. Following this, the couple strolled around for some time more, until

Maria let a yawn slip.

"You are tired, Maria. Allow me to take you home."

"I.. no, it's fine, I.." started Maria, but she was interrupted by

another yawn.

"Come, my dear, this night is certainly not the last we'll spend

together, Angelo assured.



Chapter 5 -

The two were made for each other. Their love for one another was

remarkable, and they were never satisfied with the amount of time they

could spend together. Their marriage was inevitable, and in time they

produced two twin baby boys together: Marco and Lucio. Angelo was

extremely happy with the birth of his sons, but with them came the

obligation of his continuation of the family tradition. All firstborn Salvatore

males were required to be trained in the art of just assassination that had

been passed down for countless generations, and in this unique case

Angelo had two to train.

~~~~~~~~~~

The boys grew quickly. They were energetic and full of life, as well

as highly intelligent and clever. A mischievous pair, but that was only a

side effect of their inborn cunningness. They were eager to learn, and

looked up to their father like he was their hero. They played along

exceptionally when Angelo began to personally train them every evening

after dinner, not informing them of the true nature behind the training,

but just physically conditioning them and preparing their bodies for the

extraordinary tasks they would eventually have to undertake. It was on

their eighteenth birthday that Angelo entrusted them with the assassin's

code and purpose, and the boys accepted it with open arms.



However, as excited as they were to become genuine assassins,

their joy was short-lived. Their father, having lived a full life and content

at fulfilling his purpose, passed away of old age before they were even

20; their mother followed closely after due to her overwhelming

heartbreak. The boys were devastated, but they still each other.

Searching for purpose in their lives, they contacted covert ops

organizations of the new Italian government and became agents

dedicated to serving their nation.

~~~~~~~~~~

Marco and Lucio were extremely talented and valuable to their

government. They were favorites of their superiors, ruthlessly efficient in

their assigned tasks; often they were called the "silent army of two".

It was only natural that their talents were in constant demand as

tensions between Italia and the Ottoman Empire were climbing from the

late 19th Century into the early 20th over expansion into Libya. Whether

it was an unstable member of the native resistance who stood to harm

Italy's interests as well as innocents in the area, or Ottoman officials with

the same goals in mind, the Salvatore brothers were very good at making

such problems disappear.

Though regardless of their talents, there was only so much two men

could do. The conflict between Italy and the Ottomans eventually



escalated into a full-scale war in 1911, the Italo-Turkish war, that lasted

over a full year. Italy however, with all its 'assets', came out on top,

seizing the provinces in northern Africa that were under Ottoman control.

After the Italian victory in Africa though, it was very difficult to enjoy

the momentary peace, especially for the Salvatore brothers who were

sent out to Great Britain, France, and even Italy's former enemy, Austria,

in order to spy and gather national intelligence. They picked up on

significant continental tensions, but it was in Austria where the two

definitely felt the greatest amount.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their assigned city was Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-

Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their task was relatively

simple: to keep an ear out while mingling in with the people for any

valuable intelligence that could hold any form of importance on the

national level.

They were seated at a cafe on the outskirts of the city where reports

had indicated activity of a Serbian underground terrorist organization

called a Black Hand. Tensions were already dangerously high between the

different ethnicities in the Austro-Hungarian empire, and it seemed like

this organization was one to be watched carefully as it posed a threat to

the peace in Europe.



The two brothers were having some coffee and pretending to read

their newspapers when a band of sketchy-looking men barged into the

cafe to have a seat a few tables over.

It was clear they were angry about something as demonstrated by

their violent boy language and growling voices.

One of them was especially loud, "These dirty Austrians think they

can oppress our people and suppress our culture?! Do they think we'll be

quieted so easily?! Huh!"

The other men in the group barked loudly in agreement with their

comrade.

Marco and Lucio exchanged glances. They didn't need to exchange

words to realize the feeling that they each felt if such tensions existed in

a nation that could potentially throw all of Europe into war. They couldn't

help but sense that a storm was looming on the horizon for Italia.

Garo's Novella

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