Saffi, Aurelio

Born Oct. 13, 1819, in Forli; died Apr. 10, 1890, in San Varano, near Forli. Italian revolutionary democrat.

Like many Italian democrats, Saffi supported Pope Pius IX enthusiastically for a brief period in 1846; however, he soon afterward became a Mazzinian. Having served as a member of the Roman Constituent Assembly, in 1849 he assumed the post of minister of internal affairs of the Roman Republic on Feb. 15, 1849, and on March 29 became one of the republic’s triumvirs, along with G. Mazzini and C. Armellini. After the collapse of the republic, he was exiled.

Saffi was a close friend of Mazzini and participated in his conspiracies, notably in the preparation of the Milan Uprising of 1853. He returned to Italy in 1860, during the Revolution of 1859–60, and in 1861 was elected to the Italian parliament. He resigned from parliament in 1863, when a detachment led by G. Garibaldi failed to liberate Rome from papal authority and was dispersed at Aspromonte by the royal army. From 1864 to 1866, Saffi lived in England. In 1867 he returned to his homeland, where he conducted historical research and taught at the University of Bologna. Saffi published Mazzini’s works after Mazzini’s death in 1872.