The Resilience and Resistance of the Bourbon Monarchy in the Kingdom of Naples (1799-1802)

This essay considers the impact of the traumatic events of the Neapolitan Revolution on the Bourbon monarchy in Naples, using unpublished memoirs by two noblemen who were privileged observers of their sovereigns’ behaviour and the mood of the courts in Naples and Palermo. In analysing the advice given to King Ferdinand IV and Queen Maria Carolina, it is possible to chart the queen’s tenacious opposition to the group at court linked to the minister John Acton, at least until her decision to leave for Vienna. The memoirists recorded their attitudes towards the key ministers, who suggested that the rulers implement not only forms of resistance in order to stabilize the restored throne, but also new political strategies to stem abuses of power, anarchy and summary justice. The lack of reform fuelled the alienation of the elites from the monarchy, especially as the resilience of some groups gradually turned into opposition to inadequate monarchy.