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 Austrians advanced on Naples, when Ferdinand IV. was duly restored, while Queen Caroline and her children were deported to Trieste.

Murat himself escaped to France, where his offer of service was contemptuously refused by Napoleon. He hid for a while near Toulon, with a price upon his head; then, after Waterloo, refusing an asylum in England, he set out for Corsica (August). Here he was joined by a few rash spirits who urged him to attempt to recover his kingdom. Though Metternich offered to allow him to join his wife at Trieste and to secure him a dignified position and a pension, he preferred to risk all on a final throw for power. On the 28th of, September he sailed for Calabria with a flotilla of six vessels carrying some 250 armed men. Four of his ships were scattered by a storm; one deserted him at the last moment, and on the 8th of October he landed at Pizzo with only 30 companions. Of the popular enthusiasm for his cause which he had been led to expect there was less than no sign, and after a short and unequal contest he was taken prisoner by a captain named Trenta-Capilli, whose brother had been executed by General Manhes. He was imprisoned in the fort of Pizzo, and on the 13th of October 1815 was tried by court-martial, under a law of his own, for disturbing the public peace, and was sentenced to be shot in half an hour. After writing a touching letter of farewell to his wife and children, he bravely met his fate, and was buried at Pizzo.

Though much good may be said of Murat as a king sincerely anxious for the welfare of his adopted country, his most abiding title to fame is that of the most dashing cavalry leader of the age. As a man he was rash, hot-tempered and impetuously brave; he was adored by his troopers who followed their idol, the “golden eagle,” into the most terrible fire and against the most terrible odds. Napoleon lived to regret his refusal to accept his services during the Hundred Days, declaring that Murat’s presence at Waterloo would have given more concentrated power to the cavalry charges and might possibly have changed defeat into victory.

By his wife Maria Annunciata Carolina Murat had two sons. The elder, (1801–1847) during his father’s reign prince royal of the Two Sicilies, emigrated about 1821 to America, and settled near Tallahassee, Florida, where in 1826–1838 he was postmaster. In 1826 he married a great-niece of Washington. He published Lettres d’un citoyen des États-Unis à un de ses amis d’Europe (Paris, 1830); Esquisse morale et politique des États-Unis (ibid. 1832); and Exposition des principes du gouvernement républicain tel qu’il a été perfectionné en Amérique (ibid. 1833). He died in Florida on-the 15th of April 1847.

The second son, (1803–1878), who was created prince of Ponte Corvo in 1813, lived with his mother in Austria after 1815, and in 1824 started to join his brother in America, but was shipwrecked on the coast of Spain and held for a while a prisoner. Arriving in 1825, two years later he married in Baltimore a rich American, Georgina Frazer (d. 1879); but her fortune was lost, and for some years his wife supported herself and him by keeping a girls’ school. After several abortive attempts to return to France, the revolution of 1848 at last gave him his opportunity. He was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly and of the Legislative Assembly (1849), was minister plenipotentiary at Turin from October 1849 to March 1850, and after the coup d’état of the 2nd of December 1851 was made a member of the consultative commission. On the proclamation of the Empire, he was recognized by Napoleon III. as a prince of the blood royal, with the title of Prince Murat, and, in addition to the payment of 2,000,000 fr. of debts, was given an income of 150,000 fr. As a member of the Senate he distinguished himself in 1861 by supporting the temporal power of the pope, but otherwise he played no conspicuous part. The fall of the Empire in September 1870 involved his retirement into private life. He died on the 10th of April 1878, leaving three sons and two daughters. (1) Joachim, Prince Murat (1834–1901), in 1854 married Maley Berthier, daughter of the Prince de Wagram, who bore him a son, Joachim (b. 1856), who succeeded him as head of the family, and two daughters, of whom the younger, Anna (b. 1863), became the wife of the Austrian minister Count Goluchowski. (2) Achille (1847–1895), married Princess Dadian of Mingrelia. (3) Louis (b. 1851), married in 1873 to the widowed Princess Eudoxia Orbeliani (née Somov), was for a time orderly officer to Charles XV. of Sweden. (4) Caroline (b. 1832), married in 1850 Baron Charles de Chassiron and in 1872 Mr John Garden (d. 1885). (5) Anna (b. 1841), married in 1865 Antoine de Noailles, duc de Mouchy.

MURATORI, LUDOVICO ANTONIO (1672–1730), Italian scholar, historian and antiquary, was born of poor parents at Vignola in the duchy of Modena on the 21st of October 1672. While young he attracted the attention of Father Bacchini, the librarian of the duke of Modena, by whom his literary tastes were turned toward historical and antiquarian research. Having taken minor orders in 1688, Muratori proceeded to his degree of doctor in utroque jure before 1694, was ordained priest in 1695 and appointed by Count Carlo Borromeo one of the doctors of the Ambrosian library at Milan. From manuscripts now placed under his charge he made a selection of materials for several volumes (Anecdota), which he published with notes. The reputation he acquired was such that the duke of Modena offered him the situation of keeper of the public archives of the duchy. Muratori hesitated, until the offer of the additional post of librarian, on the resignation of Father Bacchini, determined him in 1700 to return to Modena. The preparation of numerous valuable tracts on the history of Italy during the middle ages, and of dissertations and discussions on obscure points of historical and antiquarian interest, as well as the publication of his various philosophical, theological, legal, poetical and other works absorbed the greater part of his time. These brought him into communication with the most distinguished scholars of Italy, France and Germany. But they also exposed him in his later years to envy. His enemies spread abroad the rumour that the pope, Benedict XIV., had discovered in his writings passages savouring of heresy, even of atheism. Muratori appealed to the pope, repudiating the accusation. His Holiness assured him of his protection, and, without expressing his approbation of the opinions in question of the learned antiquary, freed him from the imputations of his enemies. Muratori died on the 23rd of January 1750, and was buried with much pomp in the church of Santa Maria di Pomposa, in connexion with which he had laboured as parish priest for many years. His remains were removed in 1774 to the church of St Augustin.

Muratori is rightly regarded as the “father of Italian history.” This is due to his great collection, Rerum italicarum scriptores, to which he devoted about fifteen years’ work (1723–1738). The gathering together and editing some 25 huge folio volumes of texts was followed by a series of 75 dissertations on medieval Italy (Antiquitates italicae medii aevi, 1738–1742, 6 vols. folio). To these he added a Novus thesaurus inscriptionum (4 vols., 1739–1743), which was of great importance in the development of epigraphy. Then, anticipating the action of the learned societies of the 19th century, he set about a popular treatment of the historical sources he had published. These, Annali d’Italia (1744–1749) reached 12 volumes, but were imperfect and are of little value. In addition to this national enterprise (the Scriptores were published by the aid of the Società palatina of Milan) Muratori published Anecdota ex ambrosianae bibliothecae codd. (2 vols. 4to, Milan, 1697, 1698; Padua, 1713); Anecdota graeca (3 vols. 4to, Padua, 1709); Antichita Estens