The Fall of the Bourbon Order

This thread follows the crisis of Bourbon rule from the first signs of revolt to the new kingdom's arrival and the old regime's quiet displacement.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Kingdom Under Strain

A Kingdom Under Strain The old order At Villa Salina, prayer, family ceremony, and inherited authority preserve the appearance of settled rule. The distant firing and rebel bonfires already disturb that composure. The approaching crisis Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, sees little worth defending in the Bourbon monarchy, though he recognizes that its fall will alter the social balance. His hesitation establishes the novel’s central political uncertainty.

The Revolutionary Departure

The Revolutionary Departure A nephew chooses sides Tancredi Falconeri leaves to join the insurgents, telling his uncle that change is necessary if the old arrangements are to survive. His words turn political upheaval into a family decision. Support beneath protest Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, calls the choice madness but secretly gives Tancredi money. The gesture shows that the old order is already financing the forces that will replace it.

The New Flags

The New Flags A changed administration Garibaldi’s victory brings new officials, red shirts, and political ceremonies into the Salina family’s world. The Prince notices that many familiar interests remain protected beneath altered symbols. Continuity in public The family’s journey to Donnafugata proceeds through permits, courtesies, and local arrangements. The political vocabulary changes faster than the habits of power do.

The Annexation Vote

The Annexation Vote A unanimous result The town announces that every counted vote supports union with the new state. The ceremony presents a fractured community as a single consenting public. Consent under pressure Don Ciccio Tumeo later tells the Prince that he voted no, but his choice was erased. Political transition thus arrives not as shared conviction but as a managed appearance of unanimity.

The New Kingdom Settles In

The New Kingdom Settles In Celebration after conflict At Palazzo Ponteleone, the aristocracy meets under the new political settlement and congratulates itself on surviving. Garibaldi’s former opponents and former supporters occupy the same rooms. Unfinished divisions Colonel Pallavicino’s account of Aspromonte exposes the uneasy bargains behind national unity. The ball suggests that the conflict has changed form rather than ended.

May 1860, before the landing at Marsala

May 1860, after Tancredi’s announcement

June and August 1860, after the capture of Palermo

October 1860, during the Donnafugata plebiscite

November 1862, at the Palermo ball