Giuseppe Natoli (Messina, 25 December 1815 – Rome, 25 September 1867) was an Italian politician, patriot, and statesman, prominent during the Risorgimento and the early years of the Kingdom of Italy.
Early Life and Revolutionary Activity Born in Messina into a noble family, Natoli graduated in law and became involved in liberal and nationalist circles. He participated in the Sicilian revolution of 1848, which sought independence from the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. He served as a deputy in the Sicilian Parliament and held the position of Minister of Public Education in the revolutionary government led by Ruggero Settimo. Following the Bourbon restoration in 1849, he went into exile, first in Malta and then in Turin, the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Political Career in the Kingdom of Sardinia In Turin, Natoli entered the service of the Cavour government. He was elected to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia (Subalpine Parliament) for the constituency of Messina (though he resided in Turin) in the V legislature (1853). He aligned with the moderate liberal faction led by Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour. He served as Secretary of the Council of State and was appointed Senator of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860.
Role in the Unification of Italy Natoli played a significant role in the annexation of Sicily to the Kingdom of Italy. Following the landing of Giuseppe Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand in Marsala (May 1860), Cavour sent Natoli to Sicily as Royal Commissioner (Commissario Regio) to prepare the legal and administrative groundwork for annexation. He arrived in Palermo in June 1860 and worked alongside the Garibaldi dictatorship (initially under Garibaldi, then under Giorgio Pallavicino and Antonio Mordini) to organize the plebiscite of 21 October 1860, which ratified the annexation.
Ministerial Roles in the Kingdom of Italy After the formal proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy (1861), Natoli served in several ministerial capacities in the governments of the Right (Destra Storica):
- Minister of Education (March–December 1862) in the first Rattazzi government.
- Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce (December 1862 – March 1863) in the same government.
- Minister of the Interior (March–September 1864) in the second La Marmora government. During his tenure as Interior Minister, he managed the delicate transfer of the capital from Turin to Florence (September 1864), following the September Convention.
Later Life and Death He was reappointed Senator in the Kingdom of Italy (1861). In 1867, while serving as President of the Council of State, he died suddenly in Rome at the age of 51, shortly after the city's capture by Italian troops (though he died before the definitive move of the capital there).
Legacy Natoli is remembered as a key administrative figure of the Risorgimento, bridging the gap between Sicilian liberal traditions and the Piedmontese-led unification process. His work as Royal Commissioner in Sicily was crucial for the immediate administrative integration of the island into the new unitary state.
