Paolo Thaon di Revel
Paolo Emilio Thaon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| President of the Italian Senate | |
| In office 2 August 1943 – 20 July 1944 | |
| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
| Preceded by | Giacomo Suardo |
| Succeeded by | Pietro Tomasi Della Torretta |
| Minister of Navy | |
| In office 31 October 1922 – 8 May 1925 | |
| Prime Minister | Benito Mussolini |
| Preceded by | Roberto De Vito |
| Succeeded by | Benito Mussolini |
| Member of the Italian Senate | |
| In office 27 November 1913 – 18 June 1946 | |
| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 10, 1859 Turin, Piedmont-Sardinia |
| Died | March 24, 1948 (aged 88) Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party | Non-partisan |
| Spouse(s) |
Irene Martini di Cigala
(m. 1898–1906) |
| Children | Giovanna Clotilde |
| Alma mater | Italian Naval Academy |
| Profession | Military officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch/service | Italian Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1873–1926 1936–1943 |
| Rank | Captain at sea Counter admiral Admiral Grand admiral |
| Battles/wars | Italo-Turkish War (1911—1912)
World War I (1915—1918) |
Paolo Emilio Thaon, Marquess of Revel (10 June 1859 – 24 March 1948), laterly titled by Benito Mussolini with the honorary title of 1st Duke of the Sea, was an Italian admiral of the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina) during World War I and later a politician.
Biography
Thaon di Revel was born in Turin from a family of the Savoyard and Niçard nobility of Scottish descent, a minor son of Marquess and Count Ottavio Thaon di Revel.
He took part as Rear-admiral in the Italo-Turkish War, commanding Italian cruisers in the Battle of Beirut.
He twice served as Naval Chief of Staff during World War I and was reluctant to risk the Italian battlefleet in anything other than a major surface action. On 3 February 1917, he replaced the Duke of the Abruzzi as commander of the Italian Navy.[1] After the Italian rout at Caporetto in November 1917, he secured the coastal area. He favoured the action of smaller vessels, as the MAS which sunk the Austrian battleship Szent István in June 1918. In the late days of the war he led the bombardment of Durazzo[2] and the quick occupation of the coasts of Istria and Dalmatia.
In 1917 he was named to the Italian Senate. In November 1921, while serving as the Chief of the Italian Naval Staff, he was Italy's naval representative to the Washington Armaments Conference.[3]
In 1922, he was ennobled by King Victor Emmanuel III and given the victory title of 1st Duca del Mare ("Duke of the Sea"). In October 1922 he was appointed Minister of the Navy and chief advisor of King Victor Emmanuel III; he resigned as Minister in 1925. He was promoted to Grand Admiral on 4 November 1924. He was President of the Italian Senate from 1943 to 1944 after the fall of fascist regime.
Thaon di Revel died in Rome in 1948. He was buried in the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, next to general Armando Diaz.
References
- ^ "http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/italian_front".
{{cite news}}: External link in|title= - ^ Kabashi, Gezim (December 24, 2012). "Fotot e Rralla - Bombardimi i Durresit me 2 Tetor 1918 (English: Rare Photos - Bombing of Durres on October 2, 1918[[Category:Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text]])". Gazeta e Durresit.
{{cite news}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ "To Attend Washington Conference". Norwich Bulletin. Norwich, Connecticut. 12 November 1921. p. 5.
