Anita Garibaldi

Anita Garibaldi was a Brazilian republican revolutionary who fought alongside her husband Giuseppe Garibaldi in Brazil, Uruguay and Italy. She was born in a poor family of Azorean Portuguese descent in Laguna, Brazil, in 1821. She married Manuel Duarte Aguiar when she was 14, but he abandoned her to join the Imperial Army. She met Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1839, when he was fighting for the separatist Riograndense Republic in the Ragamuffin War. She joined him on his ship and became his companion in arms and in life. She fought bravely in several battles, showing remarkable courage and skill. She also taught Giuseppe about the gaucho culture of the Pampas. They had four children, but only two survived to adulthood. In 1841, they moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where Garibaldi worked as a trader and schoolmaster. They married in 1842. They participated in the Uruguayan Civil War, defending the liberal government against the conservative forces. In 1848, they sailed for Italy, where Garibaldi joined the First Italian War of Independence. Anita followed him to the battlefield, even when she was pregnant. She also accompanied him to Rome, where they fought for the Roman Republic against the French intervention. When the republic fell, they retreated northward, pursued by the enemy. Anita was ill with malaria and typhoid fever, and died in Garibaldi's arms at a farm near Ravenna. She was 27 years old and pregnant with their fifth child. Her body was buried hastily and later dug up by a dog. Garibaldi was devastated by her death and never forgot her. He later wrote: She was my guiding star, the mainstay of my life. Anita Garibaldi is considered a heroine of both Brazil and Italy. She is admired for her bravery, loyalty, and devotion to the cause of freedom and democracy. She has been honored with statues, monuments, streets, and schools named after her. She is also the subject of several books, movies, and songs.