duke
fled, anarchy followed, and then in 1849 he returned, but with an escort
of Austrian soldiery. The blind statesman thanked God that he could not
see the hated white uniforms in Florence. He returned to his studies and
commenced his great _Storia della Repubblica di Firenze_; but he
followed political affairs with great interest, and helped to convince
Lord John Russell, who stayed with him in 1859, of the hopelessness of
the grand duke's position. On Leopold's second flight (27th of April
1859) a Tuscan assembly was summoned, and Capponi elected member of it.
He voted for the grand duke's deposition and for the union of Tuscany
with Piedmont. King Victor Emmanuel made him senator in 1860. His last
years were devoted almost exclusively to his Florentine history, which
was published in 1875 and achieved an immediate success. This was
Capponi's swan song, for on the 3rd of February 1876 he died at the age
of eighty-four.

Capponi was one of the best specimens of the Tuscan landlord class. "He
represents," wrote his biographer Tabarrini, "one of the most striking
personalities of a generation, now wholly passed away, which did not
resign itself to the beatitudes of 1815, but wished to raise Italy from
the humble state to which the European peace of that year had condemned
her; and he succeeded by first raising the character of the Italians in
the opinion of foreigners, so as to deserve their esteem and respect."
He knew nearly all the most interesting people in Italy, besides many
distinguished foreigners: Giuseppe Giusti, the poet, A. Manzoni, the
novelist, Niccolo Tommaseo, Richard Cobden, A. von Reumont, the
historian, were among those whom he entertained at his palace or his
villas, and many were the struggling students and revolutionists to whom
he gave assistance. As a historian his reputation rests on his _Storia
della Repubblica di Firenze_ (Florence, 1875); it was the first
comprehensive Italian book on the subject based on documents and written
in a modern critical spirit, and if the chapters on the early history of
the city are now obsolete in view of recent discoveries, yet, as a
whole, it remains a standard work. Besides his history a large number of
essays and pamphlets have been published in his _Scritti Inediti_.

See M. Tabarrini, _Gino Capponi_ (Florence, 1879); and A. von Reumont,
_Gino Capponi_ (Gotha, 1880). (L. V.*)

CAPPONI, PIERO (1447-1496), Florentine statesman and warrior. He