Ernesto Burzagli

Ernesto Burzagli CB GCMM GOA (7 June 1873 – 13 September 1944) was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Italy during the early 20th century. During a lifetime career in the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina Italiana), he rose to the rank of admiral and chief of staff. In 1933, King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Burzagli as a senator in Rome.

Despite his life service to the state, Burzagli was arrested in 1944 after clashing with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Although he was released a short time later, Burzagli was forced to withdraw from public life.

Early years
Burzagli entered the Italian Naval Academy (Accademia Navale) in Leghorn (Livorno in Italian) in 1887, and he was commissioned as an ensign in 1892.





Burzagli was from a noble family of Montevarchi, but was born in Modena, as his father had relocated there to assume a position as a professor of physics at the Military Academy of Modena. Burzagli graduated from the Accademia Navale di Livorno in 1892, and after serving on a number of ships in the Royal Italian Navy, he was assigned as a military attaché to Tokyo, Japan in May 1904. He arrived just in time to become an official foreign observer of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Russo-Japanese War, and witnessed first-hand the naval bombardment of Port Arthur. After the end of the war, in April 1906, he was received by Emperor Meiji of Japan, and received the Order of the Rising Sun before his return to Italy.

Naval career
In 1912, Burzagli was assigned command of an Intrepid-class destroyer. Promoted to commander in 1914, he saw combat in World War I as commander of a squadron of destroyers, and from May 1916 to March 1917, served on the General Staff of the Italian Navy. In 1917, Captain Burzagli sailed the RN Libia across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. Near the end of the conflict, he was promoted to higher rank.

In February 1918, he was awarded the Military Order of Savoy. In 1919 he was decorated with the Navy Cross by the United States Navy for his service to the Allied cause during the World War.

At the end of the war in 1919, Burzagli was sent to Albania to command the Vlore naval base, and played an active role in the suppression of pro-independence Albanian uprising, personally undertaking several reconnaissance flights over rebel-held territory, for which he was awarded the Bronze Medal of Military Valor.

Burzagli was given command of the cruiser RN Libia from February 1921 to February 1923, and during this period, the ship circumnavigated the globe. On his return, Burzagli was promoted to the rank of rear admiral; and he and assigned to head the Accademia Navale and the Italian Institute of Marine War.

He wrote a treatise in four volumes, Manual of Navigation (1927).

He left his place at the academy in 1927 to accept the position of Chief of Staff of the Navy, a post he held until 1931.

Burzagli was a Technical Advisor in the Italian delegation at the London Naval Conference 1930 for the reduction of the armaments. Burzagli was promoted to Divisional Admiral in 1926, and promoted again to Vice Admiral in 1928. He was Naval Chief of Staff from 1927 to 1931. He was no longer Naval Chief of Staff in 1932 when Italy announced plans to retire two battleships, twelve cruisers, 25 destroyers, and 12 submarines—in all, 130,000 tons of naval vessels.

In 1933, he was also named a Senator. In the Senate, he served as a member of the Commission for Examination of Law Conversion (1936–1939), a member of the Commission for Finances (1939–1943), and a member of the Commission for the High Court of Justice (1940–1943).

Later years
Burzagli withdrew from the active service in 1936. After the withdrawal to Montevarchi near his estate of Moncioni, he entered into friction with Benito Mussolini for his clear opposition to Italy's entrance into the Axis Powers, and for his subsequent opposition to Italy's entrance into World War II.

In the spring of 1944, he refused to collaborate with the authorities of the Italian Social Republic and was arrested. He was released in consideration of his reputation and his advanced age.

He died on 13 September 1944 and was buried in a monumental tomb in the cemetery of Montevarchi.

Honours
Burzagli received many awards and decorations, including awards from several other countries, such as the Navy Cross from the United States, the second-highest award that the nation's military has.
 * Cavaliere OCI BAR.svg • Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy, Kingdom of Italy, 1905.
 * Ufficiale OCI Kingdom BAR.svg • Officer of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy, 1916.
 * Commendatore OCI Kingdom BAR.svg • Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy, 1919.
 * Grande ufficiale OCI Kingdom BAR.svg • Grand Officer of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy, 1926.
 * Cavaliere di Gran Croce OCI Kingdom BAR.svg • Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy, 1933.
 * Cavaliere SSML BAR.svg • Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Kingdom of Italy, 1915.
 * Ufficiale SSML Regno BAR.svg • Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, 1922.
 * Commendatore SSML Regno BAR.svg • Commander of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, 1923.
 * Grande ufficiale SSML Regno BAR.svg • Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, 1931.
 * Cavaliere di gran Croce Regno SSML BAR.svg • Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, 1936.
 * JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 5Class BAR.svg • Order of the Rising Sun, 5th Class, Japan, 1906.
 * JPN Zuiho-sho (WW2) 5Class BAR.svg • Order of the Sacred Treasure, 5th Class, Japan, 1906.
 * Order of the Bath (ribbon).svg • Companion of the Order of the Bath, United Kingdom
 * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon.svg • Knight of the Légion d'honneur, France.
 * RUS Order św. Anny (baretka).svg • Knight of the Order of Saint Anna, Russia
 * Ufficiale BAR.svg • Knight of the Military Order of Savoy, Kingdom of Italy, 1918.
 * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander 1st Class BAR.png • Commander, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose, Finland.
 * PER Order of the Sun of Peru - Commander BAR.png • Commander of the Order of the Sun, Peru.
 * Order of the Star of Romania - Ribbon bar.svg • Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania, Romania
 * Order of the Star of Romania - Ribbon bar.svg • Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Romania, Romania
 * MAR Order of the Ouissam Alaouite - Grand Officer (1913-1956) BAR.png • Grand Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite, Morocco.
 * Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Grand Officer.svg • Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau with the Swords Netherlands, 7 August, 1926
 * PRT Military Order of Aviz - Grand Officer BAR.svg • Grand Officer of the Military Order of Aviz, Portugal, 1920.
 * ESP Gran Cruz Merito Naval (Distintivo Blanco) pasador.svg • Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit, Spain

Decorations

 * Valor militare bronze medal BAR.svg • Bronze Medal of Military Valor, 1912.
 * Navy Cross ribbon.svg • Navy Cross, United States, 1919
 * Anzianità di servizio 16 BAR.svg • Croce d'argento per anzianità di servizio.
 * Anzianità di servizio 25 BAR.svg • Croce d'oro per anzianità di servizio.

Service medals

 * Campaigns in Africa medal BAR.svg • Medaglia commemorativa delle campagne d'Africa, Italo-Abyssinian War, 1895.
 * 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War Medal (Japan).png • Russo-Japanese War Medal, Japan, 1904-1905.
 * ItaloTurca.png • Medaglia commemorativa delle guerra italo-turca, Italo-Turkish War, 1911-1912.
 * Commemorative Italian-Austrian war medal BAR.svg • Medaglia commemorativa della guerra 1915-1918, 1919.
 * Commemorative Italian-Austrian war medal BAR.svg • it:Medaglia commemorativa della guerra italo-austriaca 1915-1918.
 * Medaglia a ricordo dell'Unità d'Italia BAR.svg • Medaglia commemorativa dell'Unità d'Italia.
 * Vittoria.png • Medaglia interalleata della Vittoria, Kingdom of Italy, 1920.
 * Peru Centenary of the Independence.png • Medal of the Centenary of the Independence of Peru, 1821-1921
 * Medaglia d'onore per lunga navigazione marittima 20 BAR.svg • Medaglia d'onore per lunga navigazione.
 * Mauriziana BAR.svg • Medaglia Mauriziana al merito di dieci lustri di carriera militare, Kingdom of Italy

Selected works

 * Burzagli, Ernesto. (1927). Manuale dell'Ufficiale di Rotta. Genoa:
 * __________ and A Grillo. (1932). Manual del oficial de derrota (Navigation Manual translated from Italian to Spanish). Barcelona: G. Gilli