A
Noble Life – A Historical Novel by Eleonora Davide
Review
by Maria Teresa De Donato
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The invitation to write a
novel about the character 'Petronilla,' much loved by him, by an indirect
relative of his, Francesco Paolo Coppola, Count of the Holy Roman Empire and
Patrician of Scala, passionate about genealogical research as much as his rediscovered
cousin Pippo D'Angelo, led to the writing of this new literary work by Eleonora
Davide.
The author takes a leap
in time after the historical novels set in the Middle Ages, which saw Emperors and the
Papacy as protagonists and the struggles between the Lombards and the Normans
for control of the territories. While maintaining contact with her land of
Irpinia, and especially with her city, Monteforte, as well as with the history
of the Loffredo family, to which are added in this publication that of the
Revertera and the Ulloa-Severino, Eleonora embarks on a process of analysis and
historical reconstruction of the events that have characterized both the
history of these families and the Neapolitan nobility in general, and the
history of Naples during the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Kingdom of
Naples, the government of the Bourbons and, subsequently, its replacement with
that of the House of Savoy.
The novel is centered on
the story of Petronilla, daughter of the Coppola counts who, after the death of
her parents, is forced to grow up in a convent in an era in which girls
belonging to aristocratic families were sent to boarding school to receive an
education appropriate to their social class and educated for life in a society
that would await them once they married. The alternative would have been to
embrace the religious vocation and, therefore, remain forever in the convent, a
vocation that, despite her humility, empathy, and desire to help people in
need, Petronilla did not have. On the contrary, she dreamed of buying and
wearing beautiful, fashionable clothes, getting married, and having a family.
This wish will come true, but not with the person she would have initially
wanted to have at her side, and not for lack of love, but because of intense
pressure exerted by the other's family on her son. Her marriage will ultimately
be successful, crowned by the birth of three children and the friendship with
Donna Maria Zenobia of the Revertera family.
Once they were orphaned
by both parents, Petronilla, who at the time was only seven years old, was sent
to the convent, and together with her two brothers Antonio and Domenico, she
passed under the protective wings of her paternal uncle, namely "His
Excellency Domenico Coppola, archbishop." (Davide, 2024, p. 9) The latter,
being highly appreciated by Pope Pius VI, had been appointed as Secret
Chamberlain, received other prestigious assignments, and was awarded the Cross
of the Order of Jerusalem. (p. 70) Uncle Domenico, archbishop of Mira, in the
patriarchate of Constantinople, although he lived "in Palazzo Coppola in
San Giovanni a Teduccio, in the Due Palazzi area," divided his time
between his home and Rome, where he worked. (p. 15)
This aspect, that is,
being born into an aristocratic family and undoubtedly enjoying privileges,
will be mentioned on several occasions to underline how belonging to the
nobility does not necessarily mean enjoying greater freedom but very often
implies the opposite. As established, in fact, by the expression "noblesse
oblige," being noble forces one to certain behaviors, to specific choices,
and to often sacrifice one's desires and needs to maintain the social class to
which one belongs and the honor of one's family about the place that has been
due and recognized to it for centuries.
The novel, therefore,
becomes a tool not only to narrate the life, habits, and customs of the
nobility of the time – with particular reference to the families already
mentioned above – which range from the way of dressing to the behavior to have
at home, in the convent, on the street, in society and relationships with the
opposite sex, but it delves into historical, cultural and social aspects that
characterized above all the Kingdom of Naples and that of the Two Sicilies.
The events occurred when
Europe was in turmoil due to Napoleon Bonaparte's expansionist policy and his
designs on Italy itself. In 1799, the French crossed the borders, advancing
towards Naples and forcing King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon to flee to Palermo. At
the same time, Pope Pius VI was captured and taken to France, where he died in
exile. Added to all this was the fact that the Neapolitan people were divided
into two factions: on one side, there were the supporters of the Bourbons, and
on the other, those of the French. This situation led to a civil war in which
it was no longer clear who the friends were and who the enemies were to be
fought.
The French conquerors had
conducted a policy to dismantle ecclesiastical authority and privileges and
remove that strong sense of religiosity that was the basis of Neapolitan
culture and society. In this climate of violence and overturning of the
established order, a real process of 'de-Christianization' took place, already
begun by the French in their country of origin. People of faith understood that
such operations, including the confiscation of properties from the Church to be
used for civil or even military purposes, depending on the need, had as their
objective more the removal of the religious sense and the consequent faith in
God than the goods and properties belonging to the clergy.
The aristocracy had to
adapt to the emerging reality in Europe, a kingdom overwhelmed by epochal
events and changes. The use of many properties and agricultural lands was
modified to undertake profitable commercial activities that, until then, had
only been carried out by the bourgeoisie. The peasants' unrest also made itself
felt: from a medieval society in which the feudal lord held the right not only
to property but also to life and death over everything present in his
territory, including human beings, the less wealthy or even poor classes were
making their way, asking for and demanding recognition of their hard work in
terms of tax breaks and consequent rights.
The world was changing
drastically and just as quickly.
A noble life is a complex
novel in which the author, thanks to careful and in-depth historical research,
has included many details to give us a clear and detailed description of the
life not only of Petronilla, the protagonist of her work, but also of that of
the nobility and the events, often violent and dramatic, that transformed our
society and determined the transition from the feudal world to that of the
Kingdom of Naples and, subsequently, to that of the Two Sicilies. These events
would, in turn, lay the foundations for the unification and creation of the
Kingdom of Italy.
Love, friendship, a sense
of duty, awareness – or lack thereof – of one's Self and one's place in the
world, as well as an understanding of changing times and the consequent need to
adapt to them, are also aspects that enrich this novel, crowned by some love
stories, and not only, that blend into the culture and political, social and
behavioral dynamics of the time in which such events occur.
Eleonora Davide deserves
recognition, once again, for having immersed herself in the era described and
the characters presented, making the whole thing very enjoyable to read,
especially for lovers of historical novels.
I highly recommend
reading it.
