May 9th
1567: Birth, in Cremona, of the composer Claudio Monteverdi (d. 1643). 1946: Abdication of Vittorio Emanuele III (r. 1900-46), the third king of Italy. 1978: Assassination of former prime minister Aldo Moro (b. 1916) by the Brigate Rosse (Red Brigades). |
May 13th
1804: Birth of the Venetian politician Daniele Manin (d. 1857), who, in 1848, led a short-lived insurrection against the city's Austrian rulers. 1981: Attempted assassination, in Rome's Piazza San Pietro, of Pope John Paul II (r. 1978-2005). |
May 22nd
1762: Inauguration of the Trevi Fountain by Pope Clement XIII (r. 1758-69). |
May 26th
1595: Death, in Rome, of St Philip Neri (b. 1515), who is buried in the Chiesa Nuova. 1805: Coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte as king of Italy, in the cathedral of Milan. |