Marconini in Norway
We believe that the Marconini family came from Northern Italy.
According to a history of one of the living relatives, the family came from Genova and the brothers Jacob and Fredric escaped to France in connection with the Napoleonic Wars sometime between 1795 and 1802. The story goes on to say that some close relative, perhaps father, was killed on a trip to the family farm in the Po Valley, possibly to Milan and that it was a contributing factor to their escape. History also says that the ancestor who came to Norway is said to have been born in Genova and the year 1802 is mentioned. Eirin Bråthen (Saltvik) originated from Fredrik Marconini has conveyed that theory. Christine Piper, who is descended from Jacob, says that there is a story going on in her family as well, but it is said that there were two noble families fighting over country property and that the two brothers were sent away to save their lives. There was even another fairy tale where it is said that the father of the brothers is said to have been a prince who was killed and they had to flee. I would like to point out that these stories have as much or little grounding in reality as those we have known before and we should therefore take them as adventures and perhaps a little bit of romanticised wishful thinking.
We do not know for sure when Jacob and Fredrik came to Norway, it may have been as early as 1802. Fredrik has a daughter in Kristiansand in 1805 and both married Norwegian women in 1807/1808.
Jacob Marconini, was born in 1763 and Frederick, who has sometimes been stated to be his son (doubtful), was born in 1782. However, we do not yet know where any of these were born, but one of them, perhaps most likely Frederick, may have been born in Genova. However, a request to the City Archives of Genova gave the answer that the name Marconini was not registered there.
According to information that Øystein Bärø received from Mario Marconini in Brazil, he (Mario) knows of remaining relatives in Rovigo where his progenitor was born in 1865. The Po is Italy’s largest river, forming the border between the states today called Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Lombardy.
It is not impossible that the roots of the Marconini family can be found somewhere in the Po Valley in the area of Rovigo. Rovigo is in an air line about 200 km northeast of Genova, a rather long journey in the warlike conditions that prevailed in the late 1700s.
At the time when Napoleon invaded Northern Italy, in 1795, in addition to a number of smaller duchies under the rule of Austria, there were also the republics of Genova and Venice. If anyone at that time were to travel from Genova to the Po Valley in the area of Rovigo, they would have had to travel from Genova through the duchies of Parma and Mantua before coming to the domains of the Republic of Venice. Of course, we do not know whether the Marconini family’s farm was located within the territory of the Republic or whether it was located in one of the neighboring Duchies of Milan, Mantua or Ferrara.
The second half of the 1700s was a troubled time. The great powers, Austria, Germany and France economically dominated large parts of the Italian peninsula, while the church state and the pope always dominated religious life.
However, the Enlightenment led to demands for reforms of the judiciary, politics, economics and culture in several places. At first, the aristocracy also acceded to these demands, but pretty soon both the Church and the local princes began to oppose the Enlightenment men who perhaps had the greatest entrenchment among the middle class; artisans, intellectuals and peasants .
In 1793, a coalition of the Italian states was formed with Genova and Venice as neutrals with the aim of standing against France in its war against Austria. Many reformers fled during this time to France. Napoleon and his General Bernadotte (later Swedish king) in the first round beat Piedmont and established bases in Liguria (Genova). From there, Napoleon defeated the Austrians in Lobardy and Venice.
However, it was not longer than 1798 when Napoleon went to Egypt before there was new strife, and in 1799 with the support of Russia, the French were thrown out by Italy. At this time, there may have been a clap-hunt for reformers and pro-French figures. Many had to put their lives on the line, while many escaped to France. The fact that Napoleon then returned and reconquered Italy may be a different story.
If members of the Marconini family belonged to the reformers, the time around 1799 – 1802 may have been the time when they left the country. It may also seem natural that the family existed in Genova or Milan. If the family’s homestead was within the territories of the Republic of Venice, then perhaps Genova had a similar political structure. If, on the other hand, the farm was located in one of the duchies in the Po valley, there may have been other reasons besides purely businesslike for the settlement in Genova. We should not forget that Jacob Marconini was a fully trained coppersmith when he came to Larvik. He was accepted as a professional and gained bourgeoisie as a craftsman. That tells us that he should have pursued his profession before fleeing Italy. It is conceivable that the family ran a forging business at the end of the 1700s. If Frederick is Jacob’s son and he was born in Genova in 1782, then the family lived there for at least 20 years, and they must have lived by something.
On a modern map we can see that the current regions of Italy are not much different from those that existed in the 1600s.
Some new theories have emerged since this was first written, but all of them have in common that people fled Italy.
One story says that two adults and a young girl fled and that they first came to Sweden before they went on to Norway. Another relates to this but says that the mother of the children (Marie?) was alive and that she made money belts for the trip. The latter tells us that they had money and that the ”escape” was perhaps political.
Perhaps we should remind ourselves that from what we know, Jacob was born in 1763 while Fredric was born in 1782. If we believe that they were brothers and say that Jacob was the eldest child and that the mother was 20 years old when he was born, then she was at least 39 when Fredric was born. A young girl who travelled with them may have been a younger sister who was born sometime between 1782 and 1792 when in that case Marie their mother must have been between 45 and 49 years old. There is also the possibility that the young girl may have been Jacob’s daughter. It is quite clear that he was a ”womanizer” who became the father of several children before he married Gunhild Marie in Larvik.
In 1800, a so-called neutrality alliance was concluded between Russia, Prussia, Denmark/Norway and Sweden aimed at England, which was at war with France. If someone were to escape from Italy via France, they basically had the aforementioned countries to choose from. What may have guided the fact that it became Norway may have to do with the possibility of establishing itself.
The escape to Norway
A temporary theory of the course of events may, in my eyes, look something like the following:
1795 Antoni Marconini (Jacob and Fredric’s father), or someone else in the family is involved in activities disliked by any of the parties who alternately hold power in their part of Italy. Here a theory has emerged that the family must have been Waldesare, that is, have professed the faith that has Waldo as its originator. Waldesians existed in northern Italy and were hunted for their faith at the time at the time at issue here.
1799 Antoni is murdered and it is decided that the family must flee. They accumulate money and the mother sews a money belt for each of the refugees who then manage to cross the border into France.
1802 They apparently cannot stay in France but decide to seek their happiness in any of the Scandinavian
the countries after which these are the only ones who have a friendly relationship with France. According to one theory, Jacob, Fredric and a young girl make their way to Sweden. We don’t know where. A request in Sweden shows that it is almost impossible to trace this type of data. Nor should we forget that southernmost Sweden, Skåne at the time, was Danish. I’m more inclined to the fact that they came via Denmark to southern Norway. At the time of his daughter Birthe Marie’s birth, Fredrik was living with a Koffardi skipper in Kristiansand, it may have been the one who helped him escape. Interestingly, however, Jacob has so far not been found in Kristiansand at that time.
1805 Sweden enters into coalition with Russia, England and Austria against France. Perhaps it was now that Jacob and Fredric were forced to flee to Norway. Denmark/Norway was not in the coalition and was on France’s side. It has emerged that at least Fredrik was in Kristiansand in 1805 after a daughter was born in 1806.
1807 The brothers have established themselves and children are born with them as fathers.
1811 Jacob receives a letter of citizenship in Larvik
This is a thought experiment and a lot of work are required before we know the ”truth”. If there’s a grain of truth in here, what was it the family had been up to that was so serious that they needed to escape? Were they hunted even in France and had to flee once again to a country that was far enough away and that kindly opposed or had friendships with France, that is, Norway.
Whether Frenchmen or sympathizers with France were popular in Norway or Denmark at this time, I don’t know. We should not forget that the Norwegian and Danish merchant fleets suffered, on the one hand, heavy losses in the form of ships and that they were also not allowed to operate in European ports. An example of this was the crew who had to leave their ship in Genova and go home on foot to Norway for fear of being stopped by English ships.
The story of the crew that migrated from Genova up through Italy, Sveitz and Germany to Denmark before crossing to Norway can be interesting from several points of view. In fact, it is conceivable that the Marconini brothers beat foals and during the hike came to the conclusion that in Norway in particular, they were able to create a future. Even the fact that the first spurs after the brothers were in Kristiansand which was also the destination of the crew can be an indicium.
I have decided that the story of Terje Viken also has its roots in the English blockade at this time. That particular story might suggest that although the reason for the war was England’s controversy with France, it was England that blockaded Denmark/Norway and shelled Copenhagen.
Perhaps Jacob and Fredric made it in daily life because they were Italians and not French, even if their cause had been ”French”. Then it was probably the case that Larvik and Fredriksværn had been a multicultural environment for a long time before that expression was invented.
Both Jacob and Fredrik had several children, both within and out of wedlock, Fredrik also married twice. Their offspring are today scattered across the globe and it is no longer possible to see where they are located, but it can be stated that there is a very small number who bear the family name Marconini. Even the traces of the family in Italy are vague, not to say non-existent. There are currently only a handful of people in Italy who bear the name and none of these seem to be communicable. The name is found in Brazil where a branch of the family seems to have established itself, the most famous of these being Dr. Mario Marconini who is apparently an international expert in trade. The Brazilian branch of the family is said to have its own direct origin in Italy.
There was also a branch with its roots in Norway that emigrated to Canada via England. We have not found that the family name can be found in today’s telephone directories in Canada. There is also supposed to be a family branch from Norway, via the USA has moved to France. Whether these bear the name Marconini is uncertain although some links on the internet may indicate it.
Fritz Adolph Marconini Alfsen, advisor to President Kennedy also had his roots in Norway and was descended from Jacob Marconini.
Jacob and Fredrik’s Italian life’s spirit has, as far as we can see today, succeeded quite well. In some cases, it has made itself felt, in others it has survived diseases, epidemics and two world wars and still exists as a viable vein. It is therefore a little strange to think that in the country of origin, Italy this vein seems to have more or less dried up and that the traces, both historical and daily, are almost non-existent.