Francesco Carrara (jurist) facts for kids
Francesco Carrara (born September 18, 1805 – died January 15, 1888) was an Italian jurist, which means he was an expert in law. He was also a liberal politician. Carrara was one of the most important European experts in criminal law during the 1800s. He was also a strong supporter of ending the death penalty, which is the punishment of death for a crime.
Life and Work
Francesco Carrara earned a special degree called a doctorate degree from the University of Lucca. After his studies, he worked as a lawyer in Florence and Lucca. He quickly became involved in discussions about how to improve criminal laws.
In 1848, he became a professor of criminal law at the University of Lucca. Later, in 1859, he taught at the University of Pisa. While teaching there, he wrote his most important work. It was a ten-volume book called Programma dal corso di diritto criminale. This book brought together many Italian ideas about criminal law. It was also very important and influenced legal thinking in other countries.
Political Journey
When he was younger, Carrara followed the ideas of Giuseppe Mazzini, a famous Italian revolutionary. However, in the 1840s, he started to agree more with moderate liberal groups. He helped Lucca join Tuscany. He saw this as a small but important step towards uniting all of Italy.
Carrara was deeply upset by five death sentences carried out by Charles II, Duke of Parma in 1845. Because of his strong beliefs, when Lucca joined Tuscany, Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany abolished the death penalty in his state. This was exactly what Carrara and other legal experts had suggested.
Working for Italy
After Italian unification, when Italy became one country, Carrara was elected to Parliament. He served in 1863, 1865, and 1867. In Parliament, he was a very important member of the group that created Italy's Criminal Code. This new set of laws was called the "Zanardelli Code" and was finished in 1889.
In 1879, Carrara was named a senator. He passed away in Lucca in 1888. Many of his original writings and papers are still kept there today.
Images for kids
-
A friendly robot, representing kids' content.
