Pietro Micca facts for kids
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Pietro Micca (born March 6, 1677 – died August 30, 1706) was an Italian soldier. He became a national hero for his brave actions during the siege of Turin in 1706. He helped defend the city against French troops.
Pietro Micca's Early Life
Pietro Micca was born in a small village called Sagliano, which is now known as Sagliano Micca. This village is in Piedmont, near the town of Biella. Before he joined the army, he worked as a bricklayer.
Micca joined the army of the Duchy of Savoy. He was a special kind of soldier called a sapper. Sappers are experts at digging tunnels and building defenses. He was a private soldier and was sometimes called Passepartout.
Brave Actions and Sacrifice
During the siege of Turin, Micca worked in the military mines. These were tunnels dug under the city's defenses, called the citadel. The mines helped find and stop enemy tunnels. They also allowed soldiers to blow up parts of the ground if enemies got too close. For this, barrels of gunpowder were kept in important spots.
On the night of August 29-30, 1706, French soldiers called grenadiers sneaked into a large trench. The Piemontese soldiers had lit fires there, so they didn't see the French coming. The French grenadiers attacked the Savoyard soldiers guarding an entrance to the mines. They killed the guards and entered the upper part of the tunnels.
When Micca heard the attack, he and another soldier quickly blocked a door. This door led down to the lower part of the mines. As the French tried to break through the door, Micca told his friend to leave. He then lit a very short fuse and put it into two barrels of gunpowder behind the door.
The gunpowder exploded just as the French broke the door down. The explosion killed or injured most of the French soldiers. Micca was badly hurt by the blast and died from his injuries. He also breathed in poisonous gas from the explosion.
If the French had reached the lower mines, they could have gotten into the heart of the city. Micca's brave act stopped them. This helped the Savoyard army push back the French attack. A few days later, the steps where Micca caused the explosion were quickly sealed off. Micca's body was buried in a mass grave.
Remembering Pietro Micca
Many years later, in 1958, Captain Guido Amoretti found the hidden 'Pietro Micca steps'. These steps are now a main part of the Museo Civico Pietro Micca. This museum shows the network of military mines and tells the story of the siege of Turin. Visitors can see things left behind by the attackers, like grenades and knives.
Pietro Micca's heroism has been told in poems, plays, and stories. He is remembered as a symbol of courage. A main street in Turin is named after him, and a statue honors him. His home town was even renamed Andorno Micca. In 1938, a film called Pietro Micca was made about his actions.
See also
In Spanish: Pietro Micca para niños
