Cavour Timeline
Friday 10 August: Camillo Giulio Paolo Benso di Cavour was born on Friday 10 August at 5.45 pm in his father’s palace in rue de Jena (later via dell’Arcivescovado, currently via Cavour), the second son of Marquis Michele and Adèle de Sellon d’Allaman.
He was christened in the parish of San Carlo Borromeo in Torino by the town’s archbishop, Monsignor Giacinto Della Torre (baptismal register of the parish of San Carlo, page 249). The official birth certificate is stored in the archive of Città di Torino under number 1867.
His great-uncle Count Bartolomeo Benso di Cavour acted as godfather, in the name of his Imperial Highness Prince Camillo Borghese, Governor of the regions beyond the Alps, and his grandmother Marquess Philippine Benso di Cavour, born de Sales de Duingt, as godmother in the name of her Imperial Highness Princess Paolina Borghese, born Bonaparte, Duchess of Guastalla.
Monday 13 August: Cavour’s birth certificate is drafted in front of Mayor and State Official Giovanni Negro, (kept in the archive of Città di Torino, filed under number 1867).
At the age of five Camillo wrote the first three letters we know of. The first to aunt Victoire (before her marriage), the second to uncle Jules-Gaspard de Clermont-Tonnerre (shortly after the wedding), the third once more to aunt Victoire.
In December his grandmother Philippine de Sales de Duingt, mother and aunt Henriette become members of the “circle” of queen Maria Theresa of the Tuscan branch of the Habsburg-Lorraine, wife of Charles Albert of Sardinia.
Sunday 5 May: Camillo arrives in Santena with his father Michele, his brother Gustavo and their tutor;
Friday 10 May: their mother arrives;
Saturday 11 May: Camillo writes to his aunt Victoire, his grandmother arrives;
Camillo and his brother are taken by their parents to Geneva: on this occasion he asked Gaspard De La Rive to have the postmaster sacked as he had given them very bad horses for the journey.
Wednesday 19 March: he spends St. Joseph’s day in Santena with his father, his brother Gustavo and Abbot Ferrero; he has lunch with Prior Pezzana;
Tuesday 25 March: day of the Annunciation and his brother Gustavo’s First Communion.
Sunday 10 August: it’s Camillo’s 7th birthday.
Saturday 20 December: a party is held to celebrate his mother’s name day; he gives her a wreath. Camillo recovers from measles after falling ill in November.
Monday 22 December: he writes to aunt Victoire.
Saturday 7 August: Camillo’s mother, Adèle writes him a letter;
Tuesday 10 August: race with prizes for the children of Santena organized by Camillo on the day of his ninth birthday.
Tuesday 30 November: he writes to his father Michele.
Monday 1 May: Camillo starts as a student of the military Academy, after his father presented an application on his behalf to sir Cesare Saluzzo di Monesiglio, the Academy’s deputy commander.
Tuesday 16 May: Camillo is mentioned on the order of the day:“By shining example of praiseworthy emulation Messrs. Massa, Borea, Milone, Marmorito and recruit Mr. Cavour have here earned honorable mention...”;
Saturday 20 May: again the order of the day reports: “Messrs. Massa, Maltese and with special distinction Mr. Cavour, still at this time a recruit, have fulfilled the requirements for an honorable mention”;
Wednesday 12 July: a new entry: “Mr. Cavour was awarded an honorable mention thanks to favorable annotations by his superiors, brigade prefect, and teachers”;
Thursday 10 August: Camillo turns 10.
Thursday 4 August: “(…) finally Mr Cavour by presenting favorable notes from the different ministries has deserved an honorable mention which was consequently awarded to him in tonight’s order”.