This is the third in a series of posts that features postal history items that have a connection to Mantova (Mantua) in the Lombardy region of Italy.
If you wish to read these posts in order:
Today's post highlights an item that originated in Mantova on November 2, 1959 and was received in Vienna, Austria on November 6. This letter would be considered an 'internal rate' letter because Mantova was still under Austrian control at this point in time, even though the rest of Lombardy was not.
What did it cost to mail?
15 soldi per loth : Nov 1, 1858 - October 1866
Rates in Austria included a distance component at the time, with break points at 10 meilen and 20 meilen. A letter sent 10 meilen or less (one meilen was approximately 7.5 km) cost 5 soldi. A letter sent more than 10 meilen and up to 20 meilen was 10 soldi. Anything over 20 meilen (150 km) was 15 soldi.
The weight unit used for postal services in Austria at this time was the zoll loth, which was about .56 ounces or 15.625 grams. The zoll loth was a Prussian weight unit that was adopted at the time Austria and most of the independent German States signed an agreement creating the German-Austrian Postal Union (GAPU) in 1850. Prior to that, the Austrians used a Vienna loth (wienerlot) which was equivalent to 17.5 grams.
The distance traveled to go from Mantova to Vienna was approximately 100 meilen (about 750 km) via Triest. Well over the 20 meilen required for the upper level rate.
How did it get there?
markings on this item:
Mantova Nov 2, 1859 (from dateline)
Mantova Nov 3
Wien (Vienna) Nov 6 (verso)
The rail services in Northern Italy and on up to Austria were limited, so the most likely route would take the rail spur from Mantova on up to Verona. From that point, it would have headed east to Venice and Triest, continuing on to the Semmering Pass and north to Vienna. This rail line had been largely completed as early as 1854 and fully opened by 1857, so it seems highly unlikely any other route would have been taken.
What seems to be a decent, and brief, summary of transportation history for Triest can be found in this article by Bernd Kreuzer. The biggest takeaway for me is that, despite the completion of the route, the rolling stock and efficiency of the rail lines themselves had much to be desired. Therefore, one should not apply the same speeds other more efficient rail systems were accomplishing at the time.
What was in that letter?
Unfortunately, the writing in this letter is difficult to decipher. Thus far, I have been unable to find someone who could translate much to satisfaction.
However, the front of the envelope includes the docket "Campioni di nessu valore"
which can be translated to "samples of no value." I am, of course,
curious as to what those samples might be! If someone believes they can
help with the contents of this letter, I would love to hear it.
My own floundering attempts to read and understand the Italian written here has only provided confirmation that the author was offering samples of some sort of product in hopes that the recipient would sell this product on commission. While it is not necessary for me to have a complete translation, it would be nice to know if I have the basic idea of the letter correct. It would be a bonus if the product could be identified and a super bonus if there were any references to current events.
City of Mantua / Mantova
from Die Gartenlaube, published in 1866
Why didn't Austria cede Mantova with the rest of Lombardy?
As was mentioned in the prior blog entry on Mantova, the city was mostly surrounded by three man-made lakes in 1859. The flow of the Mincio River had been altered in 1198 by Alberto Ditentino to create four lakes: Lago Superiore, di Mezzo, Inferiore and Pajolo. The land was reclaimed from the last in the 1700's, while the other three remained. The lakes, combined with fortifications, made Mantova a military stronghold for the Austrian forces at the time.
In fact, Mantova was part of a series of four fortress cities. The Quadrilatero Fortress Cities of Peschiera, Verona, Legnago and Mantova were a key part of Austrian defenses in Lombardy-Venetia. Their formation as a quadrilateral funneled invaders to predictable routes, both on invasion and retreat. Once inside the ring of fortresses, an opponent would always have defenders that could approach from any side.
The second war of the Italian Risorgimento (Italian Unification) in 1859 is worthy of a lengthy post all its own, but others have written enough and a summary is all that is needed here. The French allied with the Sardinians against the Austrians and the war essentially ended with the battle at Solferino on June 24. The Austrians suffering defeat.
The
Armistice of Villafranca on July 11, 1859 (just four months prior to
this letter’s mailing) ceded Lombardy to France. France then ceded
Lombardy to Sardinia in exchange for the Duchy of Savoy and the County
of Nice (Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860). Venetia, however, remained with Austria until 1866 - and Mantova was included in that territory.
Of the four fortresses, only Mantova was located in Lombardy, and as it was part of the Quadrilatero, Austria would not forfeit the area around the city. While Austria had lost, they were not going to give up the defensive advantage provided by occupying the city and its fortifications.
Open Questions:
- The contents of the letter are of the most interest at this point. If someone can help with this, I would appreciate it.
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