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Menotti Garibaldi
Menotti Garibaldi
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Domenico Menotti Garibaldi (16 September 1840 – 22 August 1903) was an Italian soldier and politician who was the eldest son of Giuseppe Garibaldi and Anita Garibaldi. He fought in the Second and Third wars of Italian Unification, and organized the Garibaldi Legion, a unit of Italian volunteers who fought for Polish independence in the January Uprising of 1863.[1] He also served in the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

Biography

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Garibaldi was born on 16 September 1840 in Mostardas, in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, to Anita and Giuseppe Garibaldi, as their first son and the only born in Brazil. At the time of his birth Mostardas was part of the revolutionary Riograndense Republic, for which his parents were fighting in the Ragamuffin War.[2] He was named after his grandfather, Domenico Garibaldi, and the Italian patriot Ciro Menotti, whom Giuseppe Garibaldi considered a martyr.[3]

Menotti Garibaldi as a lieutenant colonel, c. 1866

After Anita's death in 1849, Garibaldi had a mixed upbringing, alternating between his paternal grandmother and Augusto Garibaldi, a cousin of his father, in Nice (then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia), then at his father's home in Caprera after 1856. He was partly educated at a military school in Genoa. In 1859, aged 19, Garibaldi joined his father's newly formed legion of Redshirts, the Hunters of the Alps, created to assist Sardinia against Austria in the Second Italian War of Independence. He took part in the Expedition of the Thousand against the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, in 1860, during which he was wounded at the Battle of Calatafimi.[4] In late May, Garibaldi was sent to watch the surrender of Sicilian general Ferdinando Lanza after the Siege of Palermo.[5]

In August 1862, he was present at the controversial Battle of Aspromonte, when both Menotti and Giuseppe Garibaldi were wounded in an attack by Italian troops.[6] In 1863, during the January Uprising in Poland, Garibaldi organized a legion of Italian volunteers, the Garibaldi Legion, led by General Francesco Nullo, to support the Polish insurgents in the military struggle against the Russian Empire. He accompanied his father in a trip to London in 1864. Two years later, during the Third Italian War of Independence, Garibaldi fought alongside his brother Ricciotti, father and brother-in-law at the Battle of Bezzecca, which resulted in a victory over the Austrians. His own military skill was recognised in 1867, when his father asked him to lead volunteers in an invasion of the Papal States, which ended in defeat at the Battle of Mentana.[5]

Bust in the Janiculum, Rome

With the unification of Italy, Garibaldi was made a general in the new Royal Italian Army. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, he fought for France as commander of the 3rd brigade of the Army of the Vosges, a volunteer force led by his father, and served at the Third Battle of Dijon.[7] After the war Garibaldi was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, and tried to raise an Italian legion to support the ʻUrabi revolt in Egypt.[5] He died in Rome on 22 August 1903.

Family tree

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Giuseppe GaribaldiAna Maria de Jesus Ribeiro da Silva
Domenico Menotti GaribaldiRosa "Rosita" GaribaldiTeresa "Teresita" GaribaldiRicciotti GaribaldiHarriet Constance Hopcraft
Peppino GaribaldiCostante GaribaldiAnita Italia GaribaldiEzio GaribaldiBruno GaribaldiRicciotti Garibaldi Jr.Menotti Garibaldi Jr.Sante Garibaldi

See also

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References

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Bibliography

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Domenico Menotti Garibaldi (16 September 1840 – 22 August 1903) was an Italian soldier and politician, best known as the eldest son of , the central figure in Italy's Risorgimento, and his wife Anita. As a , he participated in his father's campaigns for national unification, including the in in 1860, where he sustained wounds at the . Menotti Garibaldi continued his father's legacy in combat during the Third in 1866, fighting Austrian forces in and contributing to efforts to annex Venetia. In 1867, he led an advance force into the as part of Giuseppe Garibaldi's unsuccessful bid to capture and complete unification, achieving a victory against papal troops at Monte Rotondo before the enterprise collapsed under French intervention. Transitioning to politics, he was elected to the Italian in 1876, where he aligned with emerging socialist currents, promoting agrarian reforms and establishing a cooperative colony on the family estate at . His later ventures included an ambitious but ultimately failed attempt to found an Italian colony named Italia in the Pacific, reflecting persistent irredentist and expansionist ambitions amid 's colonial aspirations. Despite these setbacks, Menotti's career bridged the martial heroism of the Risorgimento with early socialist advocacy, though his ideological shift drew criticism from conservative nationalists who viewed it as a departure from his father's monarchist alliances. His life exemplified the tensions between zeal, parliamentary reform, and utopian experimentation in post-unification .

Early Life

Birth and Parentage

Domenico Menotti Garibaldi was born on 16 September 1840 in Mostardas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, during his parents' exile in South America amid Giuseppe Garibaldi's revolutionary activities against the Brazilian Empire. He was the first child of Giuseppe Garibaldi and Anita Garibaldi (née Ana Maria de Jesús Ribeiro da Silva), who had met in 1839 while Giuseppe led Italian legionaries in support of Uruguayan rebels. His father, (1807–1882), was an Italian sailor and nationalist born in (then part of the Kingdom of ) to a family of maritime traders; he had joined the as a youth and participated in failed uprisings in 1834, leading to his flight to where he honed guerrilla tactics. Giuseppe's commitment to republican ideals and military prowess during the Farroupilha Revolution in and the defense of shaped the family's peripatetic early years, with Menotti born amid ongoing campaigns. His mother, (1821–1849), was a Brazilian of Portuguese descent from a rural background in Laguna, Santa Catarina; orphaned young, she married at 17 but eloped with after encountering him during a raid, adopting his cause and accompanying him on horseback through battles despite pregnancies. 's resilience as a combatant and caregiver influenced Menotti's upbringing, though she died of in 1849 during their return to , leaving to raise the children.

Upbringing and Influences

Domenico Menotti Garibaldi was born on 16 September 1840 in São Simão, Mostardas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, the eldest child of Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian revolutionary and seafarer, and his wife Anita (Ana Maria de Jesus Ribeiro da Silva), a Brazilian of Portuguese descent who actively participated in her husband's campaigns. His name honored Ciro Menotti, a prominent figure in the Italian independence movements. Menotti's infancy and early childhood unfolded in the volatile context of South American conflicts, as his parents supported the Uruguayan Colorado Party against Argentine forces led by ; the family resided in , , during much of this period before Giuseppe's commitments drew them across borders. After the Garibaldis returned to around 1842, Menotti experienced further instability tied to his father's republican activities and exiles. The death of Anita on 4 August 1849, from exhaustion and during their retreat from besieged , profoundly shaped his youth, leaving the nine-year-old without maternal guidance amid ongoing political persecution. In the aftermath, Menotti was enrolled in a in , , where he pursued a education suited to his lineage, though accounts describe him becoming restless with the regimen's restrictions. He also accompanied his father on short sea voyages, serving as a , which instilled practical nautical skills and reinforced Giuseppe's lessons in self-reliance and adventure. Giuseppe Garibaldi exerted the dominant influence on Menotti, imparting values of patriotism, anti-monarchism, and dedication to Risorgimento—the movement for Italian unification—through personal example, storytelling of exploits, and direct involvement in family discussions and republicanism. Anita's demonstrated bravery, including her combat roles and endurance, further modeled sacrificial commitment to ideals, embedding in Menotti a ethos that propelled his early participation in his father's legions by age 19. This upbringing in revolutionary , devoid of stable domesticity but rich in ideological fervor, oriented Menotti toward a lifetime of military and political engagement mirroring his father's path.

Military Career

Campaigns in the Italian Risorgimento

Menotti Garibaldi entered military service in 1859 at age 19 during the Second Italian War of Independence, joining the Cacciatori delle Alpi volunteer corps commanded by his father, . He served as a mounted guide in the Lombardy campaign, demonstrating early valor against Austrian forces. In 1860, Menotti participated in the aimed at conquering the Kingdom of the Two . Assigned to Nino Bixio's battalion as a lieutenant, he fought at the on 15 May, sustaining a light wound to his hand amid the decisive clash that boosted Garibaldine momentum in . After crossing to the mainland and entering on 11 September, he was promoted to major and commanded a battalion in the 18th Division at the on 1 October, contributing to the rout of approximately 30,000 Bourbon troops by Garibaldi's 20,000 volunteers. Seeking to address the "Roman question," Menotti joined his father's 1862 expedition from toward with about 3,000 volunteers. As commander of the 1st battalion, he was lightly wounded in the clash at Aspromonte on 29 August against regular Italian forces enforcing government policy, resulting in Giuseppe Garibaldi's capture and the expedition's failure. During the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866, Menotti served as lieutenant colonel leading the 9th Volunteer Regiment in Garibaldi's operating in the against . He distinguished himself at the on 21 July, where roughly 8,000 Garibaldini defeated a similar number of , securing a tactical victory that advanced Italian claims until the armistice; for his leadership, he received the Gold Medal for Military Valor and the Military Cross of Savoy. In October 1867, at age 27, Menotti commanded a volunteer column invading to liberate from papal control, entering papal territory near Montelibretti on 5 October. The campaign culminated in defeat at the on 3 November, where 5,000 Garibaldini faced combined Franco-Papal forces of similar size, halted by French chassepots rifles despite initial advances.

International Military Engagements

Menotti Garibaldi's most notable international military engagement took place during the of 1870–1871, when he joined his father in supporting the French Republic against Prussian forces. Arriving in on November 7, 1870, alongside his brother Ricciotti, Menotti was appointed commander of the 3rd Brigade within the volunteer Army of the , a of approximately 15,000–20,000 men headquartered in Dole, . The army, comprising French regulars, Italian volunteers, Poles, and others, operated in the region of eastern , conducting guerrilla-style operations against Prussian supply lines and garrisons. Under Menotti's command, the 3rd Brigade participated in skirmishes and defensive actions as part of the broader campaign, which achieved localized successes despite the overall French defeat. The force clashed with Prussian units in areas including the and near , where Italian-led elements repelled attacks in December 1870 and January 1871; for instance, coordinated brigade movements contributed to the disruption of Prussian advances, though exact casualties under Menotti's direct leadership remain sparsely documented in primary accounts. By early 1871, mounting Prussian pressure and the French on January 28 forced the to disband, with Menotti returning to without sustaining major personal injuries reported from these operations. Prior to this, in 1863, Menotti had organized the Garibaldi Legion, recruiting several hundred Italian volunteers in support of the Polish January Uprising against Russian imperial control; however, he remained in Italy to coordinate recruitment rather than deploying to the field, where the unit—led by Francesco Nullo—suffered heavy losses before its dissolution later that year. This effort reflected the Garibaldian tradition of transnational republican solidarity but did not involve Menotti in direct combat abroad. No other verified foreign deployments are recorded in his career, distinguishing his international role from his father's more extensive expeditions in and elsewhere.

Key Battles and Personal Injuries

Menotti Garibaldi participated in the military campaigns of the Italian Risorgimento alongside his father, , including service in the Cacciatori delle Alpi during the Second War of Italian Independence in 1859 and command of the 9th Regiment of Volunteers in the Third War of Independence in 1866. He also organized the Garibaldi Legion, a volunteer unit that fought in support of Polish independence during the January Uprising of 1863. In 1870–1871, he served in the under his father's command during the , contributing to engagements such as the Battle of on 21 January 1871, where Italian volunteers helped repel Prussian forces. A notable personal injury occurred during the Battle of Aspromonte on 29 August 1862. As led an unauthorized expedition of volunteers toward to challenge Papal control, regular units of the Kingdom of Italy's army intercepted them in the Aspromonte mountains in . In the ensuing firefight, which resulted in several dozen casualties among the volunteers, Menotti was struck by a bullet in the thigh, mirroring the his father sustained in the same action. The incident highlighted tensions between republican volunteers and the monarchical government, leading to the capture and of and his followers, though Menotti's did not result in long-term . Menotti was also present at the on 3 November 1867, another abortive push against Papal territories near , where combined French-Papal forces, employing modern rifles, repelled the Garibaldini despite initial advances. No additional major injuries are documented from his , which emphasized organizational and command roles over frontline combat in later years.

Political Career

Entry into Politics

Domenico Menotti Garibaldi transitioned from his military engagements to political life in the mid-1870s, leveraging his father's legacy and his own record of service in the Risorgimento campaigns. Influenced by Giuseppe Garibaldi's republican ideals, he engaged in early electoral activities that demonstrated political initiative within radical and democratic circles. In November 1876, Menotti was elected to the of the Kingdom of for the XIII Legislature, representing the district of in the . This marked his formal entry into national politics, where he aligned with the Republican Party and broader radical factions, including associations with figures such as Giuseppe Zanardelli, , and . His platform emphasized democratic reforms, , and continuity with the unificationist traditions, reflecting influences and opposition to conservative monarchist elements. Parallel to his parliamentary debut, Menotti pursued local political roles in and , including municipal positions that reinforced his regional influence and commitment to administrative and infrastructural initiatives in support of national unity. These early efforts established him as a proponent of progressive policies, though his tenure was characterized by intermittent participation amid ongoing personal and familial commitments to .

Legislative Roles and Initiatives

Menotti Garibaldi entered the as a to the in November 1876, elected for the district in the XIII legislature. He was reelected for seven subsequent legislatures, serving continuously until the end of the XIV legislature in 1890, with further terms after interruptions in the XV–XVII legislatures, including a seat for the II district until 1900. Affiliated with the radical left, Garibaldi contributed to the dissemination of in and the lower region, aligning closely with Prime Minister on democratic reforms, anticlerical measures, and the administrative centralization of to strengthen national unity. In , he endorsed Italy's early colonial ventures, submitting an order-of-the-day on March 5, 1890, that endorsed the establishment of the colony as a component of a cautious African strategy, reflecting support for measured imperial expansion amid domestic debates on . Domestically, Garibaldi championed land reclamation projects in the Agro Romano, advocating initiatives to drain malarial marshes and develop agriculture, with proposals estimating employment for up to 200,000 workers to boost productivity and elevate Rome's economic role within the kingdom. He presented legislative projects in the XIII, XIV, and XV legislatures, including extensions of concessions related to infrastructure and reform efforts. His tenure faced challenges, including a resignation submitted on March 13, 1890, during the Banca Romana financial scandal, which implicated banking irregularities but was not accepted by the Chamber; a similar resignation attempt in 1894 also failed, allowing his continued service.

Personal Life

Family Relationships

Menotti Garibaldi was the eldest child of , the renowned Italian patriot and military leader, and , known as , a Brazilian revolutionary who accompanied her husband in several campaigns before her death in 1849. Born on 16 September 1840 in , then part of the Kingdom of , Menotti grew up amid his parents' peripatetic following Giuseppe's involvement in the failed revolutions of and 1848. He had three younger siblings born to the same parents: Rosita (1843–1845), who died in infancy during the family's South American exile; Teresa (born 11 September 1845), who later married physician Giovanni Battista Canzio and outlived Menotti, dying in 1903; and Ricciotti (born 24 February 1847), a soldier who participated in the 1866 and lived until 1924. fathered additional children with other women after Anita's death, including a named Anita (1859–1875) and a son named Giuseppe, but these were not full siblings of Menotti. Menotti married Italia Bidischini dall'Oglio, with whom he had six children: Anita (1875–1961), Rosa (1877–1964), Gemma (1878–1951), Giuseppina (born 1883), Giuseppe, and Rosita, who married Count Vittorio Pescara. The family resided primarily in , where Menotti's political and military career intersected with his paternal legacy, though details of his children's lives remain sparsely documented in historical records beyond basic genealogical accounts.

Later Years and Death

In the years following his active political involvement, Menotti Garibaldi focused on land reclamation efforts in the Maccarese marshes near , a project aimed at draining swamps to create , into which he invested much of his personal resources. This endeavor, reflective of broader Italian initiatives to combat malaria-ridden wetlands, ultimately depleted his finances, leaving him in poverty similar to his father's circumstances at death. Garibaldi succumbed to on August 22, 1903, at 6:15 p.m. in , after suffering from related liver complications. His death left his family in straitened circumstances, with one daughter attempting in grief shortly thereafter. The funeral on August 26, 1903, was a grand public event, with his body transported on a to the family he had constructed at Maccarese, drawing widespread attendance in honor of his lineage and contributions.

Controversies

The Aspromonte Incident

In August , at the age of 22, Menotti Garibaldi joined his father, , in an unauthorized military expedition from aimed at marching on to expel papal rule and complete Italian unification, defying the Kingdom of Italy's government under Urbano Rattazzi, which sought to avoid conflict with protecting the . The force, consisting of approximately 2,000 volunteers, landed in and advanced northward through the Aspromonte mountains, where they encountered superior units totaling around 3,000-4,000 troops under General Enrico Cialdini and Colonel Antonio Pallavicini, dispatched to halt the advance without provoking . On August 29, , near the summit of Aspromonte, the Garibaldini volunteers clashed briefly with the royal in a skirmish lasting about 15 minutes; outnumbered and surrounded, ordered his men not to fire to minimize bloodshed, but sustained a severe to his left ankle, while Menotti, fighting alongside his father as one of the expedition's young officers, was also wounded by gunfire amid the engagement. Following the wounding of both Garibaldis and the of their positions, resistance ceased, leading to the surrender and capture of over 2,000 volunteers, including Menotti, who received initial medical attention from army surgeons before being transported for further treatment. The incident sparked widespread controversy, as the wounding of —a national hero of the Risorgimento—by fellow Italians fueled accusations of governmental betrayal, with Rattazzi's administration having tacitly permitted the expedition's start before intervening to preserve diplomatic relations with ; Menotti's injury, though less debilitating than his father's (which prompted debates over amputation), underscored the familial stake in the failed venture and reinforced his commitment to volunteerist . Both were briefly imprisoned—Giuseppe at and later under until his release in 1863—while Menotti, recovering from his wounds, faced no prolonged detention and soon resumed involvement in patriotic activities, viewing the event as a setback but not a deterrent to further efforts for national unity.

Military and Political Criticisms

Menotti Garibaldi's military engagements drew scrutiny for their reliance on irregular volunteer forces, which often proved vulnerable to professionally equipped opponents. During the 1867 expedition against the , he commanded a division in the advance on , culminating in the on November 3, where approximately 5,000 Garibaldini faced papal-zouave troops reinforced by French intervention. The defeat, marked by heavy casualties—over 1,000 Garibaldini killed or wounded compared to fewer than 300 for the defenders—was attributed by contemporaries to the tactical disadvantage of close-order assaults against troops armed with the long-range rifle, highlighting deficiencies in firepower, training, and maneuverability of the volunteers. Government-aligned observers criticized the operation as strategically naive, launched without sufficient artillery or supply lines, and emblematic of adventurism that prioritized ideological goals over feasible military objectives. In the of 1870–71, Menotti led a within the , achieving a temporary recapture of on December 30, 1870, against a Prussian force of about 5,000, through tactics that inflicted around 800 casualties on the enemy. However, Prussian accounts and French military analysts faulted the irregular composition of Garibaldi's units—including disparate international volunteers—for inconsistent and coordination, rendering them ineffective in sustained engagements against the highly organized , which ultimately compelled the force's dissolution after the French on January 28, 1871. Detractors, including Prussian commanders, dismissed such victories as pyrrhic, arguing they stemmed from surprise rather than superior generalship and failed to offset broader strategic collapses. Politically, Menotti's radical republicanism and irredentist advocacy elicited accusations of irresponsibility from moderate liberals and monarchists, who contended his rhetoric endangered Italy's fragile post-unification stability. As a deputy from 1880 onward, he chaired irredentist rallies, such as the July 21, 1878, Rome assembly demanding annexation of Trentino and Trieste, which critics in the Depretis government decried as demagoguery apt to provoke Austria-Hungary without parliamentary consensus or military readiness, potentially isolating Italy diplomatically. His co-signing of the 1873 "Epistle to the Romans," a vehement anticlerical manifesto urging seizure of papal properties and separation of church and state, was lambasted by conservative parliamentarians as exacerbating confessional tensions and undermining the Law of Guarantees that regulated Vatican relations, thereby fostering domestic polarization over pragmatic governance. These positions, rooted in fidelity to his father's legacy, were seen by opponents as prioritizing revolutionary purity over incremental state-building, contributing to his marginalization in mainstream politics.

Legacy

Contributions to Nationalism

Menotti Garibaldi extended his father's legacy in advancing by participating in military campaigns during the Risorgimento and later championing irredentist causes to redeem unredeemed Italian territories. Born in , he fought as a volunteer soldier in the Third War of Independence in 1866, aligning with Giuseppe Garibaldi's Volunteer Corps of the Alps against Austrian forces in the region, contributing to efforts aimed at expanding Italian control over ethnically Italian lands despite the campaign's ultimate setbacks. Post-unification, Garibaldi's political activities focused on , the ideological push to annex regions like Trentino-Alto Adige and from , viewing incomplete borders as a failure of the Risorgimento. He served on key committees during the Near Eastern Crisis (1875–1878), alongside figures such as Giuseppe Avezzana and Aurelio Saffi, to advocate for assertive Italian claims amid the Congress of Berlin's territorial reallocations. A prominent demonstration of his commitment occurred on July 21, 1878, when he presided over a raucous public assembly in demanding the creation of volunteer battalions for territorial expansion, including calls to seize Ottoman-held Tripoli as part of broader irredentist and colonial ambitions tolerated but not fully endorsed by Benedetto Cairoli's government. These efforts underscored his radical stance against diplomatic restraint, prioritizing national completeness over international stability, though they garnered limited due to economic priorities and fear of renewed conflict with .

Historical Evaluations

Historians assess Menotti Garibaldi's contributions as an earnest but secondary figure in the Risorgimento, often extending his father Giuseppe's legacy of volunteer militancy and irredentist fervor rather than innovating independently. His leadership in the 1866 campaign, commanding irregular forces that captured Bezzecca on July 21, demonstrated effective use of mobility against Austrian positions, yet the effort concluded in ordered retreat following the of August 12, limiting territorial gains to symbolic assertions of Italian claims. The 1867 expedition toward , initially under Menotti's direction with approximately 3,000 volunteers, exemplifies both his commitment to completing unification by ousting papal rule and the tactical shortcomings of such ventures. Launched in October amid monarchist reluctance, the force advanced to near Mentana but suffered defeat on November 3 against and French reinforcements armed with superior rifles, resulting in over 1,000 Italian casualties. Contemporary military analyses, including Giuseppe Garibaldi's own observations upon joining, highlighted organizational failures such as inadequate provisioning and , attributing the collapse to these deficiencies rather than solely enemy strength. Politically, as a deputy for the Extreme Left from districts in Emilia-Romagna starting in 1876, Menotti advocated irredentist agitation against Austria and critiqued the Triple Alliance of 1882, aligning with Mazzinian republicanism while engaging in international causes like the 1870 Garibaldi Legion in the Franco-Prussian War. Later evaluations, particularly among nationalist scholars, credit him with sustaining garibaldine populism through commemorative events and public advocacy, such as chairing irredentist rallies in 1878, though his parliamentary impact remained marginal due to factional isolation. Critics, including diplomatic historians, note his ventures often exacerbated Italy's foreign policy constraints, prioritizing ideological purity over pragmatic state-building, as evidenced by aborted schemes like a proposed 1879 New Guinea expedition. In broader , Menotti's legacy is one of principled continuity amid diminishing momentum post-1870, with his 1882 endorsement of Egyptian rebel Ahmad Urabi invoking paternal internationalism but yielding no concrete outcomes. While praised for personal valor—earning two silver medals for wartime service—assessments underscore a reliance on hereditary prestige, rendering him a "defeated hero" in ventures like Mentana, where enthusiasm outpaced preparation. This duality reflects causal tensions in post-unification : volunteer zeal clashing with monarchical consolidation, yielding enduring resonance but limited empirical success in advancing national borders or reforms.

References

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