Editing Giuseppe Mazzini (section)

===Early years===
[[File:19092015-DSC 2848-2.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Mazzini's house in Genoa, now seat of the Museum of the Risorgimento and of the Mazzinian Institute]]

Mazzini was born in [[Genoa]], which had recently been annexed by the [[First French Empire]]. His father Giacomo Mazzini, originally from [[Chiavari]], was a university professor who had adhered to [[Jacobin (politics)|Jacobin]] ideology, while his mother Maria Drago was renowned for her beauty and religious [[Jansenist]] fervour. From a very early age, Mazzini showed good learning qualities as well as a precocious interest in politics and literature. He was admitted to university at the age of 14, graduating in law in 1826 and initially practised as a "poor man's lawyer". Mazzini also hoped to become a historical novelist or a dramatist and in the same year wrote his first essay, ''Dell'amor patrio di Dante'' ("On Dante's Patriotic Love"), published in 1827. In 1828–1829, he collaborated with the Genoese newspaper ''L'Indicatore Genovese'' which was soon closed by the Piedmontese authorities. He then became one of the leading authors of ''L'Indicatore Livornese'', published at Livorno by [[Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi]], until this paper was closed down by the authorities.

In 1827, Mazzini travelled to [[Tuscany]], where he became a member of the [[Carbonari]], a secret association with political purposes. On 31 October of that year, he was arrested at Genoa and interned at Savona. In early 1831, he was released from prison, but confined to a small hamlet. He chose exile instead, moving to Geneva, Switzerland.<ref name=dbi/>