Masaniello (Tommaso Aniello)

Tommaso Aniello (1620–1647), known as Masaniello, was a fisherman and smuggler in Spanish-ruled Naples. He sold fish to evade tax and was often imprisoned; his wife Bernardina was jailed for bringing untaxed flour into the city.

In July 1647 a new tax on fruit drove the vendors to rise; on 7 July he led the riot that burned the customs houses and forced the viceroy to flee his palace. Made captain-general of the people, he saw him swear to their demands on 13 July.

Accused of madness, he was murdered on 16 July in a monastery. The revolt he began led to the short-lived Neapolitan Republic that year.