176 years ago today, on February 9, 1849 (January 17, 1849 lunar calendar), the Roman Republic was proclaimed. The Roman Republic (19th century) was a short-lived (four-month) state established in February 1849, when the Papal State was overthrown by Carlo Armellini, Guzeppe Mazzini, and Aurelio Saffi. According to the Constitution of the Roman Republic, all religions could be free, and the Pope had the right to govern the Catholic Church. At that time, Judaism was legal under the control of the Papal State, and Jews carried out the traditions of Judaism. But Jews were still discriminated against and opposed in many ways; all other religions (except Catholicism and Judaism) were banned. In addition, the Constitution of the Roman Republic was the first constitution in the world to abolish the death penalty. History Course On November 15, 1848, Pellegrino Rossi, the justice minister of the Papal States, was assassinated. The next day the inhabitants of Rome filled the streets, and small organizations demanded a democratic government, social reforms, and a declaration of war with the Austrian Empire. Pope Pius IX quickly left Rome disguised as an ordinary priest, all the way to Gaeta, a fortress of the Kingdom of the TheKingdomoftheTwoSicilies. Rome suddenly lost its government, and the people decided to issue a government election on January 21, 1849. Since the Pope prohibited Catholics from voting in the election, the victory of the election was favored by the Republicans. On February 8, 1849, the Constitutional Assembly declared the official establishment of the Roman Republic. After news of the Piedmontese's defeat at the Battle of Novara broke, the General Assembly proclaimed the three-man government, Carlo Armellini, Mattia Montecchi, and Aurelio Saliceti, led by Muzzarelli and organized by Aurelio Saffi. Under the rule of the Roman Republic, the Pope had the right to continue in his role as head of the Roman Church. The three-man government also abolished heavy taxes and created new jobs for the unemployed. The Italian patriot and soldier Giuzeppe Garibaldi organized the "Italian Army", which included many recruits/volunteers from Venetian and Lombardy in the foothills and Austrian territories. He gathered about a thousand soldiers and landed in Marsala, western Sicily, Italy, on May 11. Giuzeppe Garibaldi defeated an enemy army on May 13. The next day, he proclaimed himself dictator of Sicily under the name of Vittorio Emmanuel II. On May 27, Guzeppe Garibaldi besieged the city of Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Guzeppe Garibaldi had the support of many Sicilian people, so the local residents rebelled against the Sicilian army defending the city. Roman Republic (18th century) The 18th century Roman Republic was a short-lived state that existed from 1798 to 1800. On March 7, 1798, France invaded the Papal States of Rome and established a new Roman Republic, in part to avenge the murder of General Mathurin-Léonard Duphot the previous year. Pope Pius VI was escorted to France and died in 1799. In 1799, the Tiberian Republic was incorporated into the Roman Republic. In June 1800, the Papal States were re-established and the Roman Republic ended.