Yanghwajin (양화진) Cemetery is a silent sanctuary, an oasis of peace surrounded by the turbulence and noise of Seoul—one of the largest and most crowded cities in the world. It is in the oldest part of this cemetery, near a low hedge, that a short cracked gravestone stands. It pales in comparison with many of the surrounding gravestones, but like them it bears evidence of a person that lived and died over 100 years ago. Who is buried here? The Italian inscription proclaims this to be the resting place of Count Ugo Francesetti di Malgrà (1877-1902), but this is not actually how it turned out.
The count was born in Torino, Italy, on 19 February 1877. Details of his early childhood are unknown, but he, like many young men, joined the Italian Navy in which he served as a lieutenant.
In 1900 the Boxer Rebellion (義和團, Yìhétuán), broke out in China. Hundreds of people, mainly Christians and foreigners, were massacred by Chinese mobs. Western nations and Japan sent warships and troops to protect their citizens and assist the Chinese government in putting down the rebellion. It is possible that the count took part in some of these operations in China, but nothing appears in the consulted documentation. After the Boxer Rebellion had been suppressed, Italy became aware that other Western nations had seized assets and concessions throughout the Far East. Italy, too, desired to obtain its share. Korea was one of the few countries in which Italy still had a chance of gaining concessions. Even though the Korean-Italian Treaty was signed on 26 June 1884 and later ratified on 24 July 1886, by Captain Federico Craviosa of the Italian Navy, Italy had not yet a legation or representative in the country. This was soon to change.
On 8 December 1901, the count arrived in Seoul and a week later presented his credentials as the Italian consul to King/Emperor Kojong (高宗, 고종; Emperor Kwangmu, 光武帝, 광무제, 1852-1919, r.1863-1907). He was immediately welcomed into the rapidly growing foreign diplomatic community. There were nearly 400 Westerners living in Seoul and Chemulpo (today Inchon, 仁川, 인천) and steamships and Western warships visited Chemulpo port every couple of days bringing a large numbers of visitors. Most of the Westerners established themselves in various social circles and generally kept pretty much within them. The foreign diplomats had their own circle. Count Ugo Francesetti di Malgrà’ was a young man, only 24 years old, obviously very well cultured, educated and probably very handsome. He immediately gained the attention of several young unmarried—and some older married—women and probably aroused the jealousy of a number of the young male diplomats who did not appreciate additional competition. His closest friend was probably Gordon Paddock (1865-1932), the American Consul General, but he was also close friends with Maurice Cuvelier, the Belgian Vice Consul. It was this last relationship that led to his problems with some of the other foreigners in Seoul.
An American businessman, Henry Collbran (1852-??), lived in Seoul with his second wife and his 2 sons and a daughter from his first marriage. They played an important role in the social life of Seoul and it is only natural that the count would have associated with them. The Belgian Vice Consul was fascinated with Henry Collbran's 21 years old daughter, Christine Collbran and asked for her hand in marriage, but she refused. Christine's stepmother urged her to accept the proposal, not because she thought the marriage would be good for her stepdaughter, but because she saw her daughter as competition. Christine liked the count, who did show her attention, but only because he was friends with Cuvelier. The stepmother wanted Francesetti for herself and got so violently jealous of her daughter that Francesetti was drawn into the affair and finally forbidden to come to the house. Eventually the stepmother's attention turned elsewhere—she became interested in Gordon Paddock. The American minister to Korea aptly noted that “The Collbran marriage was ever a queer thing.’’
September 1902 was a month that most of the foreigners living in Seoul would remember with fear. First a cholera epidemic struck the city and took a heavy toll upon the Korean population, but it also hit the diplomatic community. On 20 September, a Russian interpreter at the Russian Legation died of the disease and within a week a visiting Austrian also died. Several others contracted it, but they were fortunate and eventually recovered. Even while the cholera epidemic was raging, another epidemic began—typhoid.
The young diplomats, sons and daughters of the Western businessmen and the younger unmarried missionaries often socialised together. They generally spent their time playing tennis, riding, hiking in the mountains or on picnics—it was this close association that proved fatal to at least 2 of them.
In late September Count Ugo Francesetti di Malgrà was the first to fall ill with what the Presbyterian missionary Dr. Horace Newton Allen (1858-1932) thought was remittent fever, but was later diagnosed as typhoid. Having no family in Korea, two young nurses volunteered to take care of him. They and the doctor did what they could but he grew weaker and weaker as each day passed and on 12 October he died. Several of his friends soon fell sick with the disease—perhaps they had contracted it from the count during one of their gatherings. A little over a month after the count died, Christine Collbran also passed away. Her brother barely managed to survive his bout of the disease.
The count was born in Torino, Italy, on 19 February 1877. Details of his early childhood are unknown, but he, like many young men, joined the Italian Navy in which he served as a lieutenant.
In 1900 the Boxer Rebellion (義和團, Yìhétuán), broke out in China. Hundreds of people, mainly Christians and foreigners, were massacred by Chinese mobs. Western nations and Japan sent warships and troops to protect their citizens and assist the Chinese government in putting down the rebellion. It is possible that the count took part in some of these operations in China, but nothing appears in the consulted documentation. After the Boxer Rebellion had been suppressed, Italy became aware that other Western nations had seized assets and concessions throughout the Far East. Italy, too, desired to obtain its share. Korea was one of the few countries in which Italy still had a chance of gaining concessions. Even though the Korean-Italian Treaty was signed on 26 June 1884 and later ratified on 24 July 1886, by Captain Federico Craviosa of the Italian Navy, Italy had not yet a legation or representative in the country. This was soon to change.
On 8 December 1901, the count arrived in Seoul and a week later presented his credentials as the Italian consul to King/Emperor Kojong (高宗, 고종; Emperor Kwangmu, 光武帝, 광무제, 1852-1919, r.1863-1907). He was immediately welcomed into the rapidly growing foreign diplomatic community. There were nearly 400 Westerners living in Seoul and Chemulpo (today Inchon, 仁川, 인천) and steamships and Western warships visited Chemulpo port every couple of days bringing a large numbers of visitors. Most of the Westerners established themselves in various social circles and generally kept pretty much within them. The foreign diplomats had their own circle. Count Ugo Francesetti di Malgrà’ was a young man, only 24 years old, obviously very well cultured, educated and probably very handsome. He immediately gained the attention of several young unmarried—and some older married—women and probably aroused the jealousy of a number of the young male diplomats who did not appreciate additional competition. His closest friend was probably Gordon Paddock (1865-1932), the American Consul General, but he was also close friends with Maurice Cuvelier, the Belgian Vice Consul. It was this last relationship that led to his problems with some of the other foreigners in Seoul.
An American businessman, Henry Collbran (1852-??), lived in Seoul with his second wife and his 2 sons and a daughter from his first marriage. They played an important role in the social life of Seoul and it is only natural that the count would have associated with them. The Belgian Vice Consul was fascinated with Henry Collbran's 21 years old daughter, Christine Collbran and asked for her hand in marriage, but she refused. Christine's stepmother urged her to accept the proposal, not because she thought the marriage would be good for her stepdaughter, but because she saw her daughter as competition. Christine liked the count, who did show her attention, but only because he was friends with Cuvelier. The stepmother wanted Francesetti for herself and got so violently jealous of her daughter that Francesetti was drawn into the affair and finally forbidden to come to the house. Eventually the stepmother's attention turned elsewhere—she became interested in Gordon Paddock. The American minister to Korea aptly noted that “The Collbran marriage was ever a queer thing.’’
September 1902 was a month that most of the foreigners living in Seoul would remember with fear. First a cholera epidemic struck the city and took a heavy toll upon the Korean population, but it also hit the diplomatic community. On 20 September, a Russian interpreter at the Russian Legation died of the disease and within a week a visiting Austrian also died. Several others contracted it, but they were fortunate and eventually recovered. Even while the cholera epidemic was raging, another epidemic began—typhoid.
The young diplomats, sons and daughters of the Western businessmen and the younger unmarried missionaries often socialised together. They generally spent their time playing tennis, riding, hiking in the mountains or on picnics—it was this close association that proved fatal to at least 2 of them.
In late September Count Ugo Francesetti di Malgrà was the first to fall ill with what the Presbyterian missionary Dr. Horace Newton Allen (1858-1932) thought was remittent fever, but was later diagnosed as typhoid. Having no family in Korea, two young nurses volunteered to take care of him. They and the doctor did what they could but he grew weaker and weaker as each day passed and on 12 October he died. Several of his friends soon fell sick with the disease—perhaps they had contracted it from the count during one of their gatherings. A little over a month after the count died, Christine Collbran also passed away. Her brother barely managed to survive his bout of the disease.
The Italian Ambassador Massimo Andrea Leggeri and the empty grave
of Count Ugo Francesetti di Malgra' at the Yanghwajin Cemetery in Seoul
of Count Ugo Francesetti di Malgra' at the Yanghwajin Cemetery in Seoul
Count Ugo Francesetti di Malgrà's funeral was held the day after he died in Myongdong Catholic Cathedral (明洞聖堂, 명동성당) and was well attended by members of the Korean government and the diplomatic community. An honour guard of Korean police and soldiers was provided and he was conveyed to Yanghwajin and buried. His post was temporarily—for about a month—occupied by another Italian Naval lieutenant, Count Carlo Fecia di Cossato, until the last Italian consul in Choson Korea, Carlo Rossetti, arrived in November.
On 20 December Countess Francesetti di Malgrà, the mother of the young count and her daughter arrived at Chemulpo aboard the Italian warship Lombardia. They had come to disinter the body of the young count and return it to Italy. While the countess was in Seoul, she talked with all of the count's friends and got “everything she could that he had touched.” Three days after her arrival, Countess Francesetti di Malgrà left Korea with her daughter and the remains of her son. What they did leave behind were memories and an empty grave marked with a tombstone inscribed with his name in Italian on one side, and on the other in English: “He the young and strong who cherished noble longings for the strife by the roadside fell and perished.’’
Giorgio Olivotto
Photo by Giorgio Olivotto
Seoul, Korea
June 26, 2011
Photo by Giorgio Olivotto
Seoul, Korea
June 26, 2011
1 commento:
Dear Sir, I am very interested in your article since I am presently editing the Diplomatic Documents of Belgium related to Korea. I would like to learn more about the relations between Italy and Korea and also know where you got the information concerning the Belgian vice-consul. I would be grateful if we could contact me. Here is my e-mail: adrien.carbonnet@kuleuven.be Best regards, Adrien Carbonnet
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