ABSTRACT
Leone Serena was a Venetian patriot, a shipping and insurance broker by profession, who played a part in the defence of the Venetian Republic in 1848-9 at the side of Daniele Manin. He was a member of the Comitato di pubblica vigilanza, set up on 18 August 1848, to uncover and forestall conspiracies against the state. It was probably because of his membership of this committee that The Times described him as 'a member of the Provisional Government of Venice in the Revolution'. Towards the end of 1848, Leone Serena has returned to Venice, when a list was handed over by the Austrians to the delegates of the Venetian Municipality on 22 August 1849 or soon afterwards. Arthur Serena also endowed Chairs of Italian in the universities of Manchester and Birmingham that established an annual Gold Medal for Italian studies in the gift of the British Academy, and founded Chairs of English in Italy.
