CARACCIOLO, FRANCESCO, PRINCE (1732-1799), Neapolitan admiral and revolutionary, was born on Jan. 18, 173 2. He learnt his seamanship under Rodney, and fought with distinc tion in the British service in the American War of Independence, against the Barbary pirates, and against the French at Toulon. He was the only prominent Neapolitan trusted by King Ferdinand IV., and he remained loyal to the king until the latter's cowardly flight. In Jan. 1799 Caracciolo returned to Naples, where he found himself welcomed with great enthusiasm, and the city seething with revolution. He assumed command of the new Re public's naval forces and fought against the British and Neapoli tan squadrons. Finally he found himself surrounded by the Brit ish fleet at sea while on land Cardinal Ruffo's army made re sistance useless. In trying to escape in disguise, Caracciolo was arrested and brought in chains on board Nelson's flagship. There he was summarily tried and sentenced to death ; the sentence being immediately executed by his being hanged from the yard arm of the "Minerva" on June 3o, 1799. The whole trial and exe cution were indefensible, alike on the grounds of legality and naval usage, and are to be ascribed to personal spite on the part of Queen Maria Carolina working through the influence of Lady Hamilton over Nelson.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.—R. Kossmann, Lord Nelson and der Herzog Franz Bibliography.—R. Kossmann, Lord Nelson and der Herzog Franz Caraccioli (1895), in R. L. C. Virchow and F. von mansdorf, Sammlung gemeinverstandlicher wissenscha f tlicher V ortrdge, vol. 224 (1887, etc.) ; F. Lemmi, Nelson e Caraccioli e la Repubblica napoleana in the Reale Institute di Studi Superiori, Pubblicazioni Sezione di filosofia No. 35 (Florence, 1898) ; C. Gig1ioli, Naples in i799 (1903) ; Nelson and the Neapolitan Jacobins (ed. by H. C. Gutteridge, 1903) , in the Navy Record Society Publications, vol. 25 (1894, etc.) , containing all the documents on the episode, including those incorrectly transcribed by A. Dumas in his Borboni di Napoli (Naples, 1862-63), and bibliography.