Alessandro Begani (Naples, 19 June 1770 – 24 April 1837)
Son of a noble officer, he entered the military Academy of Naples in 1784, leaving it in 1792 to join the artillery. In 1794 he was “accused of excessive friendship with his general Pommereul, and sharing his political views”, leading to arrest for three years and suspension from his rank. He went into service in the Roman Republic in 1798-99. After the siege of Ancona, where he commanded the artillery, he was a member of the theoretical training commission of the Cisalpine army and in the Italian Legion. He was confirmed as a captain 1st class on 22 March 1802, and was promoted to battalion chief on 12 November 1804. In 1806 he came back to the Kingdom of Naples as a major and commanded the regiment in Capua, where he formed a firing school (scuola del poligono). In 1810 he was appointed inspector, colonel and chief of staff of the artillery, becoming a baron in 1811 and in 1814 a brigadier. He defended Gaeta from the Anglo-Austrian siege up to 8 August 1815. Exiled in Rome, then in Corsica, he came back in 1820, was elected a member of Parliament and defended Gaeta again. Arrested, he was freed but forced into exile: he went to Pisa in 1822, but came back again to Naples in 1834 as commander of the fortress of Capua (Cf. d’Ayala, Mariano. 1843. Le vite de’ più celebri capitani e soldati napoletani dalla giornata di Bitonto fino ai dì nostri. Naples: Stamperia dell’Iride: 129-138 and https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/alessandro-begani_(Dizionario-Biografico)/?search=BEGANI%2C%20Alessandro%2F)