The Carbonari (charcoal burners)

The Carbonari (charcoal burners) was a secret brotherhood created for the purpose of overthrowing the Italian government.

They were bearers of freedom and unity movement. Flourished 1796 in Italy, this groups were very similar to Freemasonry. The name refers to the black gowns, masks and hats, carrying the letter K on them. Like other secret societies of the age, the Carbonari had an initiation ceremony, complex symbols, and a hierarchical organization. Its members were scattered across Italy, they had liberal and patriotic ideas and wanted to create a liberal, unified Italian, lower-class Uprising. The Carbonari were led by students from universities along with other Intellectuals. Also included in their program was an anti-Clerical movement. The Carbonari believed that Priests should not have exclusive power in the church system. They were responsible for many uprisings in Spain and in Italy. They inspired many other revolutionary societies to rise up and rebel.

They were gradually absorbed into the Young Italy movement and their influence prepared the way for the Risorgimento movement, which resulted in Italian unification in 1861.