In early 19th-century France, «Duke of Rovigo» was a name that commanded respect. It was borne by Anne-Jean-Marie-René Savary (1774-1833), one of Napoleon's most loyal men, who conferred the title on him in 1808.
Savary had no roots in the Polesine: he was a French soldier. In 1804 he had directed the abduction and execution of the Duke of Enghien, accused of conspiracy but, according to historians, not involved. In June 1810 he replaced Fouché as Minister of General Police. Later, in 1832, he led the French army in Algeria.
His memoirs, published in 1828 in eight volumes, still bear that title. And so the city's name became a fixture in the history of the Napoleonic age.
