Italian Unification

French forces invade the Papal States.

Mar 2, 1798

French forces invade the Papal States and establish the Roman Republic.
The invasions of Napoleon sparked dreams of national unity throughout the Italian states.

The Carbonari

Oct 18, 1811

The Liberation of Italy 1815-1870The first lodges of the Carbonari were formed in southern Italy in the early 1800s. They acquired a republican and patriotic character, opposing Joachim Murat, the Napoleonic ruler of Naples. The movement spread northward into the Marches and the Romagna by 1814. In general, the Carbonari favoured constitutional and representative government and wished to protect Italian interests against foreigners.

The Young Italy Movement

Jul 1, 1831

Guiseppe Mazzini: Young Italy (1831)Young Italy (Italian: La Giovine Italia) was a political movement founded in 1831 by Giuseppe Mazzini. The goal of this movement was to create a united Italian republic through promoting a general insurrection in the Italian reactionary states and in the lands occupied by the Austrian Empire. Mazzini's belief was that a popular uprising would create a unified Italy.

Guisippe Garibaldi

May 11, 1860

Garibaldi's simple radicalism sparked the first political awareness in many of his fellow countrymen and brought home to them the significance of nationalism.

King of Italy crowned

Mar 17, 1861

Victor Emmanuel's opening speech to the Italian Parliament
This document is a positive influence on role of nationalism in the unification of the Italian States.