Italian Unification

By Martha Brozyna

  • Final Acts of Congress of Vienna Drawn Up

    Austria occupied the northernmost states of Lombary and Venetia; Austria controlled Tuscany, Parma and Modena. The independence Italians states were Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, government by the Bourbons; the Papal States, ruled by the popes; and Piedmont-Sardinia, ruled by Charles Albert of the Savoy dynasty.

  • Carbonari Founded

    This secret organization’s name came from the charcoal that members used to blacken their faces to disguise their identity. They vowed to oppose Metternich’s Concert of Europe. They sought to resist Austrian control of the region and establishing constitutional rule.

  • Young Italy Movement Founded

    Giuseppe Mazzini founded this organization that was dedicated to Italian unification. Mazzini believed that a mass movement could drive foreigners from Italy, and an Italian republic could be established based on the principles of democracy, equality, and social reform. His vision of a united Italy clashed with the goals of some of his potential allies. Many liberals shared his goal of creating a single Italian states, but not his enthusiasm for the people and popular movements.

  • Mazzini Invades Sardinia

    Mazzini launched an invasion of the kingdom of Sardinia with Giuseppe Garibaldi joining him. He hoped he could bring about liberal revolution in the kingdom. Without sufficient support, however, it fizzled, driving Mazzini into exile in England. Giuseppe Garibaldi will go to South America and fight civil wars in Brazil and Uruguay.

  • Venetia and Lombardy Rebel

    Venetia and Lombardy rebelled against Austrian occupation. King Charles Albert of Piedmont-Sardinia provided them with military support and took up the cause of Italian nationalism, although many claimed that he was interested in expanding his own power.

  • Roman Republic Declared

    A popular uprising challenged the power of the pope in Rome. A new Roman Republic was established with Mazzini as its leader. French forces under Louis Napoleon intervened in the Papal States; and although they met fierce resistance from Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Republican troops, they restored the pope’s power in July.

  • Camillo Cavour was Appointed Prime Minister

    Cavour wanted to modernize Piedmont economically in order to win respect from the European powers. Cavour lowered tariffs, built railroads and balanced the budget of Piedmont. He also wanted to make Piedmont the central force for Italian unification. His plan was to form a new Italian state as a constitutional monarchy under Piedmont’s king, rather than a democratic republic or a confederation under the pope.

  • Crimean War Breaks out

    Cavour saw this war as the perfect opportunity. He brought Piedmont in on the side of Great Britain and France, countries that had joined the Ottoman Turks against Russia. He wanted to elevate Piedmont’s status among the European powers. At the Paris Peace Conference 2 years later, he pleaded Piedmont’s case against Austria so well that he captured the attention of the international community.

  • Napoleon III and Cavour Conspire Against Austria

    Austria was France’s competitor and a chief barrier to Cavour’s hopes for Italian unity. They decided to provoke Austria into a war against Piedmont. Once Austria declared war, France would help Piedmont drive the Austrians out of Lombardy and Venetia. In return, Piedmont would give France the 2 small, French-speaking provinces of Savoy and Nice.

  • War Breaks Out Between Piedmont-Sardinia and Austria

    Piedmont mobilizes its army and refused an Austrian demand to back down. War breaks out and French armies fight alongside the Piedmontese. They pushed the Austrians out of Lombardy. But then Napoleon III made a separate peace with Austria that gave Piedmont Lombardy, but left Venetia in Austria’s possession. War with France gave Cavour’s plans momentum. Later that year, Parma, Modena, Tuscany and Romagna all voted to unite with Piedmont that year.

  • Garibaldi Lands in Sicily

    He brought with him a 1,000 civilian warriors dressed in red shirts. The peasants in southern Italy had already launched a revolt. Garibaldi’s goal was the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples, the largest and most populous of the Italian states, and then Rome itself. Cavour officially condemned this expedition, but secretly assisted it.

  • Cavour Sends Troops

    Garibaldi quickly captured Sicily and entered Naples. The opposing troops didn’t really want to fight Garibaldi’s army. Many, along with civilian women and men in the thousands, joined Garibaldi, and continued going north to Rome. Fearing that an attack on Rome by Garibaldi might lead France and Austria to come to the aid of the pope, Cavour sent troops southward.

  • The Two Armies Meet

    King Victor Emmanuel, marching at the head of his army, gained control over the Papal States. He met Garibaldi’s forces south of Rome. Garibaldi yielded to Victor Emmanuel and his Piedmontese troops.

  • Victor Emmanuel Becomes King of Italy

    All of Italy was united except for Venetia and Rome. Venetia remained in the hands of the Austrians until 1866 when Prussia defeated them. Rome resisted conquest because of Napoleon III’s military presence protecting the pope. In 1870, Napoleon III had to leave Rome during the Franco-Prussian War.