Wars of Italian Independence

A Series of wars that brought about the Unification of Italy.

First Italian War of Independence

The conflicts started in 1848 when the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia declared war on Austria while most of its cities, especially Milan, Venice and Vienna, were in revolt. They had limited support from other major Italian States, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Papal States. Initially the Italian Alliances succeeded in capturing Milan, but the Piedmontese King's (at the time Carlo Alberto) ambiguous attitude, and fear of losing their sovereignty led to the dissolution of their alliance. The Austrians counterattacked and defeated the Piedmontese at Custoza in July 1848, and reclaimed Lombardy by arch the following year. It ended with Piedmont-Sardinia paying an Indemnity to Austria.

Second Italian War of Independence

The defeat confirmed that Piedmont-Sardinia could not defeat the Austrians without an equally powerful ally. With the support of their Prime Minister, Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour, the Italians found an ally in Napoleon III and the French Empire, who signed a secret treaty with Piedmont-Sardinia. Cavour provoked Austria with a series of military maneuvers near their border, which sparked a war in April 1859 when an ultimatum to demobilize went unheeded.

The War's notable high point was the Battle of Solerfino in June 1859, where a combined Franco-Piedmontese Army led by Napoleon III and Piedmontese King Vittorio Emanuele II fought the Austrian Army led by Emperor Franz Josef. It what was considered to be the largest battle since the Battle of Leipzig (with both sides fielding roughly 160,000 troops each) the Franco-Sardinian Army defeated the Austrians, but fearful that more German states would involve themselves in the war, Napoleon agreed to an armistice, and Italy was awarded Lombardy in the ensuing Armistice of Vllafranca. The following year, with French and British Approval, Sardinia annexed Parma, Modena, Tuscany and the Papal Legations, whereas France was given Nice an Savoy as payment for their support in the war.

Expedition of the Thousand

Third Italian War of Independence