Battle of Solferino

A major battle of the Second Italian War of Independence, fought on June 24, 1859, between French and Sardinian forces and the Austrian Empire.

Second Italian War of Independence: The 1859 war in which France and Sardinia fought Austria over control of northern Italy. Solferino was the war’s decisive, costly battle.
Risorgimento: The political and social movement that unified Italy during the nineteenth century. Italian unification was the conflict’s central political aim.
Armistice of Villafranca: The July 1859 armistice between France and Austria that ended major fighting in the war. It followed Solferino and halted the campaign before Sardinia’s goals were fully met.
Solferino: A town in Lombardy near which the 1859 battle was fought. The town gave the battle its name and marked a key fighting position.
Battle of Magenta: A major 1859 battle in which French and Sardinian forces defeated Austria near Milan. Its allied victory opened the way toward Solferino.
Kingdom of Sardinia: A kingdom centered on Piedmont that led the movement to unify Italy. Its alliance with France brought Sardinian forces into the campaign.
Treaty of Zurich: The 1859 treaties that formally ended the war between Austria, France, and Sardinia. It converted the armistice into a formal settlement.
San Martino della Battaglia: A locality near Lake Garda associated with the northern fighting of June 24, 1859. Its hills became the focus of Sardinian-Austrian combat.
Napoleon III: Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870 and commander of French policy during the 1859 war. He directed French forces that fought at Solferino.
Austrian Empire: A Central European monarchy that ruled Lombardy and Venetia before losing them in Italy’s unification wars. Austria fought to preserve its possessions in northern Italy.

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