Unification of Italy

The 19th-century political process that united most Italian states under the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed in 1861 and completed with Rome’s annexation in 1870.

Second Italian War of Independence: The 1859 war in which France and Piedmont-Sardinia fought Austria, bringing Lombardy into the unification process. Its victory weakened Austrian control in northern Italy and opened the way for annexations.
Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour: The Piedmontese statesman who used diplomacy, alliances, and war to expand Sardinia-Piedmont’s power. As prime minister, he secured French support and guided the northern phase of unification.
Congress of Vienna: The 1814–1815 diplomatic settlement that redrew Europe after Napoleon’s defeat and restored dynastic rule. Its settlement divided Italy among states and strengthened Austrian influence, conditions nationalists sought to overturn.
Rome Question: The dispute between the Kingdom of Italy and the papacy over Rome’s status after its annexation in 1870. The final territorial gain began a prolonged confrontation between the new state and the pope.
Federalism: A system of government that divides authority between a central government and constituent regional governments. Federal proposals offered an alternative to the centralized state established under the House of Savoy.
Expedition of the Thousand: Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860 campaign, in which volunteers conquered Sicily and Naples for the Italian cause. Garibaldi’s southern campaign brought the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies into the emerging kingdom.
Giuseppe Garibaldi: An Italian nationalist and military commander who led the Expedition of the Thousand in 1860. His volunteer army conquered the south and then yielded its gains to Victor Emmanuel II.
Carbonari: A secret revolutionary network active in Italy and other parts of Europe during the early 19th century. Its uprisings helped establish a tradition of clandestine resistance to restored rulers.
Law of Guarantees: The 1871 Italian law that defined the pope’s privileges and status after Rome became the kingdom’s capital. It was the state’s unilateral attempt to settle the conflict triggered by Rome’s annexation.
Republicanism: A political tradition that rejects hereditary monarchy and grounds government in popular sovereignty. Mazzini’s republican ideal differed from the monarchy that ultimately led the unification process.

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