1856-61 The Creation of the Kingdom of Italy Flashcards
What was the National Society?
- society formed in the 1850s that aimed to promote unity of Italy
- Cavour allowed this to grow in Piedmont, with membership at 8,000 by 1857
- leaders were Manin, Pallavicino and La Farina
When did Cavour meet up with Manin (now a leader of the National Society) and Garibaldi?
1856 - a step forward in the road to change
- however Cavour didn’t want to seem he was backing radicals so kept up a dialogue with France/Napoleon after the Congress of Paris
Who was Napoleon III
- had been in Italy following the Vienna Settlement of 1815 which exiled him from France
- during this time he had tried to capture the Pope’s castle at Saint Angelo to proclaim his cousin king of Italy
- elected president of French Republic in 1849
- came to the aid of the Pope in 1849 by sending 10,000 troops to win support of the church and strike a blow at the Austrians who were threatening Rome
Why did Napoleon III take up the cause for nationalism?
- had liberal ideals
- wanted to drive out Austrians and create an enlarged Piedmont as a useful ally
- plans for central Italy to be part of piedmont or a separate French controlled state
- Orsini bomb plot in 1858, in which a bomb was thrown at Napoleon and 8 died, 150 injured - Orsini claimed in a letter that he aimed to kill napoleon and replace him with a new Republican gov in France that would help Italy, this appealed to Napoleon to help Italy get independence
When was the Pact of Plombieres?
21st July 1858
What did the Pact of Plombieres do?
- made plans for French military intervention in a war seen to be provoked by Austria (feared Prussia would defend Austria or Britain wouldn’t tolerate France replacing Austrian control)
- a Kingdom of Upper Italy (ruled by the House of Savoy)
- kingdom of Central Italy (controlled by Tuscany, including Umbria and the Papal Marches)
- Rome to remain under Pope control who would lead an Italian confederation
- Naples to remain as it was (didn’t want to upset the Tsar of Russia)
- France to get Nice and Savoy in return for 200,000 soldiers
- marriage of VEII’s 15 year old daughter to Bonaparte prince
Why would nationalists be pleased with the Pact of Plombieres?
- sought Austrian expulsion
- sought recognition of “Italy”
- willing ally in France established
Why would nationalists be displeased with the Pact of Plombieres?
- foreign powers (France) would still have control over areas
- concerned with Piedmontese and French expansion rather than unification
- impoverished south under Bourbon rule remains untouched, Pope still has control
- states still under separate leadership
- principles of the Risorgimento destroyed
What were VEII’s issues following the Pact of Plombieres?
- how to provoke a war with Austria such that they seem the aggressor
- how to produce an army of 100,000 to march Napoleon’s 200,000 (he had 20,000 untrained volunteers from the National Society and 60,000 Piedmontese soldiers)
- how to avoid upsetting Europe, most did not want Austrian-dominated northern Italy to be replaced with the French
- how to encourage enthusiasm for war and keep Napoleon committed
When was the Second War of Italian Independence/Franco-Austrian War?
1859-60
What were the steps up to the war in 1859?
March 1859: Piedmont mobilises its army for “training”
April 1859: Austrians mobilise
23rd: Austria issues an automaton demanding Piedmont demobilise in 3 days
29th: Austria declares war and invades Piedmont, french troops arrive by rail to support Piedmont
What were Austrian troops like in the 1859 war?
commanded by “courtier soldiers” (nobles)
- took 10 days to mobilise
- only partially mobilised as troops were left in Hungary
- 90,000 troops
What were French/Piedmontese troops like in the 1859 war?
- Piedmont officers reluctant to engage, wanted to leave fighting to French
- men arrived by train in advance of their supplies, causing deaths of exposure before getting to the battlefield
What were the names of two important battles in the 1859 war?
- Battle of Magenta
- Battle of Solferino
What happened at the Battle of Magenta?
- French-Sardinian forces halted the Austrians in a skirmish causing them to retreat
- Napoleon moves his troops by rail to circle the Austrians to the north, cutting off its lines of communication and supply
- Austrians responded with 14,000 troops against 10,700 French/Sardinians - resulting in huge Austrian casualties and causing them to retreat across the river Ticino
(- Garibaldi and his 3,000 “Alpine Hunters” simultaneously saw victory at Como) - Napoleon took 30,000 troops across the river to Magenta
- Austrians turned every house into a fortress, most of the fighting was done by 5,000 french grenadiers, but it was a decisive victory - with not a single Piedmontese soldier losing his life