Risorgimento

Risorgimento (Italian, ‘resurrection’ or ‘rebirth’) (c.1831–61) A period of political unrest in ITALY, during which the united kingdom of Italy emerged. Much of Italy had experienced liberal reforms and an end to feudal and ecclesiastical privilege during the NAPOLEONIC WARS. The restoration of repressive regimes led to uprisings in Naples and Piedmont (1821), and in Bologna (1831), then part of the Papal States. Following the French JULY REVOLUTION in 1830, Italian nationalists began to support MAZZINI and the YOUNG ITALY movement. In this they were encouraged by the liberal Charles Albert, who succeeded to the throne of Sardinia, and became ruler of Piedmont in 1831. In 1847 Count CAVOUR started a newspaper, Il Risorgimento; this had a considerable influence on Charles Albert, who in 1848 tried to drive the Austrians out of Lombardy and Venetia. He was defeated at Custozza (1848) and Novara (1849) and abdicated. He was succeeded by his son VICTOR EMANUEL II. During the REVOLUTIONS OF 1848 republicans held power briefly in Rome, Florence, Turin, and Venice and hoped to create a republic of Italy, but were also defeated. Under the guidance of Cavour, Prime Minister of Piedmont from 1852, the French emperor NAPOLEON III was encouraged to ally with Piedmont, in return for promises of Nice and a part of the Alpine region of Savoy, and Austria was defeated in the battles of MAGENTA and SOLFERINO in 1859. Austria evacuated Lombardy and much of central Italy. GARIBALDI liberated Sicily, marched north and almost reached Rome. Plebiscites were held and resulted in a vote to accept Victor Emanuel II as first King of Italy (1861).