Italian Independence wars

During the evolution of the process that would finally have brought to the Italian Unification (Risorgimento), the Italian Independence wars were three wars fought against Austria between 1848 and 1866 and ended with the conquest of the whole Italian territory. The expression usually also indicates related minor conflicts and campaigns, like 1860's campaigns.

The first independence war

The first independence war was declared by the Savoy's Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1848, with the alliance of other Italian states. After an initial successful campaign, with the victories at Goito and Peschiera del Garda, the pope recalled his troops, soon being followed by the other allies. The kingdom of the Two Sicilies too retired, but the general Guglielmo Pepe refused to go back to Naples and went to Venice to protect it.

After the annexion of Lombardy, the expansionist interests of Savoyards became quite evident, and - remained alone - Piedmont was defeated by Austrians at Custoza and forced to accept an armistice. In 1849, in Florence, the Grand-Duke of Tuscany, Leopold II, abandoned the town, which was ruled by a provisional government. In Rome, the Roman republic was declared (with Giuseppe Mazzini as one of the triumviri). Rome was attacked by French troops, but Giuseppe Garibaldi's forces prevailed; the republic would have however soon surrendered.

The second independence war

See main article: Austro-Sardinian War

The second independence war, also known as Austro-Sardinian War, was declared by the kingdom of Sardinia, in 1859, with the alliance of France.

In 1859 emperor Napoleon III and Camillo Cavour, the prime minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia, signed a treaty of alliance against Austria: France would help Sardinia to fight against Austria and Sardinia would give Nicea and Sabaudia to France. In the same year Austria started a war with Sardinia. French and Sardinian armies defeated Austrians in several battles of Palestro (30 May), Montebello, Magenta (4 June) and Solferino (21 June) and took Milan, which was a province of the Austrian Empire. German states forced Napoleon to stop the war, so he signed a amistance with Austria in Villafranca. Kingdom of Lombardy (Milan was its capital), Austrian province in Italy, was transferred to France, which gave it to Sardinia. After the truce of Villafranca rebelions started in northern Italian states. Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany and duke Francis V of Modena escaped from their countries. People of Tuscany, Modena and Parma invited king Victor Emanuel II of Sardinia to rule over them. Napoleon III was afraid of being regarded as a supporter of a revolution, so he forced Victor Emanuel to relinquish the power over those states but in 1860 Cavour convinced the emperor to change his mind. People of Tuscany, Modene, Bolonia and Parma decided in a plebiscite to unite their countries with Sardinia.

In 1860 a revolution statred in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Giuseppe Garibaldi took 1100 soldiers and sailed to Sicily. He defeated the army of sicilian king, Ferdinand II, in the battles of Calatafimi and Volturno. In 1861 a plebiscite in Naples and on Sicily decided for unification to Sardinia. Victor Emanuel was annouced the king of Italy. Finally, the fortress of Gaeta was taken and Ferdinand II escaped to Rome.

The third independence war

The Third Independence War was declared by the kingdom of Italy (unified in 1860) against Austrian Empire, in 1866, with the alliance of Prussia.

In 1866 Italy signed alliance with Prussia against Austria. During the war, Albrecht Hapsburg defeated Italian forces in the battle of Custoza, but thanks to Prussian victory over Austria Italy gained the Kingdom of Venice (the last Austrian province in Italy). The peace between Austria and Italy was signed in Vienna.

In 1870, when Prussia destroyed French Empire, Italian forces overtook the Papal State. Pope Pius IX didn' t accept defeat and forbade Catholics to join Italian political life. Rome became the capital of Italy.