Unification of Italy

Quick Facts: Who was Unification of Italy?

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Unification of Italy

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The 19th-century movement culminating in the creation of the Kingdom of Italy.

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Origins & Early Life

The unification of Italy (Italian: Unità d'Italia [uniˈta ddiˈtaːlja]), also known as the Risorgimento (Italian: [risordʒiˈmento]; lit. 'Resurgence'), was the 19th-century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian Peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of Sardinia, resulting in the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. Inspired by the rebellions in the 1820s and 1830s against the outcome of the Congress of Vienna, the unification process was precipitated by the Revolutions of 1848, and reached completion in 1871 with the official designation of Rome as capital of Italy, following the capture of Rome in 1870. Individuals who played a major part in the struggle for unification and liberation from foreign domination included King Victor Emmanuel II; politician, economist and statesman Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour; general Giuseppe Garibaldi; and journalist and politician Giuseppe Mazzini. Borrowing from the old Latin title Pater Patriae of the Roman emperors, the Italians gave to King Victor Emmanuel II the epithet of Father of the Fatherland (Italian: Padre della Patria).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Even after 1871, many ethnic Italian speakers, most notably those living in Trentino and Venezia Giulia, remained outside of the borders of the Kingdom of Italy, planting the seeds of Italian irredentism. The annexation of Trento and Trieste in 1918, at the end of World War I, is often considered the culmination of the Italian unification movement. Italy celebrates the anniversary of the unification on 17 March (the date of proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy). Some of the states that had been envisaged as part of the unification process (terre irredente) did not join the Kingdom until after Italy defeated Austria-Hungary in World War I, culminating in the Treaty of Rapallo in 1920. Some historians see the Risorgimento as continuing to that time, which is the view presented at the Central Museum of the Risorgimento at Altare della Patria in Rome.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Italy was unified by the Roman Republic in the latter part of the third century BCE. For 700 years, it was a de facto territorial extension of the capital of the Roman Republic and Empire, and for a long time experienced a privileged status but was not converted into a province. Under Augustus, the previous differences in municipal and political rights were abolished and Roman Italy was subdivided into administrative regions ruled directly by the Roman Senate. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Italy remained united under the Ostrogothic Kingdom and after 568 was disputed between the Kingdom of the Lombards and the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire, losing its unity for centuries. Following conquest by the Frankish Empire, the title of King of Italy merged with the office of Holy Roman Emperor; however, the emperor was an absentee German-speaking foreigner who had little interest in governing Italy and indeed never controlled the entire peninsula.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1848: 1848 Milestone — Inspired by the rebellions in the 1820s and 1830s against the outcome of the Congress of Vienna, the unification process was precipitated by the Revolutions of 1848, and reached completion in 1871 with the official designation of Rome as capital of Italy, following the capture of Rome in 1870.
2. 1861: 1861 Milestone — 'Resurgence'), was the 19th-century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian Peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of Sardinia, resulting in the creation of the Kingdom of Italy.
3. 1871: 1871 Milestone — Even after 1871, many ethnic Italian speakers, most notably those living in Trentino and Venezia Giulia, remained outside of the borders of the Kingdom of Italy, planting the seeds of Italian irredentism.
4. 1918: 1918 Milestone — The annexation of Trento and Trieste in 1918, at the end of World War I, is often considered the culmination of the Italian unification movement.
5. 1920: 1920 Milestone — Some of the states that had been envisaged as part of the unification process (terre irredente) did not join the Kingdom until after Italy defeated Austria-Hungary in World War I, culminating in the Treaty of Rapallo in 1920.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Unification of Italy

True or False: “The unification process was completed solely with the annexation of Rome in 1870.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the capture of Rome in 1870 was pivotal, some historians view the Risorgimento as continuing until the annexations following World War I.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abdülmecid I — Historical peer (Died in 1861) (1861): 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, known for initiating the Tanzimat era of reform.
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• Abanindranath Tagore — Historical peer (Born in 1871) (1871): Pioneering figure of the Bengal School, modernizing Indian art against Western influence.
• Alexander Scriabin — Historical peer (Born in 1871) (1871): Russian composer and pianist, known for his highly dissonant, mystical, and color-coded musical language.
• Adam Lindsay Gordon — Historical peer (Died in 1870) (1870): Pioneering British-Australian poet, horseman, and politician of the Victorian era.
• Adolf Loos — Historical peer (Born in 1870) (1870): Pioneering architect and theorist of modernism, known for his critique of ornamentation.
• Abdul Hamid II — Historical peer (Died in 1918) (1918): Last effective Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, navigating decline and constitutional upheaval.
• Abraham Pais — Historical peer (Born in 1918) (1918): Pioneering physicist and acclaimed science historian of modern physics.
• Abraham Kuyper — Historical peer (Died in 1920) (1920): Influential neo-Calvinist pastor, journalist, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
• Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani — Historical peer (Born in 1920) (1920): Emir of Qatar (1960–1972) whose reign oversaw the nation's oil boom and independence.

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