The Unification of Italy

Summary of the unit- 2 parts Understand what Italy was like before 1815 and what problems were faced by those who wished to unite them Understand the various attempts to unite Italy before and during 1848/1849 and the reasons for their failures

Summary of the Unit Understand why changes after 1849 made unification possible in Italy and make a judgment about the personalities involved Understand the developments after unification and make a judgment about how well the rulers of Italy coped with the problems that arose because of unification

Overview little sense of being ‘Italian’- regional loyalties, laws, dialects and customs were more important than national ideals Invasion by the French actually created more unity in Italy- political unity- Bonaparte forced Italians to live in new states with new governments and new laws- Italian Nationalism was a consequence of unpopular French rule Inspiration for increased unity after 1815 came when the old order was restored under Austrian rule

Overview Creation of secret societies was common, idealistic and full of writers and agitators- the most important of these was Mazzini Piedmont was the strongest ‘Italian’ state- nationalist hopes were fixed on Piedmont Italian nationalists were absolutely a minority, when revolutions broke out in 1848 they were bound to fail due to disunity within Italy and the strength of Austria

ITALY ON THE EVE OF THE NAPOLEONIC ERA What was Italy like before 1796?

Italy on the eve of the Revolution Before 1796 Italy was not a country, or even a real geographic territory- just a concept Similar to how we use the term ‘Arab world’ or ‘the West’ 1847 Metternich- “Italy is but a geographic expression”

Italy on the eve of the Revolution Each state had very little in common- no official language, no common form of government, no education system, no standard currency, weights or measures or even time measurement Economic barriers; difficulty crossing frontiers, poor communications and barriers to travel such as mountain ranges A distant tradition in Italy of “Rome”

Ready, set… Blank piece of paper When I say go, draw a map of Italy in 1749

Piedmont-Savoy (Kingdom of Sardinia) Dukes of Savoy and Kings of Sardinia acquired lands over time 1792 Savoy was occupied by France and its people considered themselves French Savoy was separated from Piedmont (which was considered Italian) by a mountain range The island of Sardinia was included in the state but had a distinct dialect and culture of its own Capital of Piedmont was Turin (Torino)

Lombardy Formerly the Duchy of Milan (1749) East of Piedmont and ruled by Austria Milan- impressive capital, efficient administration Well educated citizens, fair tax and legal system Principle of equal rights ruled the justice system

Republics of Venice and Genoa Self-governing states Ruled by heads of state called Doges Elected by the upper classes Venice even had its own colonies along the Adriatic coast- one of the great cities of Europe Genoa was a major trading centre within Europe

Modena and Parma Small states Ruled by Dukes and Duchesses Family closely linked to Austria and the Hapsburg family Hapsburgs were one of the key ruling houses in Europe- Holy Roman Emperors since the 15 th century After 1806 the Hapsburgs ruled Austria from Vienna

Tuscany and Papal States Grand Duchy of Tuscany Capital at Florence Ruled by a Hapsburg relative of the Austrians Papal States- name given to areas ruled directly by the Pope in Rome

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Southern party of Italy Named after the union of the island of Sicily with the large southern state of Naples Ruled by a Spanish family Naples was in fact one of Europe’s largest cities at 300,000 people

Pre-Napoleonic Italy North: Piedmont (the House of Savoy), Lombardy (Austrian rule), Venetia (Austrian Influence) Centre: Central Duchies (Austrian Control), Papal States (Direct Papal rule) South: Kingdom of Naples (Bourbon Rule)