1. The Five Stages of Unification

2. Italy in 1815 Italy was divided by the Vienna Settlement of 1815
This arrangement did not change between 1815 and 1858
From 1859 Italy progressed rapidly towards unification in five distinct stages

3. Stage 1
1859
Following a short war against Austria, Piedmont acquired Lombardy (France supported Piedmont in this war)

4. Stage 2
March 1860
Piedmont took over Parma, Modena, Tuscany and the Romagna (the northern part of the Papal States) following plebiscites in these territories. Piedmont had to cede Nice and Savoy to France as the price of French agreement to this enlargement of Piedmont.

5. Stage 3
March 1861
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Naples and Sicily) and much of the remaining Papal States were united with the north to form the Kingdom of Italy. This followed Garibaldi’s successful expedition to the south in which he captured the southern states from the Bourbons.

6. Stage 4
1866
Italy acquired Venetia from Austria as a result of the Seven Weeks War between Austria and Prussia.

7. Stage 5
1870
Rome and the area surrounding it (with the exception of the Vatican) was seized from the Pope during the Franco-Prussian War ( ) and became the capital of Italy.