Damon Mcknight
The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, was fought by the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859. The war played a crucial role in the process of Italian Unification.
The Kingdom of Sardinia, supported by the French, mobilised its army on 9 March 1859 and Austria responded by mobilising on 9 April. The war began on 26 April, and the Austrian invasion was stopped by the arrival of French troops in Piedmont. The Austrians were defeated at the Battle of Magenta on 4 June and pushed back to Lombardy, where the Franco-Sardinian victory at the Battle of Solferino on 24 June resulted in the end of the war and the signing of the Armistice of Villafranca on 12 July.
Austria ceded Lombardy to France, which, in turn, gave it to Sardinia. Exploiting the collapse of Austrian power in Italy, Sardinia annexed the United Provinces of Central Italy, consisting of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Parma, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, and the Papal Legations, on 22 March 1860.
The Second Italian War of Independence was won by the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Second French Empire.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 1859 |
| Combatants | Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Austrian Empire | |
| Result | Sardinia won |
| Treaty | Armistice of Villafranca |
What You'll Learn
The Second Italian War of Independence
Prelude to the War
In the year preceding the war, France agreed to support Sardinia's efforts to expel Austria from Italy in exchange for territorial compensation in the form of the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice, as per the Plombières Agreement. The two states signed a military alliance in January 1859. Recognising their need for allies, the Piedmontese, following their defeat by Austria in the First Italian War of Independence, attempted to establish relations with other European powers.
The War
On March 9, 1859, Sardinia mobilised its army, and Austria followed suit on April 9. On April 23, Austria issued an ultimatum to Sardinia, demanding its demobilisation. When Sardinia refused, Austria declared war on April 26 and invaded three days later. France responded by declaring war on Austria on May 3. The Austrian invasion was halted by the arrival of French troops in Piedmont in late April. The Austrians were defeated at the Battle of Magenta on June 4 and pushed back to Lombardy, where the Franco-Sardinian victory at the Battle of Solferino on June 24 marked the end of the war.
Aftermath
The Armistice of Villafranca was signed on July 12, with Austria ceding Lombardy to France, which then gave it to Sardinia. On March 22, 1860, Sardinia annexed the United Provinces of Central Italy, which included the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Parma, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, and the Papal Legations. Two days later, at the Treaty of Turin, Sardinia ceded Savoy and Nice to France as compensation for its assistance. The collapse of Austrian power in Italy and the subsequent unification of the Italian Peninsula under the House of Savoy severely weakened Austria's influence in Italy.
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The Sardinian War
The Second Italian War of Independence, also known as the Sardinian War, was fought by the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859. The war played a crucial role in the Italian Unification process.
In the year preceding the war, France agreed to support Sardinia's efforts to expel Austria from Italy in exchange for territorial compensation. The two states signed a military alliance in January 1859, and Sardinia mobilised its army on March 9, with Austria following suit on April 9. Austria then delivered an ultimatum to Sardinia on April 23, demanding its demobilisation. When Sardinia refused, Austria invaded three days later, and the war officially commenced on April 26.
The Austrian invasion was thwarted by the arrival of French troops in Piedmont in late April. The Austrians were defeated at the Battle of Magenta on June 4 and pushed back to Lombardy, where the Franco-Sardinian victory at the Battle of Solferino on June 24 marked the end of the war and the signing of the Armistice of Villafranca on July 12.
Austria ceded Lombardy to France, which was then given to Sardinia. Exploiting Austria's weakened position, Sardinia went on to annex the United Provinces of Central Italy, which included the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Parma, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, and the Papal Legations, on March 22, 1860. Two days later, Sardinia ceded Savoy and Nice to France as compensation for its assistance.
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The Austro-Sardinian War
In the year leading up to the war, France agreed to support Sardinia's efforts to expel Austria from Italy in exchange for territorial compensation. In January 1859, the two states signed a military alliance. On March 9, Sardinia mobilised its army, and Austria responded by mobilising on April 9. On April 23, Austria delivered an ultimatum to Sardinia, demanding its demobilisation. When Sardinia refused, Austria started a war against Sardinia on April 26.
The Austrian invasion of Sardinia was stopped by the arrival of French troops in Piedmont. The Austrians were defeated at the Battle of Magenta on June 4 and pushed back to Lombardy, where the Franco-Sardinian victory at the Battle of Solferino on June 24 resulted in the end of the war.
Austria ceded Lombardy to France, which, in turn, gave it to Sardinia. Exploiting the collapse of Austrian power in Italy, Sardinia annexed the United Provinces of Central Italy, consisting of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Parma, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, and the Papal Legations. Sardinia also ceded Savoy and Nice to France as compensation for its assistance.
The war combined technical innovations such as railroads and rifled firearms with Napoleonic-era tactics. It was short but bloody, and it laid the foundation for a united Italy and the International Red Cross.
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The Franco-Austrian War
The Second Italian War of Independence, also known as the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Italian War of 1859, or the Franco-Austrian War, was fought by the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859. This war played a crucial role in the Italian Unification process.
Prelude to the War
In the year leading up to the war, France agreed to support Sardinia's efforts to expel Austria from Italy in exchange for territorial compensation in the form of the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice, as outlined in the Plombières Agreement. The two nations formalised their military alliance in January 1859.
Mobilisation
Sardinia mobilised its army on 9 March 1859, and Austria responded by mobilising on 9 April. On 23 April, Austria issued an ultimatum to Sardinia, demanding its demobilisation. When Sardinia refused, Austria initiated the war on 26 April and invaded Sardinia three days later. France declared war on Austria on 3 May.
The War
The arrival of French troops in Piedmont, which had begun in late April, halted the Austrian invasion. The Austrians were defeated at the Battle of Magenta on 4 June and forced to retreat to Lombardy. The Franco-Sardinian victory at the Battle of Solferino on 24 June ended the war, and the Armistice of Villafranca was signed on 12 July.
Aftermath
Austria ceded Lombardy to France, which then gave it to Sardinia. The collapse of Austrian power in Italy allowed Sardinia to annex the United Provinces of Central Italy, which included the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Parma, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, and the Papal Legations. On 24 March 1860, Sardinia ceded Savoy and Nice to France as compensation for its assistance.
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The Italian War of 1859
Prelude to the War
In the Plombières Agreement, a year before the war, France agreed to support Sardinia's efforts to expel Austria from Italy. In return, Sardinia promised territorial compensation in the form of the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice. The two states signed a military alliance in January 1859.
Hostilities Commence
Sardinia mobilised its army on 9 March 1859, and Austria responded by mobilising on 9 April. On 23 April, Austria issued an ultimatum to Sardinia, demanding its demobilisation. When Sardinia refused, Austria declared war on 26 April and invaded three days later. France declared war on Austria on 3 May.
The War
The Austrian invasion was stopped by the arrival of French troops in Piedmont. The French and Sardinians defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Magenta on 4 June and pushed them back to Lombardy. The decisive Battle of Solferino on 24 June resulted in an Austro-Sardinian victory, ending the war and leading to the signing of the Armistice of Villafranca on 12 July.
Aftermath
Austria ceded Lombardy to France, which then gave it to Sardinia. Sardinia exploited Austria's collapse in Italy by annexing the United Provinces of Central Italy on 22 March 1860. Two days later, Sardinia ceded Savoy and Nice to France as compensation for its assistance. This latter move was opposed by Italian national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, a native of Nice, and it directly led to Garibaldi's expedition to Sicily, which completed the preliminary Unification of Italy.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Italy won the Second Italian War of Independence.
The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859, was fought by the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859. It played a crucial part in the process of Italian Unification.
The Kingdom of Sardinia mobilised its army on 9 March 1859, and Austria mobilised on 9 April. On 23 April, Austria delivered an ultimatum to Sardinia demanding its demobilisation. When Sardinia refused, the war began on 26 April. Austria invaded Sardinia three days later, and France declared war on Austria on 3 May. The Austrian invasion was stopped by the arrival of French troops in Piedmont that had begun in late April. The Austrians were defeated at the Battle of Magenta on 4 June and pushed back to Lombardy, where the Franco-Sardinian victory at the Battle of Solferino on 24 June resulted in the end of the war and the signing of the Armistice of Villafranca on 12 July.
