Italy 1861

Guiseppe Garibaldi began his invasion of the south by leading a small force of red shirted volunteers onto ships in Genoa. They numbered only 1,000 [link] . They landed in Sicily and survived the battle of Calatafimi. Though the battle was inconclusive the failure of the Neapolitan army to destroy the invasion force made it a victory for Garibaldi. Local Sicilians soon began to join the Redshirts. Not long after they seized the city of Palermo. Later Messina in the east fell to the Redshirts, opening the way for an advance into Calabria. In many ways Garibaldi's reputation preceded him; known as a friend to revolutionaries worldwide, enemy soldiers began to disband to join his army. The Neapolitans were forced to abandon their capitol. By this time Sardinian forces had crossed through the Papal territories, seizing the city of Ancona. The Sardinians linked with the Redshirts and proceeded to besiege the fortress of Gaeta where the king of Naples made his last stand. With the south of the peninsula now under the sovereignty of Sardinia Piedmont, Garibaldi retired. King Victor Emmanuel II then proclaimed the Kingdom of Italy on March 17, 1861.

But though Italy was now a country, Rome and Venice still remained under foreign control.

Risorgimento

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2/19/12 EDIT:
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