Italy 1866

By this time, Italian unification had slowed to a halt. Venice still remained under Austrian rule, constructing ships for their fleet. Rome remained under the rule of the Pope. Surrounded by an international guard of Catholic volunteers in addition to his Swiss Guards, the Pope was well protected. In addition, the French still kept a strong military force in Rome, giving them the prestige of being the defender of the Catholic Church.

Then, came the German wars of unification. Otto von Bismarck, minister - president and foreign minister of Prussia, arranged an alliance with Austria and won a quick war against the Danes. He then turned on the Austrians and began the Austro - Prussian War. The Italians, seeing their chance, began an invasion of the Venetio. The Austrians struck back, but the battle was indecisive. To the north, in a series of epic campaigns over seven weeks, the Prussians defeated the Austrian army and closed in on Vienna. The Austrians agreed to give Venice to the Italians. Thus Venice was redeemed (redente)

But, the most important part of Italy remained unredeemed (Italia irredenta). That place was Rome, the eternal city and capitol of the Roman Empire. It still remained in papal hands, guarded by French and international troops. Without Rome, the Kingdom of Italy had no center. The best they could do was shift their capitol to Florence, and hope that a turn of events could make Rome theirs.

Risorgimento

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2/19/12 EDIT:
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