In the middle of the 19th century, the Italian peninsula was under the control of Austrian empire. There were previous attempts to unify the peninsula, however, the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia at that point was not strong enough to be able to oppose to the Austrian empire. In other words, the kingdom needed allies who would support it in its attempts to achieve unification and independence. Therefore, Count of Cavour, the Prime Minister of the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia wrote a letter to King Victor Emmanuel, where he in details describes his meeting with Napoleon III, a French Emperor and the arrangements that they made.
As seen from the letter, Napoleon had a favorable opinion about the idea of Italian unification. Specifically, he was interested in decreasing the strength of Austrian empire, which back then was the most important competitor of French empire. According to the letter, King Victor Emmanuel agreed to give the County of Nice and Savoy to French empire in exchange for military and financial support against Austrian Empire. One of the most important aspects of the letter is the way it describes the agreed plan of actions. Back in the 19th century, it was crucial for Napoleon to maintain good reputation and prestige as long as international relations were concerned. Cavour writes the following to the king, ‘As soon as I entered the Emperor’s study, he said he had decided to support Sardinia in war against Austria, provided that the war could be justified in the eyes of diplomatic circles’ (Lauldi, p. 363). Therefore, the letter describes how to provoke Austria to start a military conflict, which would eventually lead to the image of Napoleon as a liberator as well as to the international exclusion of Austrian empire. As to the plans regarding the post-war Italy, the letter shows that the parties agreed to form a confederation out of four states under the control of the Pope. This was a strategic decision aimed to maintain a position relationship with the Church.
This historical source is indeed very important as it contributes to a better understanding of the 1859 second Italian war for independence. The new war between Austria and Sardinia (the Second War of Independence) began in April 1859. A large French army came to the aid of the ally. In the Alps, the volunteer Garibaldi forces acted against the Austrians. The upsurge of the national movement was accompanied by anti-Austrian uprisings in Tuscany and other Italian states. Defeating the Austrians at Magenta, the Allied forces entered the capital of Lombardy – Milan. On June 24, the Austrian army was defeated in the Battle of Solferino, which became the most bloody in Europe since the Napoleonic wars. Participation in it was taken up to 350 thousand people; about 40 thousand were killed and wounded. The defeat of Austria was so devastating, and the scope of the national movement in Italy is so significant that Napoleon III, fearing undesirable consequences, considered it best to end the war. Secretly from the allies, he concluded a truce with Austria, under the terms of which he conceded France to Lombardy, retaining Venice behind it. Meanwhile, the movement for the revival of the country embraced all the states of Central Italy. In March 1860, they joined Sardinia. Hunt argues that ‘support for Piedmont continued to swell among Italians, while financially strapped Austria stood by, unable to keep control of events on the peninsula’ (Hunt, p. 697).
It might also be helpful to explain such a high level of support from local population. Social and philosophical forces played a role in changing society’s mindset in a way that contradicted the feudal world. It was the gradual, first, but powerful and steady later displacement of the most active layers of society from thinking based on the belief in God to thinking based on reason. One can even say that belief in reason eventually won the faith in God in Western Europe. The explosive development of science, which began in the Renaissance by the end of this era, in addition to understandable changes in science, technology and production, also produced fundamental changes in society.
It was faith in reason, rationality, science and its immense power that led to the social philosophers of that time, such as Thomas Hobbes and John Lock, in the process of modernizing and rationalizing new social systems in Europe. Of course, not only John Locke and Thomas Hobbes did all this great work, but they started the project “Modern”, which created the nations and national states. Changes in social values and attitudes led to changes that very incompatible with feudalism and its focus on hierarchy and social obedience. In addition, increasing global connections have made a very full contribution to the development of nation-states. For instance, German-speaking states managed to unify as a result of increasing process of interaction among neighboring areas. The similar is true for Italy.
In conclusion, the letter of Count of Cavour, the Prime Minister of the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, to King Victor Emmanuel is indeed very important historical source as it contributes to a better understanding of the 1859 second Italian war for independence. As seen from the letter, Napoleon had a favorable opinion about the idea of Italian unification. In addition, the letter contains a detailed description of the plan of action. For instance, the analysis of the letter vividly demonstrates that it was crucial for Napoleon to maintain good reputation and prestige as long as international relations were concerned, which was the reason why the allies provoked Austria to start the military conflict.
- Hunt, Lynn. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. Print.
- Lualdi, Katharine J. Sources of the Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Print.
