Lombardy War of Liberation, 1859:

• The French Alliance secured by Cavour at Plombieres in 1858 was a necessary factor in success.
• 200,000 French troops crossed the Alps, the Austrians were routed at Magenta and retreated to quadrilateral.
• Napoleon III won at great cost another victory at Solferino and immediately concluded a pact at Villafranca, by which Lombardy passed from Austria to Sardinia.

The Three Duchies and Romagna- Diplomacy, 1860

• Parma, Modena, Tuscany, and the Papal State of Romagna joined Sardinia-Piedmont in 1860.
• Napoleon III received Nice and Savoy.

Sicily and Naples- Garibaldi, 1860

• Garibaldi landed at Marsala, acquired Sicily at the battle of Calatafimi, and crossed the Straits and advanced to Naples with the avowed intention of crowning Victor Emmanuel at Rome.

Marches and Umbria- Cavour, 1860

• Cavour intervened to check the reckless project of Garibaldi, which would have antagonized Austria and France.
• He dispatched the Sardinian King and army through the Papal States, where the Papal army was defeated at CastelFidardo, to intercept Garibaldi’s advance on Rome.
• Fortunately for Cavour and Italy, Garibaldi was delayed a fortnight on the Volturno by the Neapolitan Army.
• After defeating this army he met Victor Emmanuel at Teano and magnanimously handed over Southern Italy. The Kingdom of Italy was set up, 1861.

Venetia- Austro- Prussian War, 1866

• Austria was the common obstacle to unification in Italy and Germany. Bismarck secured an Italian Alliance in 1866.
• The Treaty of Prague transferred Venetia (without Southern Tyrol) to Italy.

Rome- Franco- Prussian War, 1870

• Rome alone was out of Italy. In 1870 a war broke between France and Prussia.
• Napoleon Ill was compelled to withdraw French troops, from Rome, to be sent for the war.
• Victor seized the opportunity. Italian troops marched on Rome in September 1870.
• The pope, however, would continue to govern a section of Rome known as Vatican City.
• Finally, in 1871, Rome was liberated from French control and Italy was united, with the King of Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel II, becoming the King of Italy with Rome as the Capital.
• Thus, the Unification of Italy was completed.

It existed until 1946 when the Italians opted for a republican constitution.