Second War of Italian Unification 1859-61
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 95
ISBN-13: 9781472810373
Subjects: Military art and science, history; Italy, history, 1849-1870
Description: "The culmination of decades of nationalist aspiration and cynical Realpolitik, the Second War of Italian Unification saw Italy transformed from a patchwork of minor states dominated by the Habsburg Austrians into a unified kingdom under the Piedmontese House of Savoy. Unlike many existing accounts, which approach the events of 1859-61 from a predominantly French perspective, this study draws upon a huge breadth of sources to examine the conflict as a critical event in Italian history. A concise explanation of the origins of the war is followed by a wide-ranging survey of the forces deployed and the nature and course of the fighting -- on land and at sea -- and the consequences for those involved are investigated. This is a groundbreaking study of a conflict that was of critical significance not only for Italian history but also for the development of 19th-century warfare."--publisher's web site.