Conversation so far:
Was Giuseppe Verdi Political?
Verdi began in 1859 to take an active interest in Italian politics.
Did Giuseppe Verdi  gain fame?
Rigoletto, with its intended murder of royalty, upset the censors. Verdi substituted a Duke for the King, and the subsequent success of the opera fully vindicated the composer.
Did Giuseppe Verdi's politics involve music?
The identification of Verdi's music with Italian nationalist politics perhaps began in the 1840s.
What years did Giuseppe Verdi's politics take place?
in the 1840s.

Question: Was there a nationalist leader?
Self-contained rewrite: Was there a nationalist leader in the 1840s?