The First Italian War of Independence was fought in 1848 and 1849 between the Kingdom of Sardinia, led by Charles Albert of Piedmont, and the Austrian Empire, which ruled Lombardy and Venetia. It began after uprisings against Austrian rule, notably the Five Days of Milan, which forced the Austrian field marshal Radetzky to retreat. Sardinia and other Italian states sent troops, but they were poorly coordinated, and Radetzky defeated the Piedmontese at Custoza and again at Novara. Charles Albert abdicated in favour of his son Victor Emmanuel II. Although the war failed, it showed that Piedmont was the state around which Italian unification could be built, which the Risorgimento later achieved.
Before and after
- 29 November 1847Whitman massacre
- 1848Rise of Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
- 1848Der Ring des Nibelungen
- 1848Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
- from 1848 to 1849First Italian War of Independence
- from 12 January 1848 to 4 October 1849European Revolutions of 1848
- 24 January 1848California Gold Rush
- 24 January 1848Gold is found at Sutter's Mill: the California Gold Rush begins
- 2 February 1848Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 1765 to 1783American Revolution
- from 18 June 1812 to 18 February 1815War of 1812
- from 18 March 1871 to 28 May 1871Paris Commune
- from 1885 to 1914Scramble for Africa
- from 25 April 1898 to 11 August 1898Spanish–American War
- from 8 February 1904 to 5 September 1905Russo-Japanese War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.