The Wars of Italian Unification

This book provides a probing analysis of the conflicts which helped to forge the Italian nation-state in the 19th century. From the Napoleonic Wars that preceded them to the way the Wars have been commemorated and memorialized in recent times, the book refreshingly reintroduces Italian agency as a central factor in the military history of Italian unification. In this sense, it offers an Italian perspective interwoven within larger continental interests: the Wars of Italian Unification are explored as both a European event and a conflict among Italian states and their people. This innovative structure enables you to understand the complex and dual nature of the history of the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian Unification, as well as the nuances of the military struggles at the heart of this text. Drawing on a great deal of material from Italian army archives and other Italian sources, while integrating many non-Italian sources, The Wars of Italian Unification is key reading for anyone wanting to understand the history of modern Italy or the military history of modern Europe.