Prime Minister Camillo Benso di Cavour of Piedmont-Sardinia met secretly with France’s Emperor Napoleon III at Plombières. They discussed a plan for France to support Piedmont against Austria if Austria could be made to appear the aggressor. This diplomacy set the stage for the 1859 war by linking Italian unification goals to French military power.
Giuseppe Garibaldi helped create the Hunters of the Alps, a volunteer corps meant to operate in northern Italy’s mountainous areas. The unit would pressure Austrian positions away from the main fronts and encourage local uprisings. Their actions complemented the regular armies by stretching Austria’s defenses.
Austria declared war on Piedmont-Sardinia, beginning the Second Italian War of Independence. France soon joined Piedmont as an ally, turning the conflict into a major contest for control of northern Italy. The war’s central question was whether Austria would keep Lombardy-Venetia or be pushed back.
At Montebello, French and Piedmontese units defeated Austrian forces in the first major clash of the war. The victory helped boost allied morale and showed that Austria could be beaten in the field. It also signaled that France’s intervention was becoming militarily effective.
Garibaldi’s volunteers defeated Austrian troops at Varese. This win helped the volunteers move toward Como and forced Austria to keep troops in the northern sector instead of concentrating them against the main allied armies. The fighting showed how irregular forces could influence strategy by creating additional fronts.
At San Fermo, Garibaldi’s volunteers again defeated Austrian forces, leading to the Austrians abandoning Como. The victory strengthened the patriotic movement in Lombardy and encouraged local resistance to Austrian rule. It also helped keep the northern campaign active while the main armies maneuvered toward Milan.
Piedmontese and French forces defeated Austria at Palestro, improving the allies’ position for advancing deeper into Lombardy. The battle helped secure key ground near rivers and roads used for moving armies and supplies. This success contributed to the momentum leading up to the larger battles in early June.
French troops won at Turbigo and secured crossings of the Ticino River. Holding these crossings mattered because rivers were major defensive lines, and crossing them allowed an army to enter Austrian-controlled Lombardy. This set up the decisive fighting at Magenta the next day.
The Franco-Piedmont alliance defeated Austria at Magenta, a key battle west of Milan. The Austrian defeat forced a retreat eastward and helped trigger political change in parts of Lombardy. Soon afterward, allied leaders entered Milan, strengthening the unification cause.
At Solferino, France and Piedmont won another major battle against Austria, but with extremely heavy casualties. The scale of suffering contributed to urgent calls for better care for wounded soldiers and later inspired humanitarian reforms. Politically, the battle convinced Napoleon III to seek a quick end to the war.
Napoleon III and Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph agreed to an armistice at Villafranca, effectively stopping the fighting. Austria agreed to give up most of Lombardy to France (to be transferred to Piedmont), while Venetia remained Austrian. The compromise angered many Italian nationalists and led Cavour to resign.
The Treaty of Zürich confirmed the Villafranca terms and officially ended the war. Austria ceded Lombardy to France, and France then ceded Lombardy to Piedmont-Sardinia. This shift changed the map of northern Italy and made Piedmont the central state around which later unification expanded.
Piedmont-Sardinia signed the Treaty of Turin with France, agreeing to cede Savoy and Nice after local votes. In return, France accepted Piedmont’s growing control in central Italy, removing a major diplomatic obstacle to unification. The deal also created lasting controversy, especially because Nice was Garibaldi’s birthplace.
Second Italian War of Independence (1859)