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| Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand | |
|---|---|
| Name | Expedition of the Thousand |
| Native name | Spedizione dei Mille |
| Caption | Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Thousand |
| Date | 5 May – 26 October 1860 |
| Location | Sicily, Southern Italy |
| Result | Annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to the Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Combatant1 | Kingdom of Sardinia supporters, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Redshirts |
| Combatant2 | Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Bourbon Restoration |
| Commander1 | Giuseppe Garibaldi, Nino Bixio, Francesco Crispi, Girolamo Savoy |
| Commander2 | Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, Francesco II of the Two Sicilies, Luciano Manara |
| Strength1 | ~1,000 volunteers |
| Strength2 | ~20,000 in Sicily |
| Casualties1 | moderate |
| Casualties2 | moderate–heavy |
Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand was a 1860 military campaign led by Giuseppe Garibaldi that resulted in the overthrow of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies rule in southern Italy and contributed decisively to Italian unification under the House of Savoy. The campaign began with an amphibious landing in Marsala and proceeded through a swift series of engagements across Sicily and the Italian mainland, culminating in the annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Its success altered the balance among Italian states such as the Papal States, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, while drawing interest from international powers including France, Austria, United Kingdom, and Spain.
The expedition emerged from the interplay of revolutionary and state-driven forces involving figures like Giuseppe Mazzini, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, and Giuseppe Garibaldi, and institutions such as the Young Italy movement and the Sardinian Parliament. Longstanding tensions between dynasties including the House of Bourbon and the House of Savoy intersected with events such as the Revolutions of 1848, the Second Italian War of Independence, and the diplomatic shifts following the Congress of Vienna. Socioeconomic conditions in regions such as Sicily, Calabria, and Naples—including agrarian unrest, secret societies like the Carbonari, and revolts referenced in the Palermo uprising (1848)—created fertile ground for an insurrection that activists from Mazzini's movement, veterans of the Crimean War, and expatriates in Montevideo supported. Foreign policy maneuvers by states including France under Napoleon III, the Austrian Empire, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland affected choices by leaders such as Cavour and pressured rulers like Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Francis II.
Garibaldi assembled volunteers in Genoa and Quarto, coordinating logistics with supporters such as Francesco Crispi, Nino Bixio, and Giuseppe La Farina. Funding and arms flowed through networks involving individuals like Tito Speri, expatriate committees in London, and sympathizers in Tunis and Marseilles. Garibaldi secured the steamship Lombardo and recruited sailors from ports including Genoa, Livorno, and Nice. The force, later dubbed the Redshirts, embarked with officers drawn from prior campaigns including the Roman Republic (1849), the Uruguayan Civil War, and veteran volunteers formerly aligned with Mazzini. Departure on 5 May 1860 coincided with intrigue involving the Sicilian Expedition narrative and clandestine contacts with insurgent cells in Palermo and Caltanissetta.
The landing at Marsala initiated rapid advances through localities such as Salemi, Calatafimi, and Palermo, leveraging uprisings by townspeople in Monreale and insurgents in Bagheria. Key commanders including Nino Bixio, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Girolamo Savoy coordinated victories at engagements linked to places like Corleone and Agrigento. The campaign encountered resistance from royalist forces commanded by officers loyal to Francesco II of the Two Sicilies and supported by battalions garrisoned at Messina and Catania. Garibaldi’s use of mobile columns, guerrilla tactics learned in campaigns such as the Uruguayan War, and propaganda modeled on Mazzini’s republicanism encouraged defections among local elites and officers formerly associated with the Bourbon administration.
After securing Palermo and negotiating with island notables including Bishop Vincenzo, Garibaldi crossed from Milazzo toward the mainland via the Strait of Messina and seized key southern ports like Reggio Calabria. The campaign advanced north through territories including Basilicata, Calabria, and Campania, moving toward Naples. Interaction with rulers such as Victor Emmanuel II and statesmen including Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour shaped the transition from revolutionary conquest to dynastic annexation, with operatives like Francesco Crispi and diplomats from Piedmont-Sardinia mediating terms to incorporate liberated provinces into the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Notable clashes included the Battle of Calatafimi, the Siege of Palermo, the Battle of Milazzo, and engagements near Volturno and Volturno River operations. Local confrontations occurred in towns such as Corleone, Caltanissetta, and Benevento. Officers like Nino Bixio and Agostino Bertani led columns that outmaneuvered royalist commanders including Francesco II’s generals and units drawn from the Company of the Neapolitan Royal Guard. The cumulative effect of victories at these sites, along with political actions in Turin and the plebiscites held in liberated provinces, secured the collapse of organized Bourbon resistance.
The expedition accelerated diplomatic realignments among states such as the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Papal States, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, provoking responses from empires including France, Austria, and the British Empire. Leadership figures including Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour negotiated plebiscites, incorporation terms, and international recognition for what became the Kingdom of Italy. The presence of Pope Pius IX and institutions like the Holy See complicated relations, prompting debates in capitals such as Paris, Vienna, and London about intervention, neutrality, and the fate of the Roman Question.
The outcome facilitated the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy and the ascension of Victor Emmanuel II as monarch over a unified peninsula, while generating legacies in military practice, political culture, and historiography. Garibaldi’s tactics influenced later volunteers and revolutionary movements linked to figures like Benito Juárez in Mexico and nationalists across Europe. The expedition remains central to studies in Italian nationalism, commemorated in monuments in Rome, Genoa, and Naples, and discussed in works by historians such as Mazzini's biographers and commentators on Risorgimento historiography. The social transformations affected landholding patterns in Sicily, altered the position of the Catholic Church in Italian politics, and set precedents for plebiscitary annexation used across 19th-century nation-building.
Category:Risorgimento Category:Giuseppe Garibaldi Category:Italian unification