The little Kingdom of Sardinia, as the nucleus of the new Italy was
called, had also joined the allies in this war; and thus a slender tie
had been created between her and France at a time when Austria was
savagely attacking her possessions in the north of Italy.
When Napoleon was privately sounded by Count Cavour, he named as his
price for intervention in Italy two things: the cession to France of
the Duchy of Savoy, and the marriage of his cousin, Jerome Bonaparte,
with Clotilde, the young daughter of Victor Emmanuel. Savoy was the
ancestral home of the king, and the only thing he loved more than Savoy
was his daughter Clotilde, just fifteen years old. The terms were
hard, but they were accepted.
When Louis Napoleon entered Italy with his army in 1859, it was as a
liberator--dramatically declaring that he came to "give Italy to
herself"; that she was to be "free, from the Alps to the Adriatic"!
The victory at Magenta was the first step toward the realization of
this glorious promise; quickly followed by another at Solferino. Milan
was restored, Lombardy was free, and as the news sped toward the south
the Austrian dukes of Tuscany, Modena, and Parma fled in dismay, and
these rejoicing states offered their allegiance, not to the King of
Sardinia, now, but to the King of Italy. There were only two more
states to be freed, only Venetia and the papal state of Rome, and a
"United Italy" would indeed be "free from the Alps to the Adriatic."
Then the unexpected happened. The dramatic pledge was not to be kept.
Venetia was not to be liberated. The Peace of Villafranca was signed.
Austria relinquished Lombardy, but was permitted to retain Venice.
Cavour, white with rage, said, "Cut loose from the traitor! Refuse
Lombardy!" But Victor Emmanuel saw more clearly the path of wisdom;
and so, after only two months of warfare, Napoleon was taking back to
France Savoy and Nice as trophies of his brilliant expedition.
This liberator of an Italy which was _not_ liberated, would have liked
to restore the fleeing Austrian dukes to their respective thrones in
Florence, Modena, and Parma; but he did what was more effectual and
pleasing to the enemies of a united Italy: he garrisoned Rome with
French troops, and promised Pius IX. any needed protection for the
papal throne.
One can imagine how Garibaldi's heart was wrung when he exclaimed,
"That man has made me a foreigner in my own city!" And so might have
said the king himself.
The emperor and the empire had been immensely strengthened by the
Italian campaign. France was rejoicing in a phenomenal prosperity,
reaching every part of the land. There was a new France and a new
Paris; new boulevards were made, gardens and walks and drives laid out,
and a renewed and magnificent city extended from the Bois de Vincennes
on one side to the Bois de Boulogne on the other. With the building of
public works there was occupation for all, resulting in the repose for
which France had longed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account