The World War and What was Behind It; Or, The Story of the Map of EuropeBénézet, Louis Paul
History
The World War and What was Behind It; Or, The Story of the Map of Europe
Bénézet, Louis Paul
Europe -- History; World War, 1914-1918 -- Causes
When Cavour and the French were all ready to strike, it was not
hard to find an excuse for a war. Austria declared war on
Sardinia, and, as had been arranged, France rushed to the aid of
the Italians. Austria was speedily beaten, but no sooner was the
war finished than the French emperor repented of his bargain. He
was afraid that it would make trouble for him with his Catholic
subjects if the Italians were allowed to take all the northern
half of the peninsula, including the pope’s lands, into their
kingdom. Accordingly, the Sardinians received only Lombardy in
return for Savoy and Nice, which they gave to France, and the
Austrians kept the county of Venetia. A fire once kindled,
however, is hard to put out. No sooner did the people of the
other states of northern Italy see the success of Sardinia, than,
one after another, they revolted against their Austrian princes
and voted to join the new kingdom of Italy. In this way, Parma,
Modena, Tuscany, and part of the “States of the Church” were
added. All of this happened in the year 1859.
These “States of the Church” came to be formed in the following
way: The father of the great king of the Franks, Charlemagne, who
had been crowned western emperor by the pope in the year 800, had
rescued northern Italy from the rule of the Lombards. He had made
the pope lord of a stretch of territory extending across Italy
from the Adriatic Sea to the Mediterranean. The inhabitants of
this country had no ruler but the pope. They paid their taxes to
him, and acknowledged him as their feudal lord. It was part of
this territory which revolted and joined the new kingdom of
Italy.
You will remember the name of Garibaldi, the Italian patriot, who
with Mazzini had been stirring up trouble for the Austrians. They
finally pursued him so closely that he had to leave Italy. He
came to America and set up a fruit store in New York City, where
there were quite a number of his countrymen. By 1854, he had made
a great deal of money in the fruit business, but had not
forgotten his beloved country, and was anxious to be rich only in
order that he might free Italy from the Austrians. He sold out
his business in New York, and taking all his money, sailed for
Italy. When the war of 1859 broke out, he volunteered, and fought
throughout the campaign.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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