The Liberation of Italy, 1815-1870

The unification of Italy ranks among the 19th century's most dramatic transformations, a nation stitched together from a patchwork of kingdoms, duchies, and foreign dominions through revolution, diplomacy, and war. This authoritative late-Victorian account traces that tumultuous journey from the aftermath of Napoleon's fall in 1815 to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 and beyond. Carrington illuminates how centuries of cultural unity, nurtured by Dante's language, Machiavelli's political thought, and the weight of Rome's legacy, finally found expression in the fiery Risorgimento movement. She examines the secret societies that kept resistance alive through decades of failure, the failed uprisings, the Austrian occupation, and the intricate political maneuverings between republicans, monarchists, and Catholic forces. The narrative captures the genuine fervor and sacrifice that powered Italian nationalism while honestly addressing its contradictions and costs. Written by a contemporary of the events whose family inhabited the very Italian aristocracy caught up in this upheaval, the book offers both scholarly rigor and the irreplaceable perspective of someone who lived through the final acts of nation-making.