Expedition of the Thousand
Location Sicily, Southern Italy Result Decisive Sardinian/Italian Victory, End of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Territorial changes Conquest of Southern Italy for the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy
Combatants
Kingdom of Italy/Kingdom of Sardinia Aid by United Kingdom Second French Empire	Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Commanders
Giuseppe Garibaldi Nino Bixio Enrico Cialdini	Francis II of the Two Sicilies Ferdinando Lanza Giosuè Ritucci Pietro Carlo Maria Vial de Maton

A photograph of Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860.

The Expedition of the Thousand (Italian Spedizione dei Mille) was a military campaign led by the revolutionary general Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860, in which a force of volunteers defeated the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, leading to its dissolution and annexation by the Kingdom of Sardinia. Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... Southern Italy, often referred to in Italian as the Mezzogiorno (a term first used in 19th century in comparison with French Midi ) encompasses six of the countrys 20 regions: Basilicata Campania Calabria Puglia Sicilia Sardinia Sicilia although it is geographically and administratively included in Insular Italy, it has a... The Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was the new name that the Bourbon king Ferdinand IV of Naples gave to his domain (including Southern Italy and Sicily) after the end of the Napoleonic Era and the full restoration of his power in 1816. ... Anthem Marcia Reale dOrdinanza (Royal March of Ordinance)¹ The Kingdom of Italy at the height of its power in 1940. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946)_crowned. ... Anthem Marcia Reale dOrdinanza (Royal March of Ordinance)¹ The Kingdom of Italy at the height of its power in 1940. ... Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1839: Mainland Piedmont with Savoy, Nice, and Sardinia in the inset. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Map of the French Second Empire Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1852-1870 Napoleon III Legislature Parliament  - Upper house Senate  - Lower house Corps législatif History  - French coup of 1851 December 2 1851  - Established 1852  - Disestablished September 4, 1870 Currency French Franc The Second French Empire or... Image File history File links Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 1738-1848 Flag drawn by Jaume Ollé, from [Flags Of The World website] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was the new name that the Bourbon king Ferdinand IV of Naples gave to his domain (including Southern Italy and Sicily) after the end of the Napoleonic Era and the full restoration of his power in 1816. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946)_crowned. ... Garibaldi in 1866. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946)_crowned. ... Nino Bixio (2 October 1821-1873) was an Italian soldier born on the 2nd of October 1821. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946)_crowned. ... Enrico Cialdini (August 10, 1811 - September 8, 1892), Italian soldier, politician and diplomatist, was born at Castelvetro, in Modena. ... Image File history File links Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 1738-1848 Flag drawn by Jaume Ollé, from [Flags Of The World website] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Francis II (Francesco dAssisi Maria Leopoldo, January 16, 1836 – December 27, 1894), was King of the Two Sicilies from 1859 to 1861. ... Image File history File links Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 1738-1848 Flag drawn by Jaume Ollé, from [Flags Of The World website] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 1738-1848 Flag drawn by Jaume Ollé, from [Flags Of The World website] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 1738-1848 Flag drawn by Jaume Ollé, from [Flags Of The World website] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Combatants Giuseppe Garibaldi Kingdom of Sardinia Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Commanders Giuseppe Garibaldi Giosuè Ritucci Strength 24,000 41,000 Casualties 306 casualties, 1,328 wounded, 389 prisoners 308 casualties, 820 wounded, 2,160 prisoners Template:Capmaignbox Expedition of the Thousand The Battle of Volturnus or Volturno refers to... now. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (484x620, 195 KB) fr: Portrait de Giuseppe Garibaldi. Par Gustave Le Gray, Palerme, juillet 1860. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (484x620, 195 KB) fr: Portrait de Giuseppe Garibaldi. Par Gustave Le Gray, Palerme, juillet 1860. ... Garibaldi in 1866. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... The Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was the new name that the Bourbon king Ferdinand IV of Naples gave to his domain (including Southern Italy and Sicily) after the end of the Napoleonic Era and the full restoration of his power in 1816. ... Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1839: Mainland Piedmont with Savoy, Nice, and Sardinia in the inset. ...

Background

After the annexation of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchies of Modena and Parma and the Romagna to Piedmont in March 1860, Italian nationalists set their sights on the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which comprised all of southern Italy and Sicily, as the next step in the eventual unification of Italy. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a state in central Italy which came into existence in 1569, replacing the Duchy of Florence, which had been created out of the old Republic of Florence in 1532, and which annexed the Republic of Siena in 1557. ... The Duchy of Modena (in full, the Duchies of Modena and Reggio) was a small Italian state that existed (with a break between 1796 and 1814) from 1452 to 1859. ... The Duchy of Parma was created in 1545 from that part of the Duchy of Milan south of the Po River, as a fief for Pope Paul IIIs illegitimate son, Pier Luigi Farnese, centered around the city of Parma. ... Emilia-Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. ... Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1839: Mainland Piedmont with Savoy, Nice, and Sardinia in the inset. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Italian unification, also known as Risorgimento (resurrection), was a historical process by which the Kingdom of Sardinia (ruled by the Savoy dynasty with Turin as its capital) gradually conquered the Italian peninsula, including the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Duchy of Modena, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy...

In 1860 Garibaldi, already the most famous Italian revolutionary leader, was in Genoa planning an expedition against Sicily and Naples, with the covert support of Great Britain. The latter was worried by the approaches of the Neapolitans towards the Russian Empire in the latter's attempt to open its way in the Mediterranean Sea; the strategic importance of the Sicilian ports was also to be dramatically increased by the opening of the Suez Canal. It has been also suggested that the British support for Garibaldi's expedition was spurred by the necessity to obtain more favourable economic conditions for Sicilian sulfur, which was needed in great quantities for the new steamers. Genoa (Genova [] in Italian - Zena [] in Genoese) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ... Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ... For other uses, see Suez (disambiguation). ... General Name, Symbol, Number sulfur, S, 16 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 3, p Appearance lemon yellow Standard atomic weight 32. ...

The beginning of the expedition at Quarto.

Image File history File links Partenza_da_Quarto. ... Image File history File links Partenza_da_Quarto. ...

The expedition

Landing on Sicily

The expedition set sail on May 6, 1860 from a rock in Quarto, a district of Genoa, on the ships Il Piemonte and Il Lombardo^[1]. The Lombardo was attacked and sunk only after the disembarkment had been completed, while the Piemontese was captured. The landing had been preceded by the arrival of Francesco Crispi and others, who had the task of gaining the support of the locals for the volunteers. is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Genoa (Genova [] in Italian - Zena [] in Genoese) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... Francesco Crispi (October 4, 1819 – August 12, 1901) was a 19th century Italian politician. ...

On May 14, at Salemi, Garibaldi announced that he was assuming dictatorship over Sicily in the name of King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia. May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Country Italy Region Sicily Province Trapani (TP) Mayor Biagio Mastrantoni (since June 10, 2003) Elevation 446 m Area 181 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 11,436  - Density 64/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Salemitani Dialing code 0924 Postal code 91018 Patron St. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by a dictator. ... King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. ...

Calatafimi and Palermo

Main article: Battle of Calatafimi

The Mille won a first battle at Calatafimi against around 2,000 Neapolitan troops on May 15. The battle was inconclusive, but boosted the morale of the Mille and, at the same time, depressed the Neapolitans who started to feel themselves abandoned. In the meantime the ranks enlarged to 1,200 with local men joining. With the help of a popular insurrection, on May 27 they laid siege to Palermo, the island's capital. The city was defended by some 16,000 men, but these were under the confused and timid direction of general Ferdinando Lanza, aged 75 (probably one of the Neapolitan officers bribed with the English-freemason money, see Evaluation section). is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Palermo (disambiguation). ...

While two columns of Garibaldines attacked the external perimeter, part of the population, strengthened by 2,000 prisoners liberated from the local jails, rose against the garrison. When his troops were driven back from most of their positions, Lanza ordered them to bombard the city for three days, provoking the deaths of 600 civilians. By May 28 Garibaldi controlled much of the city and declared the Bourbon authority deposed. The following day a desperate Neapolitan counteroffensive was driven back, and Lanza asked for a truce. However, when a reinforcement party of well equipped and well trained troops arrived in the city, the situation became very serious for Garibaldi, who was saved only by Lanza's decision to surrender. Through the mediation of a British admiral, an armistice was signed and the Neapolitan fleet abandoned the port. May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Neapolitan retreat and Battle of Milazzo

Stone Lithograph of Garibaldi and his Red Shirts at the Battle of MIlazzo. Titled, 'COMBATTIMENTO DI MILAZZO'(20 Luglio 1860).

Main article: Battle of Milazzo

The Bourbon troops were ordered to push eastwards and evacuate the island. An insurrection that had broken out in Catania on May 31, led by Nicola Fabrizi, was crushed by the local garrison, but the order to leave for Messina meant that this Neapolitan tactical success would have no practical results. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 742 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (887 × 717 pixel, file size: 307 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 742 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (887 × 717 pixel, file size: 307 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Roman Odeon. ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Nicola Fabrizi (4 April 1804 - 31 March 1885), Italian patriot, was born at Modena. ... Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ...

At the time only Syracuse, Augusta, Milazzo and Messina remained in royal hands in Sicily. In the meantime the dictator Garibaldi issued his first law. A levy failed to muster more than 20,000 troops, while the peasants, who hoped to an immediate relief from the grevious conditions to which they were forced by the landowners, revolted in several localities. At Bronte, on August 4, 1860, Garibaldi's friend Nino Bixio bloodily repressed one of these revolts with two battalions of Redshirts. Syracuse (Italian, Siracusa, ancient Syracusa - see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a city on the eastern coast of Sicily and the capital of the province of Syracuse, Italy. ... // Augusta as a place name Augusta, derived from Augustus the emperor, is also part of the original Latin names of many ancient places. ... Milazzo is a town of 50. ... Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ... Categories: Stub | Bront sisters ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Nino Bixio (2 October 1821-1873) was an Italian soldier born on the 2nd of October 1821. ...

The pace of Garibaldi's victories had worried Cavour, who in early July sent him a proposal of immediate annexation of Sicily to Piedmont. Garibaldi, however, refused vehemently to allow such a move until the end of the war. Cavour's envoy, La Farina, was arrested and expelled from the island. He was replaced by the more malleable Agostino Depretis, who gained Garibaldi's trust and was appointed as pro-dictator. Agostino Depretis (January 31, 1813 – July 29, 1887) was an Italian statesman. ...

On June 25, 1860, King Francis II of the Two Sicilies had issued a constitution. However, this late attempt to conciliate his moderate subjects failed to rouse them to defend the regime, while liberals and revolutionaries were eager to welcome Garibaldi. is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Francis II (Francesco dAssisi Maria Leopoldo, January 16, 1836 – December 27, 1894), was King of the Two Sicilies from 1859 to 1861. ...

At the time, Garibaldi had created the Esercito Meridionale ("Southern Army"), reinforced by other volunteers from Italy and some regular Piedmontese soldiers disguised as "deserters". The Neapolitans had mustered some 24,000 men for the defence of Messina and the other fortresses.

On July 20 Garibaldi attacked Milazzo with 5,000 men. The Neapolitan defence was gallant, but again the absence of coordination and the refusal of Marshal Clary, commander-in-chief of the army in the island, to send reinforces from Messina granted the Mille another victory. Six days later Clary surrendered the city of Messina to Garibaldi, leaving only 4,000 in the citadel and other forts. The other strongholds surrendered by the end of September. is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Landing and conquest in Calabria

On August 19 Garibaldi's men disembarked in Calabria, a move opposed by Cavour, who had written the Dictator a letter urging him to not cross the strait. Garibaldi, however, disobeyed, an act which had the silent approval of King Victor Emmanuel. is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Cliffside dwellings in Tropea. ... Satellite photo of the Strait of Messina, taken June 2002. ...

The Bourbons had some 20,000 men in Calabria, but, apart some episodes like that of Reggio Calabria, which was conquered by Bixio on August 21 but at a high cost, they offered insignificant resistance, as numerous units of the Bourbon army disbanded spontaneously or even joined Garibaldi's ranks. On August 30 a conspicuous Sicilian army, led by general Ghio, was officially disbanded at Soveria Mannelli, while only minor and dispersed units continued the fight. The Neapolitan fleet behaved in similar way. Reggio Calabria (officially Reggio di Calabria, Rìggiu in Calabrian dialect, Righi in Greek-Calabrian), is the largest and the oldest city in Calabria, Italy, dating back to the 8th century BC (see history below). ... is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Soveria Mannelli is a comune and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. ...

Scene from the Battle of Volturno.

Image File history File linksMetadata Battaglia_del_Volturno_-_combattimento_di_Porta_Romana,_verso_Santa_Maria_Maggiore_-_Perrin_-_litografia_-_1861_(01). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Battaglia_del_Volturno_-_combattimento_di_Porta_Romana,_verso_Santa_Maria_Maggiore_-_Perrin_-_litografia_-_1861_(01). ...

The end

Main article: Battle of Volturnus (1860)

King Francis II was thus forced to abandon Naples and entrench himself in the formidable fortress of Gaeta, while a last stand was set up on the Volturno river, north of Naples. On September 7 Garibaldi took possession of the Kingdom's capital with little harm, hailed as a liberator by the population. Combatants Giuseppe Garibaldi Kingdom of Sardinia Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Commanders Giuseppe Garibaldi Giosuè Ritucci Strength 24,000 41,000 Casualties 306 casualties, 1,328 wounded, 389 prisoners 308 casualties, 820 wounded, 2,160 prisoners The Battle of Volturnus or Volturno refers to a series of military clashes between... Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... Gaeta (ancient Latin name Caieta) is a city in Province of Latina, in Lazio, Italy. ... The Volturno (ancient Latin name Volturnus, from volvere, to roll) is a river in south-central Italy. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the decisive Battle of the Volturno (1 and 2 October^[2]), Garibaldi, now supported by a Piedmontese army which had, with French approval, crossed through the Papal territories of the Marche and Umbria, decisively defeated the last organized Bourbon force of some 50,000 men. Combatants Giuseppe Garibaldi Kingdom of Sardinia Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Commanders Giuseppe Garibaldi Giosuè Ritucci Strength 24,000 41,000 Casualties 306 casualties, 1,328 wounded, 389 prisoners 308 casualties, 820 wounded, 2,160 prisoners Template:Capmaignbox Expedition of the Thousand The Battle of Volturnus or Volturno refers to... // The Marche (plural, originally le marche de Ancona = the Marches of Ancona) are a region of Central Italy, bordering Emilia-Romagna north, Tuscany to the north-west, Umbria to west, Abruzzo and Latium to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. ... Umbria is a region of central Italy, bordered by Tuscany to the west, the Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. ...

A few days later (October 21) a popular plebiscite confirmed the annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to the Kingdom of Sardinia by an overwhelming majority. is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...

The end of the expedition is traditionally set with the famous meeting in Teano^[3] (northern Campania) between Victor Emmanuel and Garibaldi (October 26, 1860). Others assign instead the end of the campaign to the King's entrance into Naples on November 7. Teano (Roman Teanum Sidicinum), a town of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta, 21 miles north-west of that town on the main line to Rome from Naples, forming conjointly with Calvi an episcopal see. ... For other uses, see Campania (disambiguation). ... is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

Garibaldi asked the King to remain in the former Two Sicilies for a year as dictator. He also asked that his officers be integrated in the new Italian Army. When Victor Emmanuel refused to accept his requests, he returned to Caprera. Caprera is a small island of 6 square miles (15. ...

However, the military campaign was not yet fully completed, as Francis II held out in Gaeta until February of the next year, when he finally surrendered and left for exile in Austria. Shortly thereafter, in March 1861, the new Kingdom of Italy was formally established. Anthem Marcia Reale dOrdinanza (Royal March of Ordinance)¹ The Kingdom of Italy at the height of its power in 1940. ...

Carte De Visite of a Garibaldino and member of the Thousand Red Shirts. He wears the rare 'Medal of the Thousand' or 'Marsala Medal', issued by the city of Palermo in 1865.

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 359 × 599 pixels Full resolution (775 × 1293 pixel, file size: 344 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 359 × 599 pixels Full resolution (775 × 1293 pixel, file size: 344 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Evaluation

The Expedition of the Thousand has traditionally been one of the most celebrated events of the Italian Risorgimento, the process of the unification of Italy. However, recent studies have pointed out that later descriptions of the whole event were somewhat hagiographic, and that its effective relevance, in particular the extent of the military campaign, was overesteemed by traditional historiography.

In the following years, the rise of local resistance (the so-called brigantaggio or brigandage), required at one point the presence of some 140,000 Piedmontese troops to maintain control of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Traditionally, the handling of the brigantaggio has received a negative judgement by Italian historians, in strict contrast with the heroism attributed to Garibaldi and his followers; the English historian Denis Mack Smith^[4], for example, points out the deficiencies and reticence of the sources available for the period.

The expedition, moreover, obtained the support of the powerful great landowners of southern Italy in exchange for the promise that their properties be left intact in the upcoming political settlement. Numerous Sicilian peasants, however, had joined the Mille hoping instead for a redistribution of the land to the people working it. The consequences of this misunderstanding became evident at Bronte.

Modern Bourbon supporters have also pointed out that Piedmontese finances, depleted by unceasing wars, were in an appalling state, while the Kingdom of Two Sicilies was flourishing, with an industrial expansion reflected by the construction of the first Italian railway; from this point of view, the conquest of southern Italy proved providential for the Savoy treasury.

The apparent ease with which 1,000 men crushed an organized army of much greater size had been recently clarified by a report of a secret British intervention, in the form of the sum of three million French francs, which was used to bribe most of the Bourbon commanders.

This is not to say that it was not a daring, well-fought military campaign, nor that it was easy, as sheer weight of numbers could very easily have spelled the end of the Garibaldini even if the Bourbon Commanders were bribed and/or inept and their troops less well-trained, equipped, or experienced than the Redshirts. However, the new evidence shows that it was not as difficult as most historians have believed.

See also

• Risorgimento
• Conte di Cavour
• Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
• Siege of Gaeta

Italian unification, also known as Risorgimento (resurrection), was a historical process by which the Kingdom of Sardinia (ruled by the Savoy dynasty with Turin as its capital) gradually conquered the Italian peninsula, including the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Duchy of Modena, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy... Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour (or Camillo di Cavour; August 10, 1810 – June 6, 1861) was an Italian statesman and a leading figure in the movement toward Italian unification. ... King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. ... now. ...

Notes

King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. ... Count Camilio Benso di Cavour (August 10, 1810 _ June 6, 1861) was a statesman who was a leading figure in the movement toward Italian unification and the first Prime Minister of the new Kingdom of Italy. ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ...

Sources

• Abba, Giuseppe Cesare (1880). Da Quarto al Volturno. Noterelle di uno dei Mille. 
• Banti, Anna (1967). Noi credevamo. 
• Bianciardi, Luciano (1969). Daghela avanti un passo. Bietti. 
• Del Boca, Lorenzo (1998). Maledetti Savoia. Piemme. 
• Mack Smith, Denis (1990). Italy and Its Monarchy. 
• Zitara, Nicola (1971). L'unità d’Italia. Nascita di una colonia. 

Giuseppe Cesare Abba (October 6, 1838-November 6, 1910), was an Italian patriot and writer. ...

External links