First Italian War of Independence

The First Italian War of Independence (Italian: Prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana), part of the Risorgimento or unification of Italy, was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other conservative states from 23 March 1848 to 22 August 1849 in the Italian peninsula.

The conflict was preceded by the outbreak of the Sicilian revolution of 1848 against the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. It was precipitated by riots in the cities of Milan (Five Days) and Venice, which rebelled against Austria and established governments.

The part of the conflict which was fought by King Charles Albert of Sardinia against Austria in Northern Italy was a royal war and consisted of two campaigns. In both campaigns, the Kingdom of Sardinia attacked the Austrian Empire and after initial victories, Sardinia was decisively defeated and lost the war. The decisive events of the first and second campaigns were the Battles of Custoza and Novara respectively.

At the beginning of the royal war, the Kingdom of Sardinia was supported by the Papal States and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which withdrew after they had barely participated in any of the fighting. However, volunteers from the Papal and the Neapolitan armies joined the other Italian volunteers and fought against Austria.

Besides the royal war, revolutionary movements took place in various Italian states (Papal States, Tuscany, etc.), part of the Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states, which could not be reconciled with the liberal ideals of Piedmont. Historiography treats those revolutions and the Sicilian Revolution of 23 March 1848 as a popular war. It also failed, ended in the restoration of traditional institutions and forced many rebels into exile.

In the popular war with the internal revolutionaries, the Kingdom of Two Sicilies and the Papal States found themselves on the side opposite to the one they had been on during the royal war when they had initially supported Piedmont.

The popular war gave prominence to the military commander Giuseppe Garibaldi. He was defeated, as was King Charles Albert, who abdicated at the war's end in favour of his eldest son, King Victor Emmanuel II.

In 1848 revolutionary riots broke out in many parts of Europe, including numerous places in what is now Emilia-Romagna and other parts of Italy. Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies was forced to grant a constitution on 23 January and his example was followed by Leopold II of Tuscany on 17 February, Charles Albert of Sardinia on 17 February (the Albertine Statute), and Pope Pius IX on 14 March (The Fundamental Statute [it]). Charles II, Duke of Parma was ousted. Sicily, excepting Messina, revolted against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.