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Historical Bookshelf

Phase

Italian Unification

1815–1871 CE

After 1815 the Italian peninsula remained divided among kingdoms, duchies, papal territory and regions controlled by the Austrian Empire. Secret societies, liberal revolts and nationalist thinkers argued for constitutional government or national unity, though they disagreed over monarchy, republicanism and the role of the Church.

Piedmont-Sardinia, Giuseppe Garibaldi’s volunteers and changing international alliances brought most of Italy together between 1859 and 1861. Venetia was added in 1866 and Rome in 1870, completing territorial unification while leaving major regional, political and social divisions unresolved.

The Prague Cemetery places its fictional forger within Garibaldi’s campaigns and the covert politics surrounding unification. Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard offers another major fictional treatment of the transition. The setting suits spies, revolutionaries, soldiers, clerics and opportunists moving between patriotism and personal advancement.

Related people for Italian Unification

Books

Books about Italian Unification (4 books)

Bestselling authors first, then star rating.

Non Fiction

Non Fiction about Italian Unification (1 book)

Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.