Unification of Italy The unification of Italy. The dates are those of annexation, first to Sardinia-Piedmont and after 1861 to the Kingdom of Italy. (more) unification of Italy Italian history Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Mar. 12, 2026 •History unification of Italy, sequence of political and military events that freed the Italian states from foreign domination and culminated in the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. Central to this period was the Risorgimento (Italian: “Rising Again”), an ideological and literary movement that helped to arouse the national consciousness of the Italian people and unite them politically. In the wake of Napoleon’s disastrous invasion of Russia, the French Empire began to unravel in Italy as...

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