Solferino, Battle of

Solferino, Battle of
(1859)
   The last engagement of the second War of Italian Independence. It was fought in Lombardy between an Austrian army and a Franco-Piedmontese army and resulted in the annexation of most of Lombardy by Piedmont-Sardinia, thus contributing to the unification of Italy.
   After its defeat at the Battle of Magenta on June 4, the Austrian army of about 120,000 men had retreated eastward, and Emperor Francis Joseph had arrived to dismiss General Count Franz von Gyulai and take personal command. The Franco-Piedmontese army, of approximately equal size, under the command of Napoleon III of France and Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia, pursued the Austrians. Neither side had accurate information about the other’s troop movements, and on June 24, they unexpectedly clashed, in and around Solferino, four miles southeast of Castiglione della Stiviere in Lombardy at a time when the French expected to engage only the Austrian rear guard, and the Austrians expected to engage only the French advance units. The battle developed in a confused and piecemeal fashion until midday. After extremely costly fighting, the French broke the Austrian center in mid-afternoon. Smaller actions, including a vigorous delaying action by the Austrian general Ludwig von Benedek, continued until dark, leaving the French and Piedmontese too exhausted to pursue the defeated Austrians.
   The Austrians lost 14,000 men killed and wounded and more than 8,000 missing or prisoners; the Franco-Piedmontese lost 15,000 killed and wounded and more than 2,000 missing or prisoners. These heavy casualties contributed to Napoleon III’s decision to seek the truce with Austria that effectively ended the Second War of Italian Independence. The bloodshed also inspired Henri Dunant to lead the movement to establish the International Red Cross.
   See also <>; <>.
   FURTHER READING:
    Di Scala, Spencer M. Italy: From Revolution to Republic, 1700 to the Present . Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998;
    Hearder, Harry. Italy in the Age of the Risorgimento, 1790–1870. New York: Longman, 1983.
   GUENTHER KRONENBITTER

Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Solferino, Battle of — (June 24, 1859) Engagement fought in Lombardy between Austria and an allied French and Piedmontese army. After its defeat at the Battle of Magenta, the Austrian army retreated eastward, where it unexpectedly met the allied army commanded by… …   Universalium

  • battle — battle1 battler, n. /bat l/, n., v., battled, battling. n. 1. a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces: the battle of Waterloo. 2. participation in such hostile encounters or engagements: wounds received in battle. 3. a… …   Universalium

  • Solferino — is a small town in Lombardy, Italy, approximately 10 kilometres south of Lake Garda. It has approximately 2,500 inhabitants. It is best known as being close to the site of the Battle of Solferino on 24 June 1859, witnessed by Henry Dunant, which… …   Wikipedia

  • Solferino — Sol fe*ri no, n. A brilliant deep pink color with a purplish tinge, one of the dyes derived from aniline; so called from Solferino in Italy, where a battle was fought about the time of its discovery. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Battle of Solferino — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Solferino partof=the Second Italian War of Independence caption= Napoleon III at the Battle of Solferino by Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier. Oil on canvas, 1863. date=24 June 1859 place=Solferino, present …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of San Martino — The 15th Century Battle of San Martino in Italy was part of an ongoing conflict between two city states, the Venetians under Berterelli and the Florentines under Giovanni, in 1482. That battle was fought in swirling mists and, owing to their… …   Wikipedia

  • Solférino (Paris Métro) — Infobox Paris metro Name=Solférino Pic= Day=5 November Year=1910 Access= Municipality=the 7th arrondissement of Paris Zone=1 Next= X=117 Y=78Solférino is a station of the Paris Métro, named after the Battle of Solférino. It is served by Line… …   Wikipedia

  • battle of Solferino — noun an indecisive battle in 1859 between the French and Sardinians under Napoleon III and the Austrians under Francis Joseph I • Syn: ↑Solferino • Regions: ↑Italy, ↑Italian Republic, ↑Italia • Instance Hypernyms: ↑pitched battle …   Useful english dictionary

  • Solferino — noun an indecisive battle in 1859 between the French and Sardinians under Napoleon III and the Austrians under Francis Joseph I • Syn: ↑battle of Solferino • Regions: ↑Italy, ↑Italian Republic, ↑Italia • Instance Hypernyms: ↑pitched battle …   Useful english dictionary

  • Solférino — French commune name= Solférino region= Aquitaine department= Landes arrondissement= Arrondissement of Mont de Marsan canton= Canton de Sabres intercomm= Communauté de communes de la Haute Lande mayor= Guy Rizzo mandat= 2001 2008 longitude=… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”