Edexcel IGCSE History: Unification of Italy, 1848–70 — Revision Notes

These notes condense Depth Study 2 of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 1, “Development of a nation: unification of Italy, 1848–70”. For full explanations use the Italy study guide; for exam practice use the Italy practice questions.

Syllabus coverage (4HI1, Depth Study 2)

Key topic	Core content
1. The 1848 Revolutions	Causes, constitutions (Tuscany, Piedmont), Mazzini and Rome, failure, legacy
2. Piedmont, 1849–54	Victor Emmanuel II, Cavour (1852), reforms, economy, Church
3. Defeat of Austria, 1854–59	Crimea, Orsini, Plombières, Magenta, Solferino, Villafranca, Nice and Savoy
4. Garibaldi and the Papal States	The Thousand, Sicily and Naples, Teano, Kingdom of Italy (1861)
5. Venice, Rome and unity by 1870	Piedmontisation, 1866 and Venetia, Rome and France, 1870

Timeline

Date	Event
Jan–Mar 1848	Revolts and constitutions in Sicily, Naples, Tuscany, Piedmont (Statuto, March)
Mar 1848	Five Days of Milan; Republic of San Marco in Venice; Piedmont declares war on Austria
July 1848	Piedmont defeated at Custoza
Feb 1849	Roman Republic proclaimed (Mazzini a triumvir; Garibaldi defends it)
Mar 1849	Defeat at Novara; Charles Albert abdicates; Victor Emmanuel II king
mid-1849	French troops take Rome; Venice surrenders to Austria
1850	Siccardi Laws reduce Church privileges in Piedmont
Nov 1852	Cavour becomes Prime Minister
1855	Piedmont joins the Crimean War
1856	Congress of Paris: Cavour raises the Italian question
Jan 1858	Orsini’s attempt on Napoleon III
July 1858	Pact of Plombières
June 1859	Battles of Magenta and Solferino
July 1859	Armistice of Villafranca; Cavour resigns
Mar 1860	Central states join Piedmont; Nice and Savoy ceded to France
May 1860	Garibaldi’s Thousand land in Sicily
Sept 1860	Garibaldi enters Naples; Piedmontese army enters Papal States
Oct 1860	Meeting at Teano
Mar 1861	Kingdom of Italy proclaimed
June 1861	Death of Cavour
1862	Aspromonte: Garibaldi wounded by Italian troops
1866	Italy allied with Prussia; second Custoza; Venetia gained
1867	Mentana: Garibaldi defeated near Rome
Sept 1870	French garrison gone; Italian troops enter Rome

Key people

Person	One-line role
Mazzini	Republican nationalist; leader of the Roman Republic, 1849
Charles Albert	King of Piedmont; granted the Statuto; defeated 1848–49
Victor Emmanuel II	King of Piedmont from 1849, King of Italy from 1861
Cavour	Piedmont’s Prime Minister from 1852; diplomat of the 1859 war
Garibaldi	Soldier; defended Rome 1849; conquered Sicily and Naples 1860
Napoleon III	French emperor; ally in 1859; protector of the Pope in Rome
Pius IX	Pope; turned against nationalism in 1848; lost Rome in 1870
Radetzky	Austrian commander who defeated Piedmont in 1848–49

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Risorgimento	The movement for Italian national revival and unification
Statuto	Piedmont’s 1848 constitution, kept after 1849
Connubio	Cavour’s 1852 alliance with Rattazzi’s centre-left
Plombières	Secret 1858 agreement between Cavour and Napoleon III
Villafranca	Armistice of July 1859 that left Venetia Austrian
Plebiscite	Popular vote used to approve annexations (1860, 1866, 1870)
Piedmontisation	Imposing Piedmont’s laws, taxes and officials on all Italy
Brigandage	Armed resistance in the south after 1861

Factor comparison for “who mattered most?” essays

Factor	Strongest evidence	Limits
Cavour	Crimea, Plombières, French alliance; central states; moved army south in 1860	Did not plan the southern conquest; died 1861
Garibaldi	Conquered Sicily and Naples with about a thousand volunteers	Failed at Aspromonte and Mentana; needed Piedmont’s army
Napoleon III	French armies won Magenta and Solferino	Stopped at Villafranca; kept Rome from Italy until 1870
Foreign events	1866 and 1870 wars delivered Venetia and Rome	Italy itself was beaten in 1866
Victor Emmanuel II	Kept the Statuto; accepted Garibaldi’s conquests at Teano	Often followed rather than led

Worked example: impression question

Invented extract (for practice only): “Garibaldi gave Italy its south almost by accident, and Cavour spent the rest of 1860 trying to catch up with him.”

A strong answer: the author gives the impression that the conquest of the south was unplanned and driven by Garibaldi, not Cavour. “Almost by accident” suggests a lack of design, and “trying to catch up” presents Cavour as reacting rather than leading. Own knowledge, such as the Piedmontese march through the Papal States to reach Naples before Garibaldi could move on Rome, supports the reading.

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Mixing up the two battles of Custoza (1848 and 1866) — both Italian defeats, eighteen years apart.
• Saying Italy was complete in 1861. Venetia (1866) and Rome (1870) were still outside.
• Treating Garibaldi and Cavour as partners. They distrusted each other; Garibaldi never forgave the loss of Nice.
• Forgetting the price of French help: Nice and Savoy.
• Narrating instead of judging. A 16-mark answer must weigh the named factor against at least one other and reach a conclusion.
• Over-crediting Italian military power. Austria was beaten in 1859 mainly by French armies and in 1866 by Prussia.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best one-line summary of 1848? Revolutions broke out across Italy but failed because of Austrian strength, Italian divisions and the Pope’s withdrawal; Piedmont alone kept its constitution.

Why did Napoleon III help Piedmont? He wanted to weaken Austria, gain Nice and Savoy and extend French influence, and the Orsini Affair pushed him to act.

How did Rome become part of Italy? France withdrew its garrison during the Franco-Prussian War, and Italian troops entered the city in September 1870.

Source

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 1, Depth Study 2.