The Period of Wars for Nationality

The next aspect which demands consideration is the
fact that the Crimean War ushered in a period of suc-
cessive European wars which turned upon the principle
of nationality. To the student of European history the
most interesting feature in the Crimean War is the appear-
ance before Sebastopol of a contingent of Italian troops
sent by the King of Sardinia, whose domains included
Piedmont, and whose capital was Turin. This was the
first move played by Count Cavour in his campaign for
the creation of a united Italy under the leadership of an
Italian monarch. His object was to secure that the ques-
tion of Italy should come up for discussion when negotia-
tions for peace were being conducted. The greater part
of the north of Italy, including Lombardy and Venice, was
then under the domination of Austria; Tuscany, Parma
and Modena formed three weak duchies in tfie centre of
the peninsula, to the south of them lay the Papal Estates,



178 THE ^L\KING OF 3I0DERN ENGLAND

and, beyond, the kingdom of the Two Sicilies was ruled
by a Bourbon monarch. Nothing was actually accom-
plished for Italy by the Treaty of Paris of 1856, but Cavour
succeeded in entering into engagements with Napoleon III
which led to the Franco-Austrian War of 1859, in conse-
quence of which Lombardy was ceded to Sardinia: and
Tuscany, Parma and Modena united themselves to the
enlarged Italian kingdom; while Savoy and Nice were
ceded to France as the price of Napoleon's help. In i860
Garibaldi made his successful descent on the Two Sicilies,
and in March 1861 \''ictor Emmanuel was declared King
of Italy.
