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How did France gain Nice and Savoy during Italian unification?

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Portrait of Napoleon III in a dark military uniform with gold epaulettes, a red sash, and medals, set against a deep red background. Painted by Hippolyte Flandrin. — Napoleon III Napoleon III, detail of a portrait by Hippolyte Flandrin, 1862; in the Versailles Museum.

France gained the territories of Savoy and Nice through a diplomatic exchange orchestrated by the Piedmontese prime minister, Count Cavour.

Following the Second Italian War of Independence, Napoleon III initially opposed the annexation of central Italian duchies (such as Tuscany, Parma, and Modena) by Piedmont, fearing the creation of a powerful state on the French border. To overcome this opposition and secure French permission for these annexations, Cavour offered to cede Savoy and Nice to France in early 1860.12

A treaty formalizing this exchange was signed in March 1860. To provide a veneer of legitimacy and popular consent, plebiscites were held in both regions between March and April 1860, resulting in nearly unanimous support for the transfer to France. This strategic concession allowed Piedmont to expand its territory significantly while satisfying Napoleon III’s geopolitical interests.12