How did Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Sicilian revolt contribute to Italian unification?

Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Sicilian revolt, known as the Expedition of the Thousand, was a pivotal catalyst for Italian unification by overthrowing the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and facilitating the integration of southern Italy into the new kingdom.1

The revolt began in April 1860, fueled by long-standing Sicilian resentment toward Neapolitan rule and the revolutionary efforts of figures like Francesco Crispi. Garibaldi’s successful military campaign across Sicily and his subsequent march to Naples in September 1860 effectively collapsed Bourbon authority.321

This rapid progress forced the hand of Count Cavour, the prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, who feared that the radical nature of the movement might alienate European powers or lead to a republican coup. To maintain Piedmontese leadership, Cavour ordered troops to occupy the Papal States and join Garibaldi. Ultimately, Garibaldi relinquished his dictatorial powers to Victor Emmanuel II, and plebiscites in the south overwhelmingly supported annexation, leading to the official proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.12