- Italian:
- Spedizione dei Mille
- Date:
- May 5, 1860 - October 26, 1860
- Location:
- Italy
- Participants:
- Giuseppe Garibaldi
- Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
- Context:
- Risorgimento
Expedition of the Thousand
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What was the Expedition of the Thousand?
The Expedition of the Thousand was a campaign in 1860 led by Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification.
Garibaldi, with a volunteer force, set sail from Liguria to free southern Italy from Bourbon rule. Despite being poorly equipped, Garibaldi's forces landed at Marsala, Sicily, on May 11, 1860, and within three months, they gained control of the entire island. Garibaldi's success was attributed to his daring leadership, military skill, and the revolutionary spirit of the Sicilians, who were eager to overthrow their Neapolitan rulers.
Garibaldi's success set the stage for the unification of southern Italy with the north, under the royal house of Savoy.
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Who led the Expedition of the Thousand and when did it take place?
The Expedition of the Thousand was led by Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860. This campaign successfully overthrew the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which encompassed Naples, thereby uniting southern Italy and Sicily with the north. Garibaldi, already a celebrated military leader, was dedicated to Italian unification and, despite his democratic ideals, supported Victor Emmanuel II, the king of Piedmont-Sardinia.
On the night of May 5–6, 1860, Garibaldi departed from Quarto, near Genoa, with over 1,000 volunteers. They landed in Marsala, Sicily, on May 11. Despite facing more than 20,000 Neapolitan troops, Garibaldi's forces captured Palermo by June 6 and secured control over all of Sicily, except Messina, by July 20.
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Why did the Expedition of the Thousand happen?
The Expedition of the Thousand, led by Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860, was driven by his commitment to Italian unification and impatience with the cautious tactics of Piedmont's prime minister, Count Cavour. A revolt in Sicily on April 4, 1860, spurred Garibaldi to initiate an attack on the Bourbon kingdom in the south.
Embarking from Quarto with over 1,000 men on the night of May 5–6, Garibaldi aimed to overthrow the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and unite southern Italy with the north. Despite facing more than 20,000 Neapolitan troops, Garibaldi's forces, bolstered by Sicilian support, captured Palermo and gained control of Sicily, except for Messina. The expedition was a dramatic event in the Risorgimento, symbolizing modern insurrection and popular war.
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Which regions or territories did the Expedition of the Thousand aim to capture?
The Expedition of the Thousand, led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, aimed to overthrow the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Naples) and unite southern Italy and Sicily with the north.
Beginning with a revolt in Sicily in April 1860, Garibaldi and his forces landed at Marsala, Sicily, on May 11. They gained control of all of Sicily except Messina by July 20. Crossing the Strait of Messina on August 20, Garibaldi advanced to Naples, entering on September 7. Although his march to Rome was checked, a plebiscite resulted in annexation under Piedmont on October 21.
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What challenges did the Thousand face during their campaign?
During the Expedition of the Thousand, Giuseppe Garibaldi and his forces faced several challenges. They had to overcome the numerical disadvantage against the Neapolitan troops of the Bourbon king Francis II in Sicily, as they were outnumbered with an untrained force and rusty rifles.
Despite scant preparations and a shortage of weapons, Garibaldi’s volunteers landed at Marsala on May 11, 1860, and in less than three months conquered the entire island of Sicily. Garibaldi's daring and skill and the indigenous revolutionary ferment accounted for the success of the expedition. Still, the attitude of the Sicilian peasants was ambivalent. They initially welcomed the invading force but then quickly became disillusioned at Garibaldi’s reluctance to order the breakup of secular, landed estates.
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How did the Expedition of the Thousand help in the unification of Italy?
The Expedition of the Thousand, led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, was crucial to Italian unification. In 1860, Garibaldi and his volunteer force of over 1,000 men set sail to liberate Southern Italy from Bourbon rule.
Landing in Sicily, Garibaldi's forces, aided by local uprisings, quickly gained control of the island. They then crossed to the mainland, where they captured Naples. This success led to the collapse of Bourbon authority and paved the way for the annexation of Southern Italy to Piedmont-Sardinia.
Garibaldi's actions compelled Count Cavour to consolidate the Italian peninsula (excluding Venetia and Rome) into a single kingdom. The expedition highlighted the popular support for unification and overcame political obstacles, leading to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in March 1861.
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Expedition of the Thousand, campaign undertaken in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi that overthrew the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Naples) and permitted the union of southern Italy and Sicily with the north. The expedition was one of the most dramatic events of the Risorgimento (movement for Italian unification) and was the archetype modern insurrection and popular war.
By 1860 Garibaldi had established a reputation as a successful military leader. He was totally committed to the cause of Italian unification, and, although sympathetic to democratic ideas, he was willing, for the sake of the nation, to work for Victor Emmanuel II, the king of Piedmont-Sardinia. But Garibaldi became impatient with the cautious, diplomatic tactics of Piedmont’s prime minister, Count Cavour, and was ready to act on his own initiative to help unite Italy. A revolt in Sicily, beginning on April 4, 1860, caused Garibaldi to make the decision to begin with an attack on the Bourbon kingdom in the south. On the night of May 5–6, he embarked from Quarto (a suburb of Genoa) with more than 1,000 men, mostly idealistic young northerners. Narrowly missing contact with the Bourbon Navy, the expedition landed at the western Sicilian port of Marsala on May 11.
Garibaldi was faced with the problem of defeating more than 20,000 Neapolitan troops of the Bourbon king Francis II in Sicily with an untrained force armed only with rusty rifles. After proclaiming himself dictator of Sicily in the name of Victor Emmanuel, he led his men across the island toward Palermo. He defeated a Neapolitan force at Calatafimi (May 15), and many Sicilians then joined him to help overthrow their hated Neapolitan rulers. Aided also by the incompetence of the Bourbon command, Garibaldi captured Palermo (June 6) and, with the Battle of Milazzo (July 20), won control of all Sicily except Messina.
Garibaldi now hoped to take Naples and even to complete Italy’s unification by a march on papal Rome. On August 20 he crossed the strait of Messina and landed in Calabria. His advance to Naples became a triumphal march as Bourbon rule totally collapsed; he was welcomed as a hero on entering Naples on September 7. The regrouped forces of King Francis made a final effort at the Volturno River (October 1–2) and, although Garibaldi defeated them, his march to Rome was checked. But Garibaldi was also blocked by political maneuvering. Cavour decided to take the initiative, fearful that the Risorgimento was being turned into a popular movement by the radical followers of Garibaldi and that France would intervene if Rome were attacked. To insure that Piedmont kept the leadership of the unification movement, Cavour ordered Piedmontese troops to invade the papal territories of Umbria and Marche and to join Garibaldi at Naples. Realizing that completion of unification was impossible in the existing situation, Garibaldi agreed to hold a plebiscite in the south, which resulted in an overwhelming victory for annexation under Piedmont (October 21). On October 26 Garibaldi met with Victor Emmanuel and relinquished his dictatorship over the south into the king’s hands.