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Why did Rome and Venetia remain outside the Kingdom of Italy in 1861?
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unification of Italy
The unification of Italy. The dates are those of annexation, first to Sardinia-Piedmont and after 1861 to the Kingdom of Italy.
In 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was officially proclaimed, Rome and Venetia remained outside the new state due to distinct geopolitical obstacles:
- Rome: The city and its surrounding region (Lazio) remained under the control of the Papal States. The primary reason for its exclusion was the presence of French troops, who were stationed there to protect the pope and his temporal sovereignty. The Italian government was unable to seize the city without risking a direct military confrontation with France.123
- Venetia: This territory remained under Austrian rule. Following the Second Italian War of Independence, while Lombardy had been annexed to the kingdom, Venetia continued to be held by the Austrian Empire.45
It was not until later that these territories were integrated: Venetia was acquired in 1866 following the Seven Weeks' War, and Rome was finally annexed in 1870 after the Franco-Prussian War forced the withdrawal of the French garrison.61