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43-522: A garden within Bra is shaded by cedar and pine trees. It surrounds the fountain of the Alps and a bronze statue of Victor Emmanuel II . This monument to the first king of Italy , in which he is sat atop a horse, was inaugurated on 9 January 1883, five years to the day after his death. There are many significant buildings within and around Bra, with construction taking place over many centuries. The building itself

86-515: A satiric stanza , an approximate translation of which reads: The toppest brass Sat down to meet And pondered long; Topographers Lined paper black But all forgot The deep ravine They had to cross! This humorous song soon gained widespread popularity among the Russian soldiers, and is the only piece of verse Tolstoy is known to have written. The stanza from Tolstoy's song "Гладко вписано в бумаге, Да забыли про овраги" ("It

129-575: A coordinated assault, he fed them piecemeal into the fray. Going in regiment by regiment, the assaulting reserve troops accomplished nothing. Seeing this, Gorchakov ordered Read to deploy the entire division against the French. This forced the French back up the hill but the Russians could not capture the Heights. In the following retreat General Read was killed. Upon the death of Read, Gorchakov took personal command of

172-512: A government in office against the will of Parliament. As a result, while the wording of the Statuto Albertino stipulating that ministers were solely responsible to the crown remained unchanged, in practice they were now responsible to Parliament. Victor Emmanuel died in Rome in 1878, after meeting with the envoys of Pope Pius IX , who had reversed the excommunication, and received last rites . He

215-505: A secret meeting with the French emperor. In 1858, they met at Plombières-les-Bains (in Lorraine ), where they agreed that if the French were to help Piedmont in its war against Austria, which still reigned over the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia in northern Italy, France would be awarded Nice and Savoy . The Italo-French campaign against Austria in 1859 started successfully. However, sickened by

258-537: Is universal agreement that Victor Emmanuel is an imbecile; he is a dishonest man who tells lies to everyone; at this rate, he will end up losing his crown and ruining both Italy and his dynasty." In 1870, after two failed attempts by Garibaldi, he also took advantage of the Prussian victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War to capture Rome after the French withdrew. He entered Rome on 20 September 1870 and set up

301-789: The Crimean War ; the deployment of Italian troops to the Crimea, and the gallantry shown by them in the Battle of the Chernaya (16 August 1855) and in the siege of Sevastopol led the Kingdom of Sardinia to be among the participants at the peace conference at the end of the war, where it could address the issue of the Italian unification to other European powers. This allowed Victor Emmanuel to ally himself with Napoleon III , Emperor of France. France had supported Sardinia in

344-536: The Marche and Umbria after the victorious battle of Castelfidardo (1860) over the Papal forces. The king subsequently met with Garibaldi at Teano , receiving from him the control of southern Italy. Another series of plebiscites in the occupied lands resulted in the proclamation of Victor Emmanuel as the first King of Italy by the new Parliament of unified Italy , on 17 March 1861. He did not renumber himself after assuming

387-680: The Second Italian War of Independence , resulting in liberating Lombardy from Austrian rule. Victor Emmanuel supported the Expedition of the Thousand (1860–1861) led by Giuseppe Garibaldi , which resulted in the rapid fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in southern Italy. However, Victor Emmanuel halted Garibaldi when he appeared ready to attack Rome , still under the Papal States , as it

430-584: The 2nd and 3rd Zouaves was especially noted. The Sardinian troops' valiant effort at the battle was a contributing factor to their inclusion at the negotiation tables at the end of the war; it was there that the Kingdom of Sardinia began looking for the aid of other European nations towards the Unification of Italy . Russian Count Leo Tolstoy was a participant in the Battle of the Chernaya River. He witnessed as

473-484: The British correspondents were amazed at the courageousness and impetuosity of the Russian attack, the assault was handicapped by poor organization and lack of experienced soldiers which, due to Sevastopol, forced their corps to consist mostly of militia. In the cover of the morning fog, the Russians advanced towards Traktir Bridge with 47,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry and 270 cannon under command of General Pavel Liprandi on

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516-579: The Chernaya The Battle of the Chernaya (also Tchernaïa ; Russian: Сражение у Черной речки, Сражение у реки Черной, literally: Battle of the Black River ) was fought near to the Chernaya River during the Crimean War on August 16, 1855. The battle was fought between Russian , French , Piedmontese and Ottoman troops. The Chernaya River is on the outskirts of Sevastopol , near the line of

559-471: The Italian unification in his own right. Victor Emmanuel II soon became the symbol of the " Risorgimento ", the Italian unification movement of the 1850s and early 60s. He was especially popular in the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia because of his respect for the new constitution and his liberal reforms. Following Victor Emmanuel's advice, Cavour joined Britain and France in the Crimean War against Russia. Cavour

602-538: The Pope into Vatican City . His success at these goals led him to be excommunicated from the Catholic Church until 1878 when it was lifted just before his death. Then, Giuseppe Garibaldi conquered Sicily and Naples, and Piedmont-Sardinia grew even larger. On 17 March 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was officially established and Victor Emmanuel II became its king. Victor Emmanuel supported Giuseppe Garibaldi 's Expedition of

645-442: The Russians crossed the river and started up the hillside in the morning sunlight. Tolstoy saw Russian soldiers being killed in clusters as shells exploded around them. Before the morning was over, the Russians were forced to retreat. They left thousands of their dead comrades behind. Tolstoy was depressed and angered by the slaughter. He believed much of it was due to incompetent generals and staff. Tolstoy vented his anger by composing

688-412: The Thousand (1860–1861), which resulted in the rapid fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in southern Italy. However, the king halted Garibaldi when he appeared ready to attack Rome, still under the Papal States , as it was under French protection. In 1860, through local plebiscites, Tuscany, Modena, Parma and Romagna decided to side with Piedmont-Sardinia. Victor Emmanuel then marched victoriously in

731-478: The allies' siege of the city. The battle ended in a Russian retreat and a victory for the French, Piedmontese, and Ottomans. The battle was planned as an offensive by the Russians with the aim of forcing the Allied forces (French, British, Piedmontese, and Ottoman ) to retreat and abandon their siege of Sevastopol . Tsar Alexander II had ordered his commander in chief in the Crimea, Prince Michael Gorchakov to attack

774-522: The battlefield. The attacking Russians immediately met stiff resistance from the French and Sardinians. Read's forces crossed the river near the Traktir Bridge but without cavalry and artillery support, they were easily stopped by the French on the Fedyukhin Heights (Федюхины высоты). Read then ordered his reserve formation, the 5th Infantry Division, to attack the Heights but instead of launching

817-758: The besieging forces before they were reinforced further. The Russian generals prepared a massive force: a 47000-strong infantry, supported by a 10000-strong cavalry, which were organized in 6 divisions: the IV, the V, the VI, the VII, the XII, the XVII, together with another division, the II, in reserve. The Tsar hoped that by gaining a victory, he could force a more favorable resolution to the conflict. Gorchakov did not think that an attack would be successful but believed

860-554: The casualties of the war and worried about the mobilisation of Prussian troops, Napoleon III secretly made a treaty with Franz Joseph of Austria at Villafranca whereby Piedmont would only gain Lombardy . France did not as a result receive the promised Nice and Savoy, but Austria did keep Venetia , a major setback for the Piedmontese, in no small part because the treaty had been prepared without their knowledge. After several quarrels about

903-564: The control of southern Italy and becoming the first King of Italy on 17 March 1861. In 1866, the Third Italian War of Independence allowed Italy to annex Veneto . In 1870, Victor Emmanuel also took advantage of the Prussian victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War to conquer the Papal States after the French withdrew. He entered Rome on 20 September 1870 and set up the new capital there on 2 July 1871. He died in Rome in 1878, and

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946-406: The debut of Maria Callas . Palazzo della Gran Guardia  [ it ] , was the first building erected on the southern edge of Bra. It was originally designed by Domenico Curtoni as a roof built from the existing wall out to several pillars. Leonardo Donato , 90th Doge of Venice , had requested an area for troops to shelter in poor weather. Work commenced in 1610 but stopped when there

989-509: The eldest son of Charles Albert, Prince of Carignano , and Maria Theresa of Austria , he fought in the First Italian War of Independence (1848–1849) before being made King of Sardinia following his father's abdication. He appointed Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour , as his Prime Minister, and he consolidated his position by suppressing the republican left. In 1855, he sent an expeditionary corps to side with French and British forces during

1032-459: The enemy would be tired and less attentive to the Russians. 58,000 Russian troops in two army corps under Prince Michael Gorchakov fought against 36,000 French and Sardinian troops under French General Aimable Pélissier and Piedmontese General Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora . Ottoman forces—six battalions of infantry and one artillery battery —were commanded by Władysław Kościelski  [ pl ] [(Ottoman name "Sefer Pasha"). Although

1075-478: The fresh start that the Italian people wanted and suggested that Piedmont-Sardinia had taken over the Italian Peninsula, rather than unifying it. Despite this mishap, the remainder of Victor Emmanuel II's reign was consumed by wrapping up loose ends and dealing with economic and cultural issues. His role in day-to-day governing gradually dwindled, as it became increasingly apparent that a king could no longer keep

1118-536: The greatest chance of success to be near the French and Piedmontese positions on the Chernaya River. The Tsar ordered the hesitating Gorchakov to hold a war council to plan the attack. The attack was planned for the morning of August 16 in the hope to surprise the French and Piedmontese as they had just celebrated the Feast day of the Emperor (France) and Assumption Day (Piedmontese). The Russians hoped that because of these feasts

1161-513: The left and General Nikolay Read  [ ru ] on the right. The two generals had been ordered by Gorchakov not to cross the river until given explicit orders. Annoyed that things weren’t happening fast enough, Gorchakov sent a note to his generals with the words "Let's start it." By this, Gorchakov only meant that the Russians should start to deploy their forces. His generals interpreted his words as his order to attack and they acted accordingly, although reserve forces were still en route to

1204-469: The military, and sports. In 1842, he married his cousin, Adelaide of Austria . He was styled as the Duke of Savoy prior to becoming King of Sardinia. He took part in the First Italian War of Independence (1848–1849) under his father, King Charles Albert, fighting in the front line at the battles of Pastrengo , Santa Lucia, Goito and Custoza . He became King of Sardinia in 1849 when his father abdicated

1247-470: The new capital there on 2 July 1871, after a temporary move to Florence in 1864. The new Royal residence was the Quirinal Palace . The rest of Victor Emmanuel II's reign was much quieter. After the Kingdom of Italy was established he decided to continue on as King Victor Emmanuel II instead of Victor Emmanuel I of Italy. This was a terrible move as far as public relations went as it was not indicative of

1290-662: The new royal title, however. Turin became the capital of the new state. Only Lazio , Veneto , and Trentino remained to be conquered. In 1866 Victor Emmanuel allied himself with Prussia in the Third Italian War of Independence . Although not victorious in the Italian theatre, he managed to receive Veneto after the Austrian defeat in Germany. The British Foreign Secretary, Lord Clarendon, visited Florence in December 1867 and reported to London after talking to various Italian politicians: "There

1333-601: The outcome of the war, Cavour resigned, and the king had to find other advisors. France indeed only gained Nice and Savoy after the Treaty of Turin was signed in March 1860, after Cavour had been reinstalled as Prime Minister, and a deal with the French was struck for plebiscites to take place in the Central Italian Duchies. Later that same year, Victor Emmanuel II sent his forces to fight the papal army at Castelfidardo and drove

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1376-460: The peace with Austria was accepted by the new Chamber of Deputies. In 1849, Victor Emmanuel also fiercely suppressed a revolt in Genoa , defining the rebels as a "vile and infected race of canailles." In 1852, he appointed Count Camillo Benso of Cavour ("Count Cavour") as Prime Minister of Piedmont-Sardinia. This turned out to be a wise choice since Cavour was a political mastermind and a major player in

1419-455: The right and ordered 8 battalions of Liprandi's left wing to reinforce the right wing. These forces came under fire from the Sardinians and were driven back. At 10 o’clock in the morning, Gorchakov concluded that the situation was hopeless and ordered a general retreat. The bravery of Sardinian troops and the French soldiers of the 50th, 82nd, 95th, 97th of the line; the 19th Foot Chasseurs; and

1462-580: The throne, after being defeated by the Austrians at the Battle of Novara . Victor Emmanuel was immediately able to obtain a rather favourable armistice at Vignale by the Austrian imperial army commander, Radetzky . The treaty, however, was not ratified by the Piedmontese lower parliamentary house , the Chamber of Deputies, and Victor Emmanuel retaliated by firing his Prime Minister, Claudio Gabriele de Launay, replacing him with Massimo D'Azeglio . After new elections,

1505-668: Was King of Sardinia (also known as Piedmont-Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March 1861, when he assumed the title of King of Italy and became the first king of an independent, united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878. Borrowing from the old Latin title Pater Patriae of the Roman emperors , the Italians gave him the epithet of Father of the Fatherland ( Italian : Padre della Patria ). Born in Turin as

1548-428: Was a shortfall in available funds. Nearly 200 years later, in 1808, architect Giuseppe Barbieri was commissioned to design and complete the project but it was a further 45 years before it was finished. The building is now used as a venue for conferences, meetings, and exhibitions. Palazzo Barbieri is Verona's town hall . Originally named Palazzo della Gran Guardia Nuova , it was designed by Giuseppe Barbieri and

1591-529: Was built in the first century AD on a site then beyond the city walls. The ludi (shows and games) staged there were so famous that spectators came from many other places, often far away, to witness them. While it can now host crowds of up to 22,000, the original amphitheatre could seat 30,000 spectators. The arena has been used by many contemporary performers including Pink Floyd , Rod Stewart , Elton John , and Muse . It has also hosted numerous operas, including in 1946 Ponchielli 's La Gioconda which saw

1634-579: Was buried in the Pantheon . The Italian national Victor Emmanuel II Monument in Rome, containing the Altare della Patria , was built in his honour. Victor Emmanuel was born as the eldest son of Carlo Alberto Prince of Carignano, and Maria Theresa of Austria . His father succeeded a distant cousin as King of Sardinia in 1831. He lived for some years of his youth in Florence and showed an early interest in politics,

1677-970: Was buried in the Pantheon . His successor was his son Umberto I . In 1842 he married his paternal first cousin (aunt's daughter) Adelaide of Austria (1822–1855). With her, he had eight children: In 1869 he married morganatically his principal mistress Rosa Vercellana (3 June 1833 – 26 December 1885). Popularly known in Piedmontese as "Bela Rosin", she was born a commoner but made Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda in 1858. Their offspring were: In addition to his morganatic second wife, Victor Emmanuel II had several other mistresses: 1) Laura Bon at Stupinigi, who bore him two children: 2) Baroness Vittoria Duplesis who bore him another daughter: 3) Unknown mistress at Mondovì, mother of: 4) Virginia Rho at Turin, mother of two children: 5) Rosalinda Incoronata De Domenicis (1846–1916), mother of one daughter: 6) Angela Rosa De Filippo, mother of: Battle of

1720-417: Was later named in his honour. Construction began in 1836 and was completed by 1848. 45°26′20″N 10°59′34″E  /  45.43889°N 10.99278°E  / 45.43889; 10.99278 Victor Emmanuel II of Italy Victor Emmanuel II ( Italian : Vittorio Emanuele II ; full name: Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia ; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878)

1763-461: Was reluctant to go to war due to the power of Russia at the time and the expense of doing so. Victor Emmanuel, however, was convinced of the rewards to be gained from the alliance created with Britain and, more importantly, France. After successfully seeking British support and ingratiating himself with France and Napoleon III at the Congress of Paris in 1856 at the end of the war, Count Cavour arranged

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1806-466: Was smoothly written into the papers / But it was forgotten about the ravines") entered as a catch phrase , in a slightly modified form "Гладко было на бумаге..." ("It was smooth on the paper, ..."). The battle was a disaster for the Russians. Even with numerical superiority, the Russians had managed to lose the battle and suffer almost five times as many casualties as the Allies. Tsar Alexander had hoped for

1849-524: Was under French protection. In 1860, Tuscany, Modena, Parma and Romagna decided to side with Sardinia, and Victor Emmanuel then marched victoriously in the Marche and Umbria after the victorious Battle of Castelfidardo over the Papal forces. This led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church until 1878, just before his death in the same year. He subsequently met Garibaldi at Teano , receiving from him

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