Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/394

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382 THE MODERN NATIONS existing order. The passionate sentiment of patriotism inspired by the pen of Mazzini and the sword of Garibaldi was now to Cavour in be guided by the politic brain of Cavour, whom Italy. the shrewd King of Sardinia had taken for his chief minister. Cavour directed his policy to obtaining European support for his schemes of Italian emancipation ; and this he knew would not be available if emancipation were associated with republicanism. The victory could be won' only under the banner of Victor Emmanuel and constitutional monarchy. For the sake of French and British support, Sardinia took part in the Crimean War, and in the congress which con- cluded it ; and Cavour took the opportunity to enlist French and British sympathies. The outcome was a compact under which France was to help Sardinia to acquire Venetia and Lombardy from Austria, Napoleon in herself receiving Savoy and Nice. Austria injudici- Itaiy. ously adopted the aggressive tone which served to warrant French intervention when the refusal of the demands she made on Sardinia was followed up by an Austrian invasion of Piedmont. France and Sardinia at once joined forces, and the campaign was decided in favour of the allies by the battles of Magenta and Solferino. Tuscany, Parma, Modena, and Bologna all ejected their rulers and offered themselves to Victor Emmanuel. Austria, however, was not yet beaten to her knees ; and Napoleon, who considered that he had done enough for glory and might go further and fare worse, deserted his ally. He made a provisional treaty with the Austrians at Villafranca, by which Sardinia was to gain most of Lombardy but nothing more. Cavour was so indignant at the king's acceptance of the terms that he resigned. The The Kingdom ^ ucn i es an ^ Bologna refused to take back their of North rulers, and by plibiscite voted solidly for their Italy. union with the Sardinian kingdom. Cavour was reconciled with the king and returned to office; Napoleon, as the price of his support, procured the cession of Savoy and Nice to France. Naples (under its Bourbon ruler Francis, who had recently succeeded the notorious Ferdinand, known as 1 Bomba '), the papal states shorn of Bologna, and Venetia which