Roman Republic War 1849

The assassination of Pellegrino Rossi in Rome on November 15, 1848 provoked popular unrest which induced Pope Pius IX to flee, leaving the city without local government. Popular assemblies formed which ultimately led to the election, by universal male suffrage, of a Constitutional Assembly which then proclaimed the Roman Republic on February 9, 1849. The Pope called on Catholic states to provide military assistance in restoring papal rule in Rome.

France, then under the presidency of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, responded the papal call for help by sending an army to crush the Roman Republic. Meanwhile, Giuseppe Garibaldi formed the Italian Legion to defend the Roman Republic. The Italian Legion defeated the French army in battle on April 30th. The legion, under the leadership of Garibaldi, then turned back an invading Neapolitan army led by King Ferdinand II. Meanwhile, the French army was substantially reinforced and armies from Spain, Austria and Tuscany joined the war against the Roman Republic, besieging the city. A truce was negotiated on July 1st; Garibaldi and possibly 4,000 members of the Italian Legion avoided capture by withdrawing during the truce. Then, on July 2, 1849, Rome surrendered. France occupied the city and papal rule was restored in Rome (although Pope Pius IX did not return to Rome until April 1850). The French military presence in the Papal States continued until the last French troops were withdrawn in 1866.

References

Clodfelter, 293-4; COW16; Kohn, 233.

Category

Inter-State War

Region

Western Europe

Belligerents

France, Two Sicillies, Austria, Spain, Tuscany, Roman Republic

Dispute

Governance

Initiation Date

February 9, 1849

Termination Date

July 9, 1849

Duration

143 days

Outcome

Imposed Settlement (Catholic victory)

Fatalities

Total: 2,600
France: 1,000
Two Sicilies: 100
Austria: 100
Roman Republic: 1,400

Magnitude

3.4