Liberal Revolt in Sardinia-Piedmont 1821

Inspired by the success of the Spanish revolt (the Liberal Triennium) and the subsequent liberal revolt in the Two Sicilies, Liberals in Piedmont plotted their own revolt. On January 11, 1821, a few students wearing red republican caps to a theatre in Turin were arrested and the excessive official response to a student protest the following day convinced Liberals of a need to act quickly. Leaders met with Charles Albert seeking his support as heir to the crown of Sardinia-Piedmont and someone known to be sympathetic to liberal ideas. Although Charles Albert vacillated, on March 10, 1821, a captain of the garrison of Alessandria declared in favor of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 and quickly gained support from other officers.

A provisional government was established while the senior officers and the governor withdrew with the troops that remained loyal. Other units revolted as news spread. The Piedmontese Liberals managed to gain support from only some of the troops and there was ambiguity as to whether their motivation was constitutional government or Italian unification. King Victor Emanuel listened to rumors of revolts occurring throughout the country and, rather than make concessions, he abdicated in favor of his brother Charles Felix. The new king was not immediately available so Charles Albert was nominated Regent until his return. As Regent, Charles Albert accepted constitutional government in the name of Charles Felix but the appearance of Liberal success was deceiving. A large number of troops remained loyal to the king while the newly elected parliament and its ministers were indecisive.

Once Charles Felix heard of what happened, he immediately repudiated the constitutional government and ordered a compliant Charles Albert to head to Novara, with loyal troops, where a royalist force was concentrating. At the same time, he contacted Austria requesting help. News of the successful Austrian intervention in the Two Sicilies reached Turin where the Liberal government was now in a panic and sought negotiations but the position taken by Charles Felix made negotiations impossible. Refusing to simply surrender, a Liberal army marched to Novara believing the Royalists would not fight on the side of the Austrians. It was a mistake. On April 7, 1821, the 5,000-strong Liberal army faced a Royalist force of 7,000 supported by 2,000 Austrian troops. As the Liberals marched toward Novara, the garrison opened fire and shaken Liberal troops offered but brief resistance before deserting the field. This small skirmish was enough to end the Liberal revolt. The leaders fled the country and Charles Felix set up a commission to punish the revolutionaries, with close to one hundred being condemned to death, although most were in absentia.

Notes

[1] There is a great deal of uncertainty about the number of battle deaths. Correlates of War propose 1,000 based on Richardson. However, Richardson is uncertain there were that many battle deaths and the impression left by some sources, like Radice, suggests there were very few battle deaths. Certainly twenty percent for the entire Liberal army being killed seems implausible.

References

Clodfelter, 284; COW505/503; Kohn, 370-1; Dixon and Sarkees, 233-5; Radice, 24-7; Richardson, 74.

F R Radice. The Revolution of 1821 in Piedmont. Notes and Queries, 152(1/08). 1927.

Category

Intra-State War

Region

Western Europe

Belligerents

Sardinia-Piedmont, Piedmontese Liberals, Austria

Dispute

Governance

Initiation Date

March 10, 1821

Termination Date

April 8, 1821

Duration

30 days

Outcome

Imposed Settlement
(Austrian, Sardinian-Pietmontese victory)

Fatalities

Total: 1,000^[1]

Magnitude

3.0