Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from how
Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 1: I'm Katie Lambert and I'm Sarah Dowdy, and today we
Speaker 1: are bringing you the ultimate underdog story. That's the story
Speaker 1: of a group of one thousand men led by a
Speaker 1: charismatic professional rebel named Giuseppe Garibaldi who bore gaucho pants.
Speaker 1: We just want to get that right out there, if
Speaker 1: I were a professional rubble and this group makes its
Speaker 1: way to Sicily, where they topple the large and strong
Speaker 1: Bourbon monarch. Their expedition is a success and delivers an
Speaker 1: enormous piece of the fragmented Italian peninsula into the hands
Speaker 1: of Pete mont Sardinia. So in this David and Goliath story,
Speaker 1: again it's David who wins, and this is a really
Speaker 1: big step in the creation of the Kingdom of Italy
Speaker 1: and the unification of the country. So it's kind of
Speaker 1: the most dramatic event, in my opinion, in that story
Speaker 1: that spans almost a century. So we're gonna give you
Speaker 1: some background on the Resourgimento or the resurgence, which is
Speaker 1: pretty complicated. So we're going to try to cut it
Speaker 1: down to the basics for you. Italy is made up
Speaker 1: of states, and after Napoleonic rule ends, the peninsula shows
Speaker 1: some movements toward nationalization, but there are centuries old divisions
Speaker 1: between the states. You can even think of Italy today
Speaker 1: and how different Florence is, say from Venice. It was
Speaker 1: even more marked than the differences between them. There are
Speaker 1: also differences in language and in food. So this isn't
Speaker 1: a simple revolution. It's not going to be easy. You
Speaker 1: have to answer the questions of who's going to rule,
Speaker 1: and what would unified Italy look like, and who's going
Speaker 1: to be leading it? Yeah, which state will take the
Speaker 1: lead in unifying the country, and will it be under
Speaker 1: a monarchy, will it be a republic? What's it going
Speaker 1: to look like? And it's interesting too, this isn't just
Speaker 1: a political movement, this um resurgence. It's also an ideology
Speaker 1: and sometimes it's um just about the romance of reclaiming
Speaker 1: a shared history. So uh, taking someone like Dante, who
Speaker 1: is so tied to his own city and turning him
Speaker 1: into a national figure. He's not just a Florentine, He's
Speaker 1: an Italian, Italy's writer and um taking ancient Rome and
Speaker 1: the antiquities and making that a national thing and not
Speaker 1: just something in the distance outside of our communal history. Yeah,
Speaker 1: much of the rebellion is directed against the Austrian occupiers
Speaker 1: of northern Italy, but the idea of nationalism begins to
Speaker 1: sweep through all the states. And we have two distinctive
Speaker 1: varieties of this nationalism that are important for our story.
Speaker 1: The first is the radical nationalism of Giuseppe Mazzini, who
Speaker 1: wants to unite the peninsula into a republic. And on
Speaker 1: the other side we have the liberal monarchy of Pete
Speaker 1: Sardinia in northern Italy, which is ruled by Victor Emmanuel
Speaker 1: the Second and run by his prime minister Cavor. They
Speaker 1: also want to unite the peninsula, but under Piedmont rule
Speaker 1: and under a monarchy, and they're careful and diplomatic people.
Speaker 1: They support rebel movements secretly. They'll support Garibaldi at times, um,
Speaker 1: but it's it's always They're always playing their cards close,
Speaker 1: and they're conscious of their reputation and world affairs, so
Speaker 1: they're not solely concerned with this unification of Italy. There
Speaker 1: um aware of their position in Europe as a whole,
Speaker 1: as far as where Garibaldi fits into this. He would
Speaker 1: seem to be a natural fit with Mazzini's movement, but
Speaker 1: he's a free agent. He's willing to work with a
Speaker 1: monarchy if it means unification will happen. He's much more
Speaker 1: tied to this idea of unification than he is to
Speaker 1: the idea of a republic, a democracy, or a monarchy
Speaker 1: or even his own ambitions. He just wants it to happen. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and he does work with Matzini's movement when he's a youth,
Speaker 1: but he later works with the pied Mont Sardinian so
Speaker 1: he's really able to cross both fives here to get
Speaker 1: what he wants to have happened actually happened. And let's
Speaker 1: give you a little background on Garibaldi. He was born
Speaker 1: in Niece in eighteen o seven, which at the time
Speaker 1: is part of France. It's later given back to Sardinia
Speaker 1: and the Savoy rulers. When Garibaldi was a boy after
Speaker 1: Napoleon was defeated, and he comes from a family of
Speaker 1: fishermen and coastal traders. He himself as a sailor for
Speaker 1: more than ten years and becomes a merchant captain. So
Speaker 1: by the eighteen thirties, while he's serving in the navy
Speaker 1: of pied Montzardinia. He comes under the influence of Giuseppe Mazzini, who,
Speaker 1: as we said, is the hero of Italian nationalism, and
Speaker 1: he comes under the influence of the French socialist Conte
Speaker 1: de Saint Simon, and by eighteen thirty four he's become
Speaker 1: a revolutionary. He takes part in an attempt to provoke
Speaker 1: a republican revolution in Piedmont. It doesn't work out. He's
Speaker 1: convicted to death an absentia by a Genoese court and
Speaker 1: he goes to South America. In retreat, goes into hiding.
Speaker 1: He's kind of a rebel pirate in Brazil and he
Speaker 1: elopes with a woman named Anna Maria Ribero da Silva,
Speaker 1: a married woman. Their companions and arms until her death,
Speaker 1: and he ends up in charge of the Uruguayan navy.
Speaker 1: And all the while he's learning guerrilla warfare in South America.
Speaker 1: We've decided that guerrilla warfares are new theme to replace exhimation.
Speaker 1: He's a professional rebel and he wears a gaucho costume.
Speaker 1: In eighteen forty three, still in the service of Uruguay,
Speaker 1: he takes command of the Italian legion at Montevideo, which
Speaker 1: is the first of the Red Shirts, and remember red Shirts,
Speaker 1: because they're going to come into play later on. They
Speaker 1: win a small battle and word gets back to Europe
Speaker 1: about these guys. Alexander dumint pair helps foster the reputation
Speaker 1: of Garibaldi, so he's becoming a somewhat of a celebrity
Speaker 1: by this point, and this now famous garrible Aldi returned
Speaker 1: to Italy in eighteen forty eight to fight the Austrians.
Speaker 1: He is unsuccessful, but he's still incredibly courageous and becomes
Speaker 1: known as the hero of two worlds, but still too
Speaker 1: scary to the Piedmont monarchy. Um, you would think this guy,
Speaker 1: who is now a hero in the Peninsula might be
Speaker 1: welcomed back into the fold and his former treasonous activities
Speaker 1: would be overlooked. But um, they're not going to go
Speaker 1: for that. He goes into exile again, including a stop
Speaker 1: in Staten Island, interestingly enough, and he's finally allowed to
Speaker 1: return to Italy in eighteen fifty four. That free agent
Speaker 1: business that we're talking about earlier frightens Cavour, who wants
Speaker 1: to bring him back into Piedmont's fold. It's too dangerous
Speaker 1: to have him out there. Um, you know, he could
Speaker 1: potentially be lured back to Matsini, the Republican Metzini, which
Speaker 1: is not something that Piedmont wants. Um. Garibaldi is, after all,
Speaker 1: a really charismatic, really popular republic figure. So Cofre says,
Speaker 1: let's fight Austria together. We'll give you the rank of
Speaker 1: major general in the Piedmontese army. So he does that.
Speaker 1: And also, the Piedmont has become more liberal in the
Speaker 1: intervening years since Garibaldi has been gone. They've gotten a constitution.
Speaker 1: Things have lightened up a bit, it's not so repressive.
Speaker 1: So our action really heats up in September eighteen fifty nine,
Speaker 1: and finally northern Italy is peaceful for once, and Garibaldi's
Speaker 1: in the country and with nothing to do in the north.
Speaker 1: I guess he's kind of bored. He needs something to do,
Speaker 1: and he's hoping that there will be some action in
Speaker 1: central Italy, and there sure is something for him to do.
Speaker 1: Victor Emmanuel the Second makes a secret agreement with him,
Speaker 1: basically saying, Garibaldi, you invade the Papal States, and if
Speaker 1: it works, I'm completely behind you. But if it does end,
Speaker 1: then tough luck for you. The king, however, realizes that
Speaker 1: the last moment that this plan is too dangerous, so
Speaker 1: he decides to abort the mission. Gara Baldi is really
Speaker 1: disappointed with this, and Victor Manuel the Second makes things
Speaker 1: even worse in Garibaldi's opinion, when he returns niece Garibaldi's
Speaker 1: hometown to France. So that's that's gotta be too bad
Speaker 1: for Garibaldi. Pete Mantzardina is just so diplomatic to Garibaldi,
Speaker 1: and I think it really frustrates him right to him,
Speaker 1: it's just so slow, slow paced. He doesn't like having
Speaker 1: to deal with it. And also he's having some personal issues,
Speaker 1: to say the least. Um, he's just gotten remarried. His
Speaker 1: first wife died, Um, and he abandons this new wife
Speaker 1: only a few hours after marrying her when he learns
Speaker 1: that she's five months pregnant by another man, which he
Speaker 1: and I had a good ten minute conversation about this earlier.
Speaker 1: We're completely bewildered by just how this, how that happened,
Speaker 1: But that's not our story today. So there's a revolt
Speaker 1: in Sicily on April four, eighteen sixty and Garibaldi has
Speaker 1: had it with the Piedmonts diplomatic tactics waiting around for them. Right,
Speaker 1: He's going to attack the South and the Bourbon Kingdom,
Speaker 1: and there's nothing you can do about it. Because he's
Speaker 1: so popular, they can't stop him. But if he succeeds,
Speaker 1: he does know that they will be there to help.
Speaker 1: So we'll give you some stats on the Speedizion Admile,
Speaker 1: or the expedition of a thousand. It wasn't actually a thousand.
Speaker 1: There were a thousand twenty seven people, a thousand forty
Speaker 1: four thousand eighty nine, no one's quite sure. The records disagree,
Speaker 1: but this thousand was ranged in age from eleven to
Speaker 1: sixty nine. And there was one woman, Rosalia Montmisson, who
Speaker 1: was the wife of Francesco Crispy, a key planner in
Speaker 1: the expedition. And four fifth of the group is from
Speaker 1: the north, a third from Bergamo in Genoa alone, So
Speaker 1: it's uh, it's an interesting group to be taking such
Speaker 1: a strong interest in Sicily. And most of them are idealistic,
Speaker 1: middle class people, kind of kind of the els who
Speaker 1: would go along with that whole idea that Dante's Italy's writer,
Speaker 1: Their teachers, writers, traders. There are a hundred and fifty
Speaker 1: lawyers and law students, a hundred physicians, fifty engineers, twenty chemists,
Speaker 1: ten painters and sculptors, three priests, and thirty naval officers,
Speaker 1: which is good because they are taking boats and um
Speaker 1: they're a really educated and very idealistic bunch of people,
Speaker 1: and they're all wearing Garibaldi's classic red shirt. Supposedly this
Speaker 1: idea of his came from the abattoirs of Uruguay, which
Speaker 1: is pretty gross. And they're not very well trained, which
Speaker 1: perhaps you already figured out from the list of fifty lawyers.
Speaker 1: Come on, not so much. They have rusty rifles, but
Speaker 1: they're they're ragtag group. They leave from Quarto May five
Speaker 1: through six, and they almost run into the Bourbon Navy
Speaker 1: on their way down, which would have been terrible. They
Speaker 1: obviously were not prepared for a conflict at sea, but
Speaker 1: they managed to land and in the western Sicilian port
Speaker 1: of Marsala and Mayo Leven where they are welcomed by
Speaker 1: the British consul. And we should give you a little
Speaker 1: background two on the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It's
Speaker 1: ruled by a Bourbon monarch, and yes, that is the
Speaker 1: same French family you're thinking of their descendants of the
Speaker 1: Louis and the Sicilian monarch. Francis the Second is young.
Speaker 1: He's just inherited the kingdom from his tyrannical father, Ferdinand
Speaker 1: the Second, known as Bomba and um. Well, Ferdinand the
Speaker 1: Second was very tyrannical. He was also somewhat respected, I
Speaker 1: guess just because he was so scary. Francis the Second
Speaker 1: doesn't have that much going for him. He's just as tyrannical,
Speaker 1: but he doesn't have the respect. This is not a
Speaker 1: good combination. So he sends out twenty five thousand soldiers
Speaker 1: to defend his new kingdom. But this Bourbon advance guard
Speaker 1: can't get past Garibaldi's forces. So the Sicilian people mentioned
Speaker 1: to Francis the Second, chagrin led by the mafia, side
Speaker 1: with Garibaldi and welcome him. They're hoping he's going to
Speaker 1: break up these landed estates and get them out of
Speaker 1: the system of feudalism. The royal army surrenders. So many
Speaker 1: Sicilian peasants were ambivalent about Garibaldi. But here you have
Speaker 1: this opportunity for potential reform. You might as well, go
Speaker 1: for it. So Garibaldi proclaims himself the dictator of Sicily,
Speaker 1: but in the name of Victor Emmanuel, and he heads
Speaker 1: towards Palermo, where they defeat in Neapolitan force at Coladophone
Speaker 1: on My fifteen, and again the Sicilians join in, Hey,
Speaker 1: you know, we hate the Bourbons too. Let we'll fight together.
Speaker 1: And the Bourbon command just isn't that great? I mean
Speaker 1: that explains in part why this small ragtag group of
Speaker 1: non professional soldiers is managing to topple the monarch's army.
Speaker 1: Um But Garibaldi captures Palermo on June six, which is
Speaker 1: um the big city in the area, and by July,
Speaker 1: with the Battle of Milazzo, he's won all of this
Speaker 1: lee except from Sina, so now he wants Naples and
Speaker 1: maybe even Rome. It's a dangerous thought, Garibaldi. So Francis, meanwhile,
Speaker 1: is struggling to regroup. He grants a constitution and anesty
Speaker 1: to the Sicilian rebels. He's trying to patch things over,
Speaker 1: but it's too late for that, and by late August
Speaker 1: Garibaldi crosses the Strait of Messina to land in Calabria
Speaker 1: and advances towards Naples, and it's just a triumph. By
Speaker 1: this time, the Bourbon rule is collapsed and Garibaldi is one. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's it's an easy ride into Naples. I think Garibaldi
Speaker 1: might actually be on a train. So Francis flees to Gaieta,
Speaker 1: and the last serious resistance of the Bourbons collapses at
Speaker 1: the Battle of the Volturno, which is on October one.
Speaker 1: So Victoria Manuel the Second rushes south to collect the spoils.
Speaker 1: He and Garibaldi met to Teano, and Garibaldi hands everything
Speaker 1: over to him. Yeah, obviously Victor Emmanuel is concerned. Um
Speaker 1: as you would you would you would expect that this
Speaker 1: charismatic leader who has conquered the entire south of Italy
Speaker 1: to take over, might start getting some ideas and start thinking, well,
Speaker 1: I wouldn't mind ruling this part of the world myself.
Speaker 1: So that's why he's in such a hurry to get
Speaker 1: down there and stake his own claim. But yeah, Garibaldi's
Speaker 1: is quite impressive. He just hands it over to him,
Speaker 1: and the Piedmont won't even let him govern during this
Speaker 1: transitional period for the king either. He's again too scary,
Speaker 1: he's too popular. And then there's the idea that what
Speaker 1: if Mazzini got ahold of him and turned him anti monarchy,
Speaker 1: and then there's the chance of a republican cou data.
Speaker 1: So the Kingdom of Italy is officially proclaimed in March seventeenth,
Speaker 1: eighteen sixty one. We haven't almost unified Italy. Uh. After
Speaker 1: handing over the South to Piedmont, Garibaldi's thousand disbands. He
Speaker 1: returns to his island home since he's not going to
Speaker 1: get this job as the king's viceroy and um he
Speaker 1: he retreats with his spoils of war, which sounds kind
Speaker 1: of delicious coffee, sugar stockfish in macaroni, which you can't
Speaker 1: mix together, but I think separately. Our lovely make a
Speaker 1: good meal as a whole. But his meale feel shafted
Speaker 1: by the Piedmontese, basically was the way Sarah put it.
Speaker 1: And like they haven't been recognized appropriately. They don't feel
Speaker 1: the territories are being run well, the North is exploiting
Speaker 1: the South. They don't institute the expected land reform, and
Speaker 1: hey guess what. Consequently, the mafia keeps their foothold there well,
Speaker 1: and Garibaldi feels a little bit beholden to these people.
Speaker 1: Who I mean, he would have believed he was liberating
Speaker 1: them to see changes not happen as rapidly as he hoped.
Speaker 1: And on a side note, Garibaldi is so popular. Abraham
Speaker 1: Lincoln offers him a Union command in the Civil War,
Speaker 1: and Garibaldi turns him down. Um, in part because he
Speaker 1: wouldn't have had the supreme command over the Union's forces.
Speaker 1: Sorry grant and um Lincoln wasn't anti slavery enough for him.
Speaker 1: But digression aside, there are two big pieces of the
Speaker 1: puzzle that are still missing in this unification process, Venice
Speaker 1: and Rome. And Cavore believes that a new Italy must
Speaker 1: have Rome as its real capital, not just not just
Speaker 1: calling Rome it's capital and not controlling anything, but really
Speaker 1: having Rome. And he even thinks that there should be
Speaker 1: a separation between the religious and secular authority of Rome.
Speaker 1: He's he's not anti Catholic Church here. He he thinks
Speaker 1: that this will actually benefit the church, um, having it
Speaker 1: an entirely spiritual entity. Um. But obviously this is an
Speaker 1: incredibly tricky diplomatic situation since loads of countries have interests
Speaker 1: in Rome and the Pope. And unfortunately, right when this
Speaker 1: is going on, our great diplomat before dies and we're
Speaker 1: left with what is called the Roman question. So maybe
Speaker 1: we'll talk about the Roman question a little more later
Speaker 1: and catch up with Garibaldi and his gauchos, but we're
Speaker 1: gonna move on from there. And Sarah was saying earlier
Speaker 1: to me that if you're looking for a good account
Speaker 1: of Italian unification in fiction, you might want to try
Speaker 1: lamp Produce as the Leopard, which is told from the
Speaker 1: side of the Sicilian aristocracy. There's also a Burt Lancaster
Speaker 1: movie which has an hour long dancing no joke it is.
Speaker 1: But that brings us to listener mail. So today we
Speaker 1: got an email from Mike about our podcast on Satchel Page,
Speaker 1: and if you remember, at the end of the podcast,
Speaker 1: we asked you to send us your opinion on who
Speaker 1: is the best picture in history. So Mike said that
Speaker 1: a few years ago I purchased a Major League Baseball
Speaker 1: video game and it had two teams of historical legends
Speaker 1: included in the game. The people who made this game
Speaker 1: definitely felt that Satchel Page was the best picture ever
Speaker 1: because his ability was ridiculously superior to any picture I've
Speaker 1: ever artificially controlled. In a game. Eventually, in the interest
Speaker 1: of fair play, my friend and I made a no
Speaker 1: Satural rule, so we thought this was really funny, and um,
Speaker 1: we're glad that some video game programmers out there are
Speaker 1: definitely Satchel fans, because so were we, and we do
Speaker 1: think he was, in fact, the greatest picture in history.
Speaker 1: If you'd like to argue with us, feel free to
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Speaker 1: And if you'd like to learn more about Italian history,
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