History - Italy - The Rise of Piedmont

Why did the Austrians want Victor Emmanuel II to keep the Statuto?

Because it gave the Piedmontese liberal freedoms so the Austrians thought that it would prevent revolution, even though the King did not want to keep it, effectively a reform to preserve strategy.

What was the effect of 1848-49 on Victor Emmanuel II?

• He remained in control of the armed forces and appointed judges and ministers under the Statuto

• He had to inflate his reputation in order to ward off disciples of Mazzini and others who wanted a democracy in order to protect the constitutional monarchy

• He took the throne after his father abdicated and had to effectively recover Piedmont after being beaten by the Austrians

How did the Statuto benefit the Piedmontese after 1849?

• Gave the Piedmontese liberal freedoms that pushed them towards a more free state

• It strengthened them against more radical armies, so maybe unification was pushed back

• Victor Emmanuel II controlled the army, so a federation of northern Italian states was possible

What was the impact of the papacy after 1849?

• Count Camilo Cavour passed the Sicardi laws which limited the power of the church

• Ecclesiastical courts were abolished

• Criminals could no longer seek sanctuary in churches

• Purchase of land by religious groups was limited

• Number of feast days that people took off work was reduced

What was the Statuto’s effect on the political culture of Piedmont?

• Independent newspapers and radical journals thrived, making Piedmont the centre of nationalist thought

• A free press was allowed, along with religious freedoms and freedom of assembly

• Therefore, people who were seeking political refuge moved to Piedmont

• A lot of these people were middle class writers who were a part of the Risorgimento, so presence of nationalism increased