Overview
The law establishing Victor Emmanuel II’s title as king of Italy was promulgated on 17 March 1861. Parliament met in Turin. This was a defining stage of the Risorgimento Key term · Nineteenth century Risorgimento The movement and process associated with the creation of a unified Italian state. Why it matters It encompasses more than the proclamation of the kingdom in 1861. Political mobilisation, diplomacy, war and the later integration of territories require separate explanation. See in glossary → , but the date should not be mistaken for a single moment in which all the peninsula’s political problems disappeared.
Chronology
- 1860 Garibaldi’s campaign brought the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies into the unification process.
- 17 March 1861 The new kingdom was proclaimed.
The Italian Senate’s records document the legislation. The US Office of the Historian outlines the preceding territorial changes.
Change and continuity
The new kingdom extended the rule of the House of Savoy. National unification therefore coincided with dynastic continuity: a new title and enlarged state did not require a republic.
The Italian Chamber of Deputies’ history explains that the Albertine Statute was extended to the kingdom. It also traces the later transfer of the capital from Turin to Florence and then Rome. The political centre of the state was still changing after its proclamation.
Interpreting the evidence
A proclamation can establish a state’s formal identity. By itself it says less about whether its inhabitants shared the same expectations, how power operated locally or how effectively institutions governed.
For comparison with Germany in 1871, distinguish three questions: how territory was united, how authority was organised and who could participate. Similar ceremonies do not prove identical political systems.
Test yourself
What continued when the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed? Reveal
The ruling dynasty and the constitutional framework inherited from Piedmont-Sardinia continued, even as the territory and title of the state changed.
Why should an essay distinguish state formation from national integration? Reveal
A formal state can exist before its institutions, political loyalties and everyday practices are uniform. Different evidence is needed to investigate each process.
Key terms
- Risorgimento Nineteenth century
-
The movement and process associated with the creation of a unified Italian state.
Significance: It encompasses more than the proclamation of the kingdom in 1861. Political mobilisation, diplomacy, war and the later integration of territories require separate explanation.