Battle of Castelfidardo
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Castelfidardo was fought on 18 September 1860, at Castelfidardo
, a small town in the Marche
region of Italy
, the Piedmont
army acting as the driving force in the war for Italian unification
won a famous battle against papal troops.
As a result of this battle, the Marches
and Umbria
entered in the Kingdom of Italy
and the extent of the papal states
was reduced to the area of what is today known as Lazio.
The battle is remembered for being bloody, and for the highly disparate numbers of troops - less than 10,000 papal soldiers to 60,000 Piedmonts. The papal army was composed of volunteers from many different Europe
an countries, amongst whom the French
and Belgian
nationals constituted a Franco-Belgian battalion. Among the French volunteers were a notable number of nobles from western France
: after the battle, whilst consulting the list of dead and wounded members of the papal army, the Piedmontese general Cialdini is reported to have said, in an example of rather black humor, "you would think this was a list of invites for a ball given by Louis XIV!"
The Franco-Belgian battalion gave rise to a Papal Zouave corps.
Castelfidardo
Castelfidardo is a town and comune in the province of Ancona, in the Marche region of central-eastern Italy.It is particularly remembered for the Italian victory over a "volunteer" army defending the Papal States, on September 18, 1860...
, a small town in the Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
army acting as the driving force in the war for Italian unification
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
won a famous battle against papal troops.
As a result of this battle, the Marches
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
and Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
entered in the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
and the extent of the papal states
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
was reduced to the area of what is today known as Lazio.
The battle is remembered for being bloody, and for the highly disparate numbers of troops - less than 10,000 papal soldiers to 60,000 Piedmonts. The papal army was composed of volunteers from many different Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries, amongst whom the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
nationals constituted a Franco-Belgian battalion. Among the French volunteers were a notable number of nobles from western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
: after the battle, whilst consulting the list of dead and wounded members of the papal army, the Piedmontese general Cialdini is reported to have said, in an example of rather black humor, "you would think this was a list of invites for a ball given by Louis XIV!"
The Franco-Belgian battalion gave rise to a Papal Zouave corps.