Giuseppe Garibaldi | Biography, Redshirts, Significance, & ...

Giuseppe Garibaldi, (born July 4, 1807, Nice, French Empire [now in France]—died June 2, 1882, Caprera, Italy), Italian patriot and soldier ... GiuseppeGaribaldi TableofContents GiuseppeGaribaldi Introduction&TopQuestionsEarlylifeExileinSouthAmericaWarofliberationRetreatConquestofSicilyandNaplesKingdomofItalyLastcampaignsLegacy FastFacts 2-MinSummary Facts&RelatedContent Media Images More MoreArticlesOnThisTopic AdditionalReading Contributors ArticleHistory RelatedBiographies CamilloBenso,countdiCavour Piedmontesestatesman AlessandroPoerio Italianliberal FeliceOrsini Italianrevolutionary DanieleManin Italianpoliticalleader SeeAll Home Lifestyles&SocialIssues SocialMovements&Trends GiuseppeGaribaldi Italianrevolutionary Actions Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. 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JoinBritannica'sPublishingPartnerProgramandourcommunityofexpertstogainaglobalaudienceforyourwork! ExternalWebsites OhioUniversity-Encyclopediaof1848Revolutions-BiographyofGiuseppeGaribaldi TheGaribaldi-MeucciMuseum-GiuseppeGaribaldi BritannicaWebsites ArticlesfromBritannicaEncyclopediasforelementaryandhighschoolstudents. Garibaldi,Giuseppe-Children'sEncyclopedia(Ages8-11) GiuseppeGaribaldi-StudentEncyclopedia(Ages11andup) By DenisMackSmith SeeAll • LastUpdated: Sep16,2022 • EditHistory TableofContents GiuseppeGaribaldi Seeallmedia Born: July4,1807 Nice France ...(Showmore) Died: June2,1882(aged74) CapreraIsland Italy ...(Showmore) RoleIn: Austro-FrenchPiedmonteseWar ExpeditionoftheThousand Risorgimento SiegeofRome WarsofItalianIndependence ...(Showmore) Seeallrelatedcontent→ TopQuestionsWhyisGiuseppeGaribaldisignificant?GaribaldifoughtforItalianunityandalmostsingle-handedlyunitednorthernandsouthernItaly.HeledavolunteerarmyofguerrillasoldierstocaptureLombardyforPiedmontandlaterconqueredSicilyandNaples,givingsouthernItalytoKingVictorEmmanuelIIofPiedmont,whoestablishedtheKingdomofItaly.HowdidGiuseppeGaribaldibecomefamous?GaribaldifoughtforUruguayagainstJuanManueldeRosas,dictatorofArgentina,andhisheroicvictoryintheBattleofSant’Antonioin1846spreadhisfametoEurope.Later,hisdogged,ifultimatelydoomed,defenseofRomeagainstFrance,followedbyhisretreatthroughcentralItaly,gainedhimacclaimas“herooftwoworlds.”Summary Readabriefsummaryofthistopic GiuseppeGaribaldi,(bornJuly4,1807,Nice,FrenchEmpire[nowinFrance]—diedJune2,1882,Caprera,Italy),ItalianpatriotandsoldieroftheRisorgimento,arepublicanwho,throughhisconquestofSicilyandNapleswithhisguerrillaRedshirts,contributedtotheachievementofItalianunificationundertheroyalhouseofSavoy.EarlylifeGaribaldi’sfamilywasoneoffishermenandcoastaltraders,andformorethan10yearshehimselfwasasailor.In1832heacquiredamaster’scertificateasamerchantcaptain.By1833–34,whenheservedinthenavyofthekingdomofPiedmont-Sardinia,hehadcomeundertheinfluenceofGiuseppeMazzini,thegreatprophetofItaliannationalism,andtheFrenchsocialistthinkerthecomtedeSaint-Simon.Garibaldi,in1834,tookpartinamutinyintendedtoprovokearepublicanrevolutioninPiedmont,buttheplotfailed;heescapedtoFranceandinhisabsencewascondemnedtodeathbyaGenoesecourt.ExileinSouthAmericaFrom1836to1848,GaribaldilivedinSouthAmericaasanexile,andtheseyearsofturmoilandrevolutioninthatcontinentstronglyinfluencedhiscareer.HevolunteeredasanavalcaptainfortheRioGrandedoSulrepublicduringthatsmallstate’sunsuccessfulattempttobreakfreefromtheBrazilianEmpire.Actually,hedidlittlemorethanpreyonBrazilianshipping.Inthecourseofoftenharrowingadventuresonlandandsea,hemanagedtoelopewithAnnaMariaRibeirodaSilva(Anita),amarriedwoman,whoremainedhiscompanioninarmsuntilherdeath.AfterasuccessionofvictoriesbytheBraziliansin1839–40,GaribaldifinallydecidedtoleavetheserviceofRioGrande.Drivingaherdofcattle,hemadethelongtrektoMontevideowithAnitaandtheirson.Therehetriedhishandascommercialtravelerandteacherbutcouldnotaccustomhimselftocivilianlife.In1842hewasputinchargeoftheUruguayannavyinanotherwarofliberation—thistimeagainstJuanManueldeRosas,thedictatorofArgentina.Thefollowingyear,againintheserviceofUruguay,GaribalditookcommandofanewlyformedItalianLegionatMontevideo,thefirstoftheRedshirts,withwhomhisnamebecamesocloselyassociated.AfterhewonasmallbutheroicengagementattheBattleofSant’Antonioin1846,hisfamereachedeventoEurope,andinItalyaswordofhonour,paidforbysubscriptions,wasdonatedtohim.HewasinchargeofthedefenseofMontevideoforashorttimein1847,whenhefirstcametotheattentionofAlexandreDumaspère,wholaterdidmuchtofosterhisreputation.Garibaldialsogreatlyimpressedotherforeignobserversasanhonestandableman.HisSouthAmericanexperiencesgavehiminvaluabletraininginthetechniquesofguerrillawarfarethathelaterusedwithgreateffectagainstFrenchandAustrianarmies,whichhadnotbeentaughthowtocounterthem.Thesefirstexploitsinthecauseoffreedomcasthiminthemoldofaprofessionalrebel,anindomitableindividualistwhoallhislifecontinuedtowearthegauchocostumeofthepampasandtoactasiflifewereaperpetualbattleforliberty. BritannicaQuiz FacesofEuropeanHistory:FactorFiction? Youmayhaveheardof"RobinHood"and"BloodyMary,"buthowmuchdoyoureallyknowaboutthesehistoricalfigures?SortfactfromfictioninthisquizofHoudini,Einstein,andotherfamousEuropeans. WarofliberationInApril1848Garibaldiled60membersofhisItalianLegionbacktoItalytofightfortheRisorgimento,orresurrection,ofItalyinthewarofindependenceagainsttheAustrians.HefirstofferedtofightforPopePiusIX,then—whenhisofferwasrefused—forCharlesAlbert,thekingofPiedmont-Sardinia.Theking,too,rebuffedhim,forGaribaldi’sconvictionasarebelin1834wasstillremembered;moreover,theregulararmydespisedtheself-taughtguerrillaleader.Therefore,GaribaldiwenttotheaidofthecityofMilan,whereMazzinihadalreadyarrivedandhadgiventhewarofliberationamorerepublicanandradicalturn.CharlesAlbert,afterhisdefeatatthehandsoftheAustriansatCustoza,agreedtoanarmistice,butGaribaldicontinuedinthenameofMilanwhathadbecomehisprivatewarandemergedcreditablyfromtwoengagementswiththeAustriansatLuinoandMorazzone.ButattheendofAugust,heavilyoutnumbered,hehadtoretreatacrossthefrontiertoSwitzerland. ForatimeGaribaldisettleddowninNicewithAnita(whomhehadmarriedin1842)andtheirthreechildren,buthisresolvetohelpfreeItalyfromforeignrulewasstrongerthanever.Hewasconfirmedinhispurposebyhisbelief—whichheandonlyahandfulofotherssharedwithMazzini—thatthemanyItalianstates,thoughoftenengagedininternecinewarfare,couldnonethelessbeunifiedintoasinglestate.WhenPiusIX,threatenedbyliberalforceswithinthePapalStates,fledfromRometowardtheendof1848,Garibaldiledagroupofvolunteerstothatcity.There,inFebruary1849,hewaselectedadeputyintheRomanAssembly,anditwashewhoproposedthatRomeshouldbecomeanindependentrepublic.InAprilaFrencharmyarrivedtorestorepapalgovernment,andGaribaldiwasthechiefinspirationofaspiriteddefensethatrepulsedaFrenchattackontheJaniculumHill.InMayhedefeatedaNeapolitanarmyoutsideRomeatVelletri,andinJunehewastheleadingfigureinthedefenseofRomeagainstaFrenchsiege.Therewasnochanceatallofholdingthecity,butthegallantryoftheresistancebecameoneofthemostinspiringstoriesoftheRisorgimento.Refusingtoacceptdefeat,GaribaldiledafewthousandmenoutofRomeandthroughcentralItalyinJuly1849,maneuveringtoavoidFrenchandAustrianarmies,untilhereachedtheneutralrepublicofSanMarino. 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