Five Days of Milan

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Five Days of Milan
Part of the First Italian War of Independence

Episode from the Five Days, by Baldassare Verazzi (1819-1886)
Date 18-22 March 1848
Location Milan, Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
Result Milanese victory
Belligerents
Milanese insurgents Austrian Empire
Strength
Unknown 14,000, including 2500 Italian allies[1]
Casualties and losses
Around 600 Around 600[2]
v • d • e
First Italian

Independence War
Milan – Pastrengo – Santa Lucia – Goito
– Peschiera – Vicenza – Custoza – Novara

The Five Days of Milan was a major event in the First Italian War of Independence.

Contents

[edit] History

Almost simultaneous with the popular uprisings of 1848 in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, on 18 March that year the city of Milan also rose up. It was the first evidence of the effectiveness of popular intiative which, guided by men aware of the aims of the Risorgimento struggle, was able to influence the decisions of the king of Sardinia.

The Imperial Austrian garrison at Milan was well-equipped and commanded by an experienced general, Josef Radetzky, who - despite being over 80 years old - was energetic and rigid, the true expression of Austrian military severity, with no intention of yielding.

However, the whole city fought through the streets, raising barricades, firing from windows and rooves, and urging the rural population to join them. They formed a provisional government of Milan (presided over by a podestà, Gabrio Casati) and a council of war (whose guiding light was Carlo Cattaneo). Resistance was organised with intelligence and decision. The Martinitt (orphanage children) fought heroically, offering themselves to the war-council as message-runners to all parts of the town.

Radetzky saw the difficulty of resisting in the city centre, under siege with his force, but - afraid of being attacked from behind by the Piedmontese army and the peasants coming in from the countryside - preferred to withdraw. On the evening of 22 March 1848, the Austrians withdrew towards the "Quadrilatero" (the fortified zone made up of the four cities of Verona, Legnago, Mantua and Peschiera del Garda), taking with them several hostages arrested at the start of the uprising. Meanwhile, the rest of Lombard and Venetic territory was free.

In memory of these days the official newspaper of the temporary government was born - it was called simply Il 22 marzo (the 22nd March), and began publication on 26 March at the Palazzo Marino under the direction of Carlo Tenca.[3] A monument to uprising by the sculptor Giuseppe Grandi was also built, at what is now Porta Vittoria.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Indro Montanelli, Mario Cervi - Due secoli di guerre, vol. 3 - Editoriale Nuova, Milano, 1981.
  2. ^ ibid.
  3. ^ Fonte: Storiadimilano.it

[edit] See also

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links