A confrontation between Garibaldi's volunteers and the Royal Italian Army that halted an unauthorized march on Rome during Italian unification.
Key Facts
- Date
- 29 August 1862
- Location
- Aspromonte, Calabria, southern Italy
- Garibaldi's objective
- March on Rome to annex it into Kingdom of Italy
- Garibaldi's fate
- Wounded and taken prisoner
- Engagement type
- Minor engagement, inconclusive
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Italian unification, Rome remained under Papal rule and was not yet part of the Kingdom of Italy. Giuseppe Garibaldi led an unauthorized volunteer force from Sicily with the aim of marching on Rome and annexing the Papal capital into the newly created Italian state, acting independently of the royal government.
On 29 August 1862, near Gambarie on the slopes of Aspromonte in southern Italy, the Royal Italian Army intercepted and attacked Garibaldi's column of volunteers. The engagement was brief and minor in scale. Garibaldi was wounded during the fighting and subsequently taken prisoner by the royal forces.
The royal government successfully prevented Garibaldi's unauthorized advance on Rome, avoiding a potential international incident with France, which protected the Papal States. Garibaldi's capture and wounding made him a martyr figure in Italian nationalist circles, though Rome would not be incorporated into Italy until 1870.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Giuseppe Garibaldi.