The Revolution of 1848 affected Sicily and Naplest Florence, Leghorn, Milan, Pisa, Rome and Turin. The news that the mob had driven Metternich from Vienna encouraged the Venetians to rise. Daniele Manin seized the arsenal and declared a republic (22nd March). Old Marshal Radetzky with an army of 75,000 Austrian whitecoate, based on the fortresses of the Quadrilateral, Mantua, Verona, Peschiera and Legnano, was too much for the Italian republicans, and the Sardinian army of King Charles Albert, which he defeated at Custozza (24th July 1848) and Novara (23rd March 1849). Meanwhile Pope Pius IX had fled from Rome where Giuseppe Mazzini proclaimed a republic (9th February 1849). On 24th April General Nicholas Oudinot, son of one of Napoleon's marshals, landed at Civitavecchia with a French expeditionary force, sent by the second Republic to restore Papal rule. Rome was defended by Garibaldi, who held out until 2nd July. In the last phase of the struggle Radetzky, having regained control of Lombardy, laid siege to Venice on 20th July 1849. Starvation, bombardment and cholera reduced the city, though it did not surrender until 24th October. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 101 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1970 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com