Piedmontese army 1848-49 (XIX0049)

Piedmontese Army, 1848-49: The First Attempt

In March 1848 Charles Albert of Savoy declared war on Austria, and for the first time an Italian state fought for the unification of the peninsula rather than for dynastic advantage. The First War of Italian Independence lasted, with an armistice in between, until March 1849. It was lost — twice — and it laid the foundation for everything that followed.

The Army of a Small Kingdom

The Sardinian army of 1848 fielded roughly 60,000 men against an Austrian force under Radetzky that was smaller in numbers but better staffed and far better commanded. Its infantry wore the dark blue tunic and the shako; its Grenadiers, the Guard brigade, the Piedmontese line regiments and the Bersaglieri of La Marmora — created only twelve years earlier — made up a force that fought well at unit level and was directed badly above it. Charles Albert took field command himself, which was the central problem: he was a monarch, not a general.

Custoza and Novara

The initial advance carried the Piedmontese across the Mincio and to victories at Pastrengo and Goito. Then Radetzky recovered, concentrated, and beat the dispersed Piedmontese at Custoza in July 1848; Milan fell within weeks. The armistice held until March 1849, when Charles Albert resumed the war and was defeated decisively at Novara in three days. He abdicated on the battlefield the same night in favour of his son, Victor Emmanuel II.

Why the Defeat Mattered

The 1848-49 war established three things that determined the next decade. It proved that Piedmont could not expel Austria alone, which led Cavour to seek the French alliance that produced 1859. It made Savoy the recognised military champion of the national cause. And by abdicating rather than negotiating, Charles Albert left his son a throne with the constitution — the Statuto Albertino — still in force, the only one of the 1848 constitutions in Italy to survive. That document remained the basis of the Italian state until 1948.

Giuseppe Rava’s Original Work

Giuseppe Rava reconstructs the Piedmontese soldier of 1848-49 from surviving uniforms and regulations: the dark blue tunic, the shako with its regimental plate, the white crossbelts, the percussion musket, and the tricolour with the Savoy shield that appeared in that war and became the flag of Italy.

This is a limited edition fine art print, hand-signed by the artist, produced in SRA3 format on fine art paper. Ships worldwide.