The Army of the Kingdom of Italy in the Napoleonic Wars By Philip Cranz
26 Pages of text and 21 color plates.
The unification of Italy, the Risorgimento, is often framed in the period from the 1848 revolutions to its final phase between 1859 and 1870. The true process, however, began some fifty years earlier. When the revolutionary French armies under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte took their campaign to Italy, the Austrian forces quickly collapsed. After the battle of Marengo most of northern Italy fell under the sway of France. The people of the region were pleased to be rid of Hapsburg rule and flocked to the colours of new entities such as the Cisalpine and Cispadene republics. When Napoleon became Emperor, these republics were absorbed into the new Kingdom of Italy under his adopted son the young Viceroy Eugene. The regiments raised during this period remained loyal to the Napoleonic cause almost to the end. They fought in most of his campaigns and suffered terribly during the retreat from Moscow. This volume documents this magnificently attired army using the carefully restored illustrations of Knötel and the work of Lienhart & Humbert. The text describes the formations and uniforms in detail and will be seen as an essential reference work on the subject.
26 Pages of text and 21 color plates.
The unification of Italy, the Risorgimento, is often framed in the period from the 1848 revolutions to its final phase between 1859 and 1870. The true process, however, began some fifty years earlier. When the revolutionary French armies under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte took their campaign to Italy, the Austrian forces quickly collapsed. After the battle of Marengo most of northern Italy fell under the sway of France. The people of the region were pleased to be rid of Hapsburg rule and flocked to the colours of new entities such as the Cisalpine and Cispadene republics. When Napoleon became Emperor, these republics were absorbed into the new Kingdom of Italy under his adopted son the young Viceroy Eugene. The regiments raised during this period remained loyal to the Napoleonic cause almost to the end. They fought in most of his campaigns and suffered terribly during the retreat from Moscow. This volume documents this magnificently attired army using the carefully restored illustrations of Knötel and the work of Lienhart & Humbert. The text describes the formations and uniforms in detail and will be seen as an essential reference work on the subject.