Military Leader of Italian Unification, Commander of the "Expedition of the Thousand"
Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807–1882) was the most legendary military leader of Italian unification, exiled to South America in his youth after being sentenced to death for joining a revolt, where he gained rich guerrilla-war experience. In 1860 he landed in Sicily with a volunteer force of only about a thousand (the "Redshirts"), unexpectedly routed the army of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ruling southern Italy, and then handed the conquered lands to King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, clearing a key obstacle to Italian unity. A staunch republican, he was willing for the sake of unity to give the fruits of victory to a monarchy — a choice decisive in the process of Italian unification.
In May 1860 Garibaldi landed in Sicily by ship with about a thousand poorly armed volunteers (the "Redshirts," named for their red shirts) and, aided by the local population and nimble guerrilla tactics, routed one after another the regular army of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, superior in numbers and equipment, sweeping all of southern Italy in a few short months — one of the most dramatic military marvels of the 19th century.
A staunch republican, Garibaldi could in theory have made himself king or founded a republic on his southern Italian victory, but he chose to give the conquered lands freely to King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, only to bring about Italian unity, and then retired to farm on the island of Caprera — a restraint seen by later ages as the most respected side of his political character.
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