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The main process of Italian unification lasted throughout the mid-nineteenth century, culminating in the capture of Rome on the 20th September 1870. In 1815, there was no Italian state; the Italian peninsula was a collection of states, all with their own monarchs and traditions. Klemens von Metternich described the word Italy as purely a "geographical expression." Through a combination of diplomacy, war and revolution, the Kingdom of Italy came into existence in 1861. In order to understand whether Italy was conquered, rather than united, it is necessary to explore how the actual unification was achieved. It is necessary to analyse the extent to which violence and war was responsible for the unification of Italy, as well as exploring the importance of the nationalist movement and revolutionary activity in the process of Italian unification.

The Italian question was first seriously placed onto the political agenda in Europe following the 1848 revolutions. Some Italian states adopted liberal constitutions after the revolution, with the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia becoming the most progressive Italian state. When Austria started to intervene and crack down on the progressive states, Piedmont-Sardinia resisted. Whilst they did eventually lose, it helped make Piedmont-Sardinia the centre of Italian nationalism. Italian nationalists also blamed defeat on the use of external military force in the conflict, which prompted calls for an improved army and organisation in order to make unification possible. Since Piedmont had the largest and the most proficient army, it further became the leading Italian state in the eyes of Italian nationalists. With Italian nationalists recognising that their best hopes for any imminent Italian unification lay with Piedmont-Sardinia and her army, Piedmont became the most prominent Italian state in the cause of nationalism. Many Italian patriots such as Giorgio Pallavicino looked to Piedmont for action it became the centre for the nationalist cause following the 1848 revolutions.

One reason why one could claim that Italy was conquered, rather than united, is the manner in which Piedmont led Italian unification. The Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia was a monarchy, led by Victor Emmanuel from 1849 onwards. The crucial element here is how Italian unification was being headed by a monarchy, rather that republican politicians. Whilst Mazzini and other nationalists clamoured for a republic forged through popular revolution, other revolutionaries

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