Five Days of Milan

Provisional Government of Milan
*Governo provvisorio di Milano* (in Italian)
Provisional Government of Milan Governo provvisorio di Milano (in Italian)
1848–1848
Capital	Milan
Common languages	Italian, Lombard
Government	Republic
President
Historical era	Revolutions of 1848
• Congress of Vienna grants Lombardy-Venetia to the Austrian Empire	9 June 1815
• Insurrection against Habsburg rule	18 March 1848
• Radetzky withdraws to Quadrilatero	22 March 1848
• Battle of Solferino wins Lombardy for Italy	24 June 1859
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
Kingdom of Sardinia

Five Days of Milan
	Part of the First Italian War of Independence
	; The Five Days of Milan by Carlo Bossoli
Date	18–22 March 1848
Location	Milan, Lombardy–Venetia
Result	Milanese victory Radetzky retreats from Milan;
Belligerents
Milanese rebels	Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Carlo Cattaneo; Count Luigi Torelli; Augusto Anfossi †; Luciano Manara;	Joseph Radetzky von Radetz; Ludwig von Wohlgemuth; Eduard Clam-Gallas; Count Ferencz Gyulai;
Strength
1,700 barricades; Milanese armament:; 600–650 Firearms; Stones, Bottles, Clubs,; Pikes and Swords	12,000–13,000; Garrison
Casualties and losses
409–424 killed; (including 43 women and children); 600+ wounded	181 killed; (including 5 officers); 235 wounded; (including 4 officers); 150–180 captured

The Five Days of Milan (Italian: Cinque giornate di Milano [ˈtʃiŋkwe dʒorˈnaːte di miˈlaːno]) was an insurrection and a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 that started the First Italian War of Independence. On 18 March, a rebellion arose in the city of Milan, and in five days of street fighting drove Marshal Radetzky and his Austrian soldiers from the city.

Background[]

In 1848, the Milanese launched an anti-Austrian campaign as early as 1 January.^[15] On New Year's Day the Milanese started to boycott gambling and tobacco products, which were government monopolies that brought in over 5 million lire a year.^[11] The boycott culminated in a bloody street battle on 3 January, when Austrian soldiers, in batches of three, were being insulted and pelted with stones by an angry crowd.^[2]^[4] The soldiers then gathered together in groups of a dozen and charged the crowd with swords and bayonets, killing five and wounding another 59. Radetzky confined his troops to barracks for five days.^[2] The protests were over, but two months later, when news reached Milan of the uprising in Vienna and the fall of Metternich, the Milanese took to the streets again, on 18 March.^[11]

Events[]

Statuary at the base of the Obelisk monument to Five Days of Milan in memory of the popular uprising in 1848 against Austrian rule, by Giuseppe Grandi.

Almost simultaneous with the popular uprisings of 1848 in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, on 18 March of that year, the city of Milan also rose. This was the first evidence of how effective popular initiative, guided by those in the Risorgimento, was able to influence Charles Albert of Sardinia.

The Austrian garrison at Milan was well equipped and commanded by an experienced general, Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, who despite being over 80 years old, was energetic and rigid. Radetzky had no intention of yielding to the uprising.

However, the whole city fought throughout the streets, raising barricades, firing from windows and roofs, and urging the rural population to join them. The populace was backed by the archbishop and at least 100 priests joined in the fighting against the Austrians. A bust of Pope Pius IX was even hoisted onto the barricades.^[16] A provisional government of Milan was formed and presided over by the podestà, Gabrio Casati and a council of war under Carlo Cattaneo. The Martinitt (orphanage children) worked as message runners to all parts of the town.

Radetzky saw the difficulty of resisting under siege in the city centre, but while afraid of being attacked by the Piedmontese army and peasants from the countryside, he preferred to withdraw after losing control of the Porta Tosa (now Porta Vittoria) to the rebels. On the evening of 22 March, the Austrians withdrew towards the "Quadrilatero" (the fortified zone made up of the four cities of Verona, Legnago, Mantua and Peschiera del Garda), taking with them several hostages arrested at the start of the uprising. Meanwhile, the rest of Lombard and Venetic territory was free.

In memory of these days, the official newspaper of the temporary government was called simply Il 22 marzo (22 March), which began publication on 26 March at the Palazzo Marino under the direction of Carlo Tenca.^[17] A monument to the uprising by the sculptor Giuseppe Grandi was built at what is now Porta Vittoria.

A century later, in 1943, the uprising of Naples against WWII Nazi occupation got named The Four Days of Naples, in conscious emulation of the earlier Milan event.

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Grenville, John Ashley Soames (2000). Europe reshaped, 1848–1878. Oxford.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Berkeley, George F.-H. (1940). Italy in the Making January 1st 1848 to November 16th 1848. Cambridge.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Stillman, William James (1898). The union of Italy, 1815–1895. Cambridge.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Ginsborg, Paul (1979). Daniele Manin and the Venetian revolution of 1848–49. Bristol.
^ Maurice, Charles Edmund (1887). The revolutionary movement of 1848–9 in Italy, Austria Hungary, and Germany. New York.
^ American Bibliographical Center (1991). Historical abstracts: Volume 42, Issues 3–4. Santa Barbara.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Rüstow, Wilhelm (1862). Der italienische Krieg von 1848 und 1849. Zürich.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Whyte, Arthur James Beresford (1975). The political life and letters of Cavour, 1848–1861. Santa Barbara.
^ Svoboda, Johann (1870). Die Zöglinge der Wiener-Neustädter Militär-Akademie. Wien.
^ de Marguerittes, Julie (1859). Italy and the War of 1859. Philadelphia.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Chapman, Tim (2008). The risorgimento: Italy 1815–71. Penrith.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Stearns, Peter N. (1974). 1848: the revolutionary tide in Europe. New York.
^ Whittam, John (1977). Politics of the Italian Army, 1861–1918. London.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Wilhelm Meyer-Ott, Wilhelm Rüstow (1850). Die Kriegerischen Ereignisse in Italien in den Jahren 1848 und 1849. Zürich.
^ Gooch, John (1986). The unification of Italy. London.
^ M. Clark, The Italian Risorgimento, Routledge 2013 p. 53
^ Luseroni, Giovanni (2016). Giuseppe Mazzini e i Democratici nel Quarantotto Lombardo. Gangemi Editore spa. p. 130. ISBN 9788849299229.

Bibliography[]

Olivari, Stefano and Giulia Brasca (2015). Milan 360°: A metropolis to discover, among art, culture, technology and fashion. OlliService Multimedia. pp. 9–11. ISBN 9788899298050.

In Italian[]

(in Italian) Piero Pieri, Storia militare del Risorgimento – volume 1 & 2, Einaudi, Torino, 1962
(in Italian) Carlo Cattaneo, Dell'insurrezione di Milano nel 1848 e della successiva guerra, e-text Liber liber/Progetto Manuzio
(in Italian) Antonio Scurati, Una storia romantica, romanzo Bompiani, 2007
(in Italian) , a cura di, Giovani ribelli del '48. Memorie del Risorgimento lombardo , Firenze, Fratelli Alinari, 2011. ISBN 978-88-95849-14-0. Testi di Aldo A. Mola, Giancarlo Lacchin, Roberto Lauro, Maurizio Griffo, Agostino Giovagnoli, Cecilia Dau Novelli, Romano Bracalini, Carlo Cattaneo, Gianni Oliva, Emanuele Bettini, Matteo Sanfilippo, Giuseppe Poletta, , Fulvio Peirone, Gabriella Bonacchi, Anna Maria Isastia, Elena Fontanella, Andrea Vento, Vittorio Nichilo, , Roberto Guerri, Lucia Romaniello, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Gian Paolo Caprettini, Gian Mario Benzing, Roberto Cassanelli.

External links[]

(in Italian) "Liceo Berchet di Milano" – a more detailed account of the Five Days
(in Italian) Monument to the "Cinque Giornate di Milano"

[ASG-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b Grenville, John Ashley Soames (2000). Europe reshaped, 1848–1878. Oxford.

[GFH-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Berkeley, George F.-H. (1940). Italy in the Making January 1st 1848 to November 16th 1848. Cambridge.

[WJS-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b Stillman, William James (1898). The union of Italy, 1815–1895. Cambridge.

[GIN-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Ginsborg, Paul (1979). Daniele Manin and the Venetian revolution of 1848–49. Bristol.

[JLG-5] Maurice, Charles Edmund (1887). The revolutionary movement of 1848–9 in Italy, Austria Hungary, and Germany. New York.

[ABC-6] American Bibliographical Center (1991). Historical abstracts: Volume 42, Issues 3–4. Santa Barbara.

[WIR-7] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Rüstow, Wilhelm (1862). Der italienische Krieg von 1848 und 1849. Zürich.

[AJB-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b Whyte, Arthur James Beresford (1975). The political life and letters of Cavour, 1848–1861. Santa Barbara.

[JOS-9] Svoboda, Johann (1870). Die Zöglinge der Wiener-Neustädter Militär-Akademie. Wien.

[JGM-10] Marguerittes, Julie (1859). Italy and the War of 1859. Philadelphia.

[TCH-11] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Chapman, Tim (2008). The risorgimento: Italy 1815–71. Penrith.

[PNS-12] Jump up to: ^a ^b Stearns, Peter N. (1974). 1848: the revolutionary tide in Europe. New York.

[WHI-13] Whittam, John (1977). Politics of the Italian Army, 1861–1918. London.

[RMO-14] Jump up to: ^a ^b Wilhelm Meyer-Ott, Wilhelm Rüstow (1850). Die Kriegerischen Ereignisse in Italien in den Jahren 1848 und 1849. Zürich.

[GOO-15] Gooch, John (1986). The unification of Italy. London.

[16] M. Clark, The Italian Risorgimento, Routledge 2013 p. 53

[17] Luseroni, Giovanni (2016). Giuseppe Mazzini e i Democratici nel Quarantotto Lombardo. Gangemi Editore spa. p. 130. ISBN 9788849299229.

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show v t Italian unification — Risorgimento
Prenunitary states	Kingdom of Sardinia (House of Savoy) Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia Papal States Grand Duchy of Tuscany Duchy of Parma Duchy of Modena and Reggio
Timeline of Italian unification	Carbonari Revolutions of 1820 Revolutions of 1830 Young Italy Neo-Guelphism Revolutions of 1848 Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states Republic of San Marco Roman Republic Quadrilatero First Italian War of Independence Five Days of Milan Sortie on Mestre Sicilian revolution of 1848 Ten Days of Brescia Belfiore martyrs Crimean War Plombières Agreement Second Italian War of Independence United Provinces of Central Italy Expedition of the Thousand Dictatorship of Garibaldi Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy Brigandage in Southern Italy after 1861 Roman Question Third Italian War of Independence Capture of Rome Law of Guarantees Italian entry into World War I Impresa di Fiume
Symbols	Cockade of Italy Flag of Italy
Main leaders	Massimo d'Azeglio Agostino Bertani Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour Celso Ceretti Federico Confalonieri Francesco Crispi Giuseppe Garibaldi Daniele Manin Giuseppe Mazzini Bettino Ricasoli Aurelio Saffi Annibale Santore di Santarosa Ruggero Settimo Victor Emmanuel II
Literature and philosophy	Giovanni Arrivabene Cesare Balbo Giosuè Carducci Carlo Cattaneo Felice Cavallotti Vincenzo Cuoco Giuseppe Ferrari Ugo Foscolo Vincenzo Gioberti Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi Giacomo Leopardi Francesco Lomonaco Goffredo Mameli Alessandro Manzoni Ippolito Nievo Silvio Pellico Carlo Pisacane Gian Domenico Romagnosi Antonio Rosmini Francesco Saverio Salfi
Opponents	Pope Pius IX Franz Joseph I of Austria Francis II of the Two Sicilies Klemens von Metternich Joseph Radetzky von Radetz
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