Learn about italian history: Giuseppe Garibaldi (A2)

Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) è stato un protagonista del Risorgimento italiano e ha compiuto numerose imprese militari e politiche che hanno contribuito all’unificazione dell’Italia.

Ecco le principali:

1. La Giovine Italia e l’esilio (1834-1848)

Entrato nella Giovine Italia di Mazzini, nel 1834 partecipò a un fallito moto rivoluzionario a Genova.
Condannato a morte in contumacia, fuggì in Sud America, dove combatté per l’indipendenza dell’Uruguay e si guadagnò il titolo di “Eroe dei Due Mondi”.

2. La Prima Guerra d’Indipendenza (1848-1849)

Tornato in Italia nel 1848, partecipò alla guerra contro l’Austria in Lombardia.
Difese la Repubblica Romana (1849) insieme a Mazzini e Anita Garibaldi, ma fu costretto alla fuga dopo l’intervento delle truppe francesi.

3. La Spedizione dei Mille (1860)

L’impresa più famosa: con circa 1.000 volontari, sbarcò in Sicilia per liberarla dai Borboni.
Conquistò Palermo e Napoli, sconfiggendo l’esercito borbonico.
Consegnò il Sud Italia a Vittorio Emanuele II, contribuendo all’unificazione del Regno d’Italia (1861).

4. La Terza Guerra d’Indipendenza e la Presa di Roma (1866-1870)

Nel 1866 combatté per il Veneto contro l’Austria, aiutando l’Italia a ottenerlo con la Pace di Vienna.
Nel 1867 tentò di liberare Roma dal dominio papale, ma fu sconfitto a Mentana.
Nel 1870, con la Breccia di Porta Pia, Roma fu annessa all’Italia.

5. Gli ultimi anni

Partecipò alla guerra franco-prussiana (1870-1871) a fianco della Francia.
Si ritirò nella sua casa a Caprera, continuando a scrivere e a sostenere cause umanitarie.

Garibaldi è ricordato come un simbolo del patriottismo e della libertà.

Giuseppe Garibaldi’s achievements (English Translation)

Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807–1882) was a key figure in the Italian unification movement, known as the Risorgimento.

1. The Young Italy movement and exile (1834–1848)

He joined Young Italy, a revolutionary group founded by Giuseppe Mazzini.
After taking part in a failed uprising, he was sentenced to death in absentia.
He fled to South America, where he fought for Uruguay’s independence.
He earned the nickname “Hero of Two Worlds” for his military campaigns in both South America and Europe.

2. The first war of independence (1848–1849)

He returned to Italy to fight against Austrian rule in Lombardy.
In 1849, he defended the short-lived Roman Republic alongside Mazzini and his wife Anita.
After its defeat, he escaped through a dangerous journey across Italy.

3. The expedition of the thousand (1860)

With about 1,000 volunteers, Garibaldi sailed from Genoa to Sicily.
He defeated the Bourbon forces and captured Palermo and Naples.
He handed over Southern Italy to Victor Emmanuel II, helping to unify the country under one monarchy.

4. Later military campaigns (1866–1870)

In 1866, during the Third War of Independence, he fought against Austria to help Italy gain the Veneto region.
In 1867, he attempted to liberate Rome but was defeated at the Battle of Mentana.
Finally, in 1870, Rome was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy after the Breach of Porta Pia.

5. Final years

He later supported France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871).
He retired to the island of Caprera, where he continued to write and support humanitarian causes.

Garibaldi is remembered as a symbol of freedom, unity, and patriotism in Italian history.

Key vocabulary and verbs

1. Nouns

Risorgimento → Resurgence / Italian unification
esilio → exile
moto rivoluzionario → revolutionary movement
sentenza di morte → death sentence
indipendenza → independence
volontari → volunteers
esercito → army
unificazione → unification
sconfitta → defeat
annessione → annexation
cause umanitarie → humanitarian causes
patriottismo → patriotism
libertà → freedom

2. Verbs

partecipare (a) → to participate (in)
combattere → to fight
difendere → to defend
fuggire → to flee
conquistare → to conquer
sconfiggere → to defeat
consegnare → to hand over
tentare (di) → to attempt (to)
essere sconfitto → to be defeated
ritirarsi → to retreat
sostenere → to support

3. Useful expressions and concepts

Eroe dei Due Mondi → Hero of Two Worlds
(Reference to his revolutionary activity in South America and Italy)
Giovine Italia → Young Italy
(Political movement founded by Mazzini to unify Italy)
Prima/Seconda/Terza Guerra d’Indipendenza → First/Second/Third War of Independence
(Three wars fought by Italy to achieve unification)
Repubblica Romana (1849) → Roman Republic (1849)
(A republican government experiment in Rome that lasted a few months)
Spedizione dei Mille → Expedition of the Thousand
(Military campaign to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies)
Breccia di Porta Pia → Breach of Porta Pia
(Event that marked the annexation of Rome to Italy in 1870)

This analysis helps to better understand the historical and political vocabulary of the text.

Le imprese di Giuseppe Garibaldi