Villafranca, Conference of

▪ France-Austria [1859]

      meeting between French emperor Napoleon III and Emperor Francis Joseph I of Austria that resulted in a preliminary peace (July 11, 1859) ending the Franco-Piedmontese war against Austria (1859); it marked the beginning of Italy's unification under Piedmontese leadership. Napoleon made peace without consulting the Piedmontese because he had lost control of his Italian policy. France had originally planned to take from Austria and give to Piedmont the two northern Italian provinces awarded to Austria in 1815, Lombardy and Venetia. As a result of fighting, the French and Piedmontese had taken Lombardy, but Venetia remained firmly in Austrian hands. In addition, Piedmont threatened to gain—and Napoleon tried to prevent—acquisition of Parma, Modena, and Tuscany, whose rulers had been overturned by Italian nationalism incited by the first victories over Austria. Napoleon also feared that France would be open to a Prussian attack along the Rhine if he remained engaged in a long war with the Austrians in Italy. Sixteen days after the bloody Battle of Solferino, the preliminary peace was signed at Villafranca 10 miles (16 kilometres) southwest of Verona in northeastern Italy. Austria gave up Lombardy, excluding Mantua and Peschiera, to France; an Italian Confederation was to be formed under the presidency of the Pope; Austria would be a member of the confederation by virtue of its Italian territories; and the dukes of Parma, Modena, and Tuscany were to be restored peacefully to their thrones after having been deposed by nationalist forces. It was understood that Lombardy would be ceded by France to its ally Piedmont. Piedmontese king Victor Emmanuel II accepted these terms, but his prime minister, Count Cavour, resigned over the compromise with Italian nationalist aims. The terms of Villafranca were confirmed in a formal treaty at Zurich (Nov. 10, 1859). Italian nationalists reacted very strongly against its terms, and by January 1860 Cavour could return to office without feeling bound in any way by them.

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