The Second War of Italian Unification 1859–61The culmination of decades of nationalist aspiration and cynical Realpolitik, the Second War of Italian Unification saw Italy transformed from a patchwork of minor states dominated by the Habsburg Austrians into a unified kingdom under the Piedmontese House of Savoy. Unlike many existing accounts, which approach the events of 185961 from a predominantly French perspective, this study draws upon a huge breadth of sources to examine the conflict as a