Battle of Novara. The Piedmontese army, reinforced by units from Modena, Lombardy, Poland, and Hungary, faced the Austrian army. The battle, while a painful defeat for the Kingdom of Sardinia and Piedmont and for the ideals of Italian unity and freedom, marked a fundamental turning point in the Risorgimento: from a phase of heroic outbursts, but without planning and coordination, to a phase of methodical preparation—economic, political, and diplomatic—that would lead to the achievement of its objectives within a decade. The defeat at Novara would teach Italians that to defeat the Habsburg Empire, four objectives must be achieved: 1) reorganize the armed forces on a more solid basis; 2) develop and strengthen the economy; 3) gain the diplomatic favor of the major European powers; 4) secure the support of a strong military ally. These very points will constitute Cavour’s political program, which in just 10 years will succeed – with the help of Napoleon III’s France and the initiative of Garibaldi – in unifying Italy.
