Duchy of Massa and Carrara
Encyclopedia
The Duchy of Massa and Carrara was the duchy that controlled the towns of Massa di Carrara
and Carrara
; the area is now part of unified Italy
, but retains its local identity as the province of Massa-Carrara
.
, Moneta and Avenza) by the Signoria of Massa by the Marquis of Massa Iacopo Malaspina, which was obtained by count Antoniotto Filoremo of Genoa, head of the Campofregoso family line of Milan. The noble title of Malaspina then became the Marquis of Massa and lords of Carrara.
Originally the home of Malspina was in the town of Carrara but, as a result of frequent clashes with the French invaders which often occur in the city, the marquis moved to the city of Massa.
Within two generations the family Malaspina exhausted the male descendants and Ricciarda Malaspina
, grandson of Iacopo and last direct heir of the house, got married in 1520 with a Lorenzo Cybo
, member of an influential Genoese family of principles related to the Medici
and with Pope Innocent VIII
.
From this marriage originated the new house of Cybo-Malaspina.
Under his rule the land went to meet a very propserous period, thanks to the favorable conjunction market of marble, which was highly requested by the Renaissance courts of the time.
Alberico I, aware that its territory was surrounded by more powerful and influential neighbors than he, decided to submit to the Holy Roman Empire
of Charles V
(1554). Due to cultural and economic achievements under the government of Alberico I, the city of Carrara was awarded the title of marquisate in 1558. In 1568 Massa was elevated to a principality by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II
.
In 1664 the territory of Massa became a duchy and Carrara became a principality. The Cybo-Malaspina gained the title of Dukes of Massa and Princes of Carrara.
In 1738 Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
, the last descendant of the family, married Ercole d'Este, the last male heir of the Duchy of Modena. Their daughter Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
thus received the government on both territories, which anyway remained separate state entities until her death.
In 1796 the Este were deprived of their possessions by the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte's troops. Napoleon annexed the territory to the Cispadane Republic
, then merging it in the Cisalpine Republic
.
During this time the territory was briefly fought between Napoleon and the Austrian anti-French coalition (1799), and experienced a rapid succession of different administrative systems more or less provisional (Department of the Apuan Alps, Imperial and Royal Provisional Regency of Massa Carrara, then again Department of the Apuan Alps and finally District of Massa).
As a final administrative change, in 1806 the French emperor gave the Duchy of Massa and Carrara to the Principality of Lucca and Piombino
, ruled by her elder sister Elisa Bonaparte
.
During the Napoleonic domination Mary Beatrice was forced to take refuge in Vienna at the court of her husband, the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este, uncle of Emperor Francis I of Austria.
With the fall of the Napoleonic regime, the Congress of Vienna
reassigned to Mary Beatrice all the territories that had been subtracted. At that time the Duchy of Massa and Carrara included the territories of Massa and Carrara, Aulla
, Casola in Lunigiana
, Comano, Filattiera
, Fivizzano
, Fosdinovo
, Licciana
, Montignoso
, Mulazzo
, Podenzana
and Tresana
.
In 1829, at the death of Mary Beatrice, the Duchy of Massa and Carrara was annexed to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio
, by his son Francesco IV d'Este.
In 1859, with the deposition of Francesco V d'Este, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio (which also includes the territories of Massa and Carrara) was permanently attached to the Kingdom of Sardinia
, with the formation of province of Massa-Carrara
in December 1859.
The merge of the Malaspina family with the Cybo family brought the territory to a rather lavish court life. In the conduct of foreign policy the Cybo-Malaspina maintained a role as an intermediary between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Republic of Genoa.
Alberico I brought large urban restructurations in the cities of Carrara and Massa, mainly for prestige reasons. Both cities were equipped with new city walls - with representative functions, rather than military, since the policy of the territory was not expansionist - and new ducal palaces. In Carrara was established the Office of Marble (1564), to regulate the marble mining industry.
The city of Massa, in particular, saw much of its plan redesigned (new roads, plazas, intersections, pavings) in order to make it worthy of an Italian country's capital.
The War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714) was the beginning of the period of deep economic crisis for the duchy. The Empire punished with heavy fines the Cybo-Malspina, who had given hospitality to French troops on its territory. Already Alberich III, but especially Alderamo, found themselves forced to sell many city goods. Alderamo arrived to force people to buy food at a premium, and also because of the luxurious and extravagant lifestyle of the nobleman, the economics of the Duchy was brought to its knees. The financial situation recovered only by dynastic union between the families of the Malaspina and the Este, achieved with the marriage of Maria Teresa and Ercole d'Este in 1741.
From that date, the Duchy of Massa and Carrara gradually lost its political autonomy, going to gravitate more and more closely into the city of Modena sphere of influence.
Under the domination of the Este, the Duchy of Massa Carrara rose to occupy a strategic position, in that it provided a sea outlet to the hinterland domains and promised an easier trade route. Already under Maria Teresa road links between the Duchy of Modena to Massa Carrara were significantly improved: in these road reform attempts belongs the construction of the famous Via Vandelli, starting as early as 1738.
In 1751, was made a first attempt for the excavation of a dock and the construction of a port in the city of Carrara. The port would have been functional to the trade and military activities of the Este, would have housed in a safe place the small fleet of the Duchy of Modena and, finally, would have been essential to free the marble exports from dependence of other nearby ports.
Unfortunately, the coast had a tendency to silt up and after a few years, the construction work had to be suspended.
In 1807 Napoleon's engineers built the important mail road fo the Foce, to link the cities of Massa and Carrara through the inland hills. During the Napoleonic rule were also initiated other public works such as the bonification of the plains, the plantation of coastal pine trees to combat malaria and arrangement of river banks. These works were continued by Maria Beatrice and successors in subsequent decades.
In 1821 the Este Land Registry was established, with the task of regulating and listing the properties of the inhabitants of the duchy.
The years following the annexation to the Duchy of Modena were particularly complex, both for the insurrectional riots that characterized the historical period, and for the economic crisis, which have long gripped the region. The rulers tried several times to exit the stagnation in promoting the construction of infrastructure to increase the volume of trade, but the lack of money often proves an insurmountable obstacle.
A second attempt to build the port of Carrara was entrusted by Duke Francis IV to the engineer Aschenden in 1830, but the project was never made executivee for lack of funds. A dock loader, which came to be the first authentic port core of Carrara was built successfully only in 1851, thanks to the English engineer and tycoon William Walton
.
In 1846 the count Francesco del Medico proposed to the Duke Francis V the construction of the Marble Railway of Carrara, to link the marble quarries to the sea and thereby facilitating the transport of blocks to the areas of sorting and loading. This project was also suspended for lack of funds. The Marble Railway was built after the Italian unification
(1871–1890).
In the last years of the duchy, an increasing number was seen of clashes between the liberals and the ducal government, especially in Carrara.
The territory was chosen by Cavour and Napoleon III to organize popular anti-Austrian riots and give France an opportunity to intervene on the side of Piedmont in Italy, giving way to the Second War of Independence
.
Massa
Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....
and Carrara
Carrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
; the area is now part of unified Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, but retains its local identity as the province of Massa-Carrara
Province of Massa-Carrara
The Province of Massa and Carrara , until 2009 Province of Massa-Carrara, is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is named after the two main towns in its territory: Carrara and Massa, its capital.-History:...
.
History
The original core of this territory was officially created on 22 February 1473 with the purchase of the Signoria of Carrara (villages of CarraraCarrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
, Moneta and Avenza) by the Signoria of Massa by the Marquis of Massa Iacopo Malaspina, which was obtained by count Antoniotto Filoremo of Genoa, head of the Campofregoso family line of Milan. The noble title of Malaspina then became the Marquis of Massa and lords of Carrara.
Originally the home of Malspina was in the town of Carrara but, as a result of frequent clashes with the French invaders which often occur in the city, the marquis moved to the city of Massa.
Within two generations the family Malaspina exhausted the male descendants and Ricciarda Malaspina
Ricciarda Cybo-Malaspina
Ricciarda Cybo-Malaspina was an Italian noblewoman, who was marquess of Massa and lady of Carrara from 1519 to 1546, and again from May 1547 until her death....
, grandson of Iacopo and last direct heir of the house, got married in 1520 with a Lorenzo Cybo
Lorenzo Cybo
Lorenzo Cybo Malaspina was an Italian general, who was duke of Ferentillo.Born at Sampierdarena , he was the son of Franceschetto Cybo and Maddalena de' Medici: his grandafather was Lorenzo de' Medici and his uncle Pope Leo X...
, member of an influential Genoese family of principles related to the Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
and with Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII , born Giovanni Battista Cybo , was Pope from 1484 until his death.-Early years:Giovanni Battista Cybo was born at Genoa of Greek extraction...
.
From this marriage originated the new house of Cybo-Malaspina.
Under his rule the land went to meet a very propserous period, thanks to the favorable conjunction market of marble, which was highly requested by the Renaissance courts of the time.
Alberico I, aware that its territory was surrounded by more powerful and influential neighbors than he, decided to submit to the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
of Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
(1554). Due to cultural and economic achievements under the government of Alberico I, the city of Carrara was awarded the title of marquisate in 1558. In 1568 Massa was elevated to a principality by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II was king of Bohemia and king of the Romans from 1562, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1564 until his death...
.
In 1664 the territory of Massa became a duchy and Carrara became a principality. The Cybo-Malaspina gained the title of Dukes of Massa and Princes of Carrara.
In 1738 Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina was the Duchess of Massa and the Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. She was the eldest child of her parents, Alderano I Cybo-Malaspina and his wife Ricciarda Gonzaga...
, the last descendant of the family, married Ercole d'Este, the last male heir of the Duchy of Modena. Their daughter Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
Maria Beatrice d’Este was heiress of Modena and Reggio and Duchess of Massa and Carrara from 1790 until 1797 and from 1816 until her death in 1829.-Biography:...
thus received the government on both territories, which anyway remained separate state entities until her death.
In 1796 the Este were deprived of their possessions by the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte's troops. Napoleon annexed the territory to the Cispadane Republic
Cispadane Republic
The Cispadane Republic was a short-lived republic located in Northern Italy, founded in 1796 with the protection of the French army, led by Napoleon Bonaparte. In the following year, it was merged into the Cisalpine Republic....
, then merging it in the Cisalpine Republic
Cisalpine Republic
The Cisalpine Republic was a French client republic in Northern Italy that lasted from 1797 to 1802.-Birth:After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte proceeded to organize two states: one to the south of the Po River, the Cispadane Republic, and one to the north, the Transpadane...
.
During this time the territory was briefly fought between Napoleon and the Austrian anti-French coalition (1799), and experienced a rapid succession of different administrative systems more or less provisional (Department of the Apuan Alps, Imperial and Royal Provisional Regency of Massa Carrara, then again Department of the Apuan Alps and finally District of Massa).
As a final administrative change, in 1806 the French emperor gave the Duchy of Massa and Carrara to the Principality of Lucca and Piombino
Principality of Lucca and Piombino
The Principality of Lucca and Piombino was created in 1805 by Napoleon for his beloved sister Elisa Bonaparte and her husband Felice Pasquale Baciocchi. The State was the result of the annexation of ancient Principality of Piombino by the Republic of Lucca which was turned into a monarchy...
, ruled by her elder sister Elisa Bonaparte
Elisa Bonaparte
Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy, Princesse Française, Duchess of Lucca and Princess of Piombino, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Countess of Compignano was the fourth surviving child and eldest surviving daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino, making her the younger sister of...
.
During the Napoleonic domination Mary Beatrice was forced to take refuge in Vienna at the court of her husband, the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este, uncle of Emperor Francis I of Austria.
With the fall of the Napoleonic regime, the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
reassigned to Mary Beatrice all the territories that had been subtracted. At that time the Duchy of Massa and Carrara included the territories of Massa and Carrara, Aulla
Aulla
-History:Traces of Roman and Etruscan civilizations found in the Church of Saint Caprisio indicate that there were settlements in Aulla long before the 8th century CE, when margrave Adalbert I of Tuscany founded a village and castle to accommodate pilgrims traveling the via Francigena. Here, at...
, Casola in Lunigiana
Casola in Lunigiana
Casola in Lunigiana is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 100 km northwest of Florence and about 20 km north of Massa.-Main sights:...
, Comano, Filattiera
Filattiera
Filattiera is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 120 km northwest of Florence and about 35 km northwest of Massa.-Main sights:...
, Fivizzano
Fivizzano
Fivizzano, a walled city in the province of Massa-Carrara, Tuscany , became part of the Republic of Florence in the 15th century thus gaining the Tuscan republic an important foothold in Lunigiana, a key region which Genoa, Pisa, Milan and Florence had sought to dominate since the early Middle Ages...
, Fosdinovo
Fosdinovo
Fosdinovo is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 110 km northwest of Florence and about 15 km northwest of Massa....
, Licciana
Licciana Nardi
Licciana Nardi is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 110 km northwest of Florence and about 25 km northwest of Massa.-Geography:...
, Montignoso
Montignoso
Montignoso is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 90 km northwest of Florence and about 3 km southeast of Massa....
, Mulazzo
Mulazzo
Mulazzo is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 120 km northwest of Florence and about 35 km northwest of Massa...
, Podenzana
Podenzana
Podenzana is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 110 km northwest of Florence and about 25 km northwest of Massa...
and Tresana
Tresana
Tresana is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 120 km northwest of Florence and about 25 km northwest of Massa...
.
In 1829, at the death of Mary Beatrice, the Duchy of Massa and Carrara was annexed to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio
Duchy of Modena and Reggio
The Duchy of Modena and Reggio |Italian]] state that existed from 1452 to 1859, with a break between 1796 and 1814. It was ruled by the noble House of Este, from 1814 Austria-Este.-House of Este:...
, by his son Francesco IV d'Este.
In 1859, with the deposition of Francesco V d'Este, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio (which also includes the territories of Massa and Carrara) was permanently attached to the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
, with the formation of province of Massa-Carrara
Province of Massa-Carrara
The Province of Massa and Carrara , until 2009 Province of Massa-Carrara, is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is named after the two main towns in its territory: Carrara and Massa, its capital.-History:...
in December 1859.
Marquis, Princes, then Dukes of Massa and Carrara
- Antonio Malaspina (1442–1445) Marquis of Massa and Fosdinovo
- Iacopo Malaspina (1445–1481) Marquis of Massa and Lord of Carrara since 1473
- Alberico II Malaspina (1481–1519)
- Ricciarda Cybo-MalaspinaRicciarda Cybo-MalaspinaRicciarda Cybo-Malaspina was an Italian noblewoman, who was marquess of Massa and lady of Carrara from 1519 to 1546, and again from May 1547 until her death....
(1519–1546) e (1547–1553) - Giulio I Cybo-MalaspinaGiulio I Cybo-MalaspinaGiulio I Cybo-Malaspina was an Italian nobleman, who was marquis of Massa and lord of Carrara from 1546 until 1547.Born in Rome, he was the son of Ricciarda Malaspina and Lorenzo Cybo...
(1546–1547) - Alberico I Cybo-Malaspina (1554–1623) Marquis of Massa and Carrara from 1558, then Prince of Marquis of Massa and Carrara from 1568
- Carlo I Cybo-MalaspinaCarlo I Cybo-MalaspinaCarlo I Cybo-Malaspina was an Italian nobleman, who was marquis of Massa and Carrara from 1623 until his death....
(1623–1662) - Alberico II Cybo-Malaspina (1662–1690) Duke of Massa and Prince of Carrara from 1664
- Carlo II Cybo-Malaspina (1690–1710)
- Alberico III Cybo-Malaspina (1710–1715)
- Alderamo Cybo-Malaspina (1715–1731)
- Maria Teresa Cybo-MalaspinaMaria Teresa Cybo-MalaspinaMaria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina was the Duchess of Massa and the Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. She was the eldest child of her parents, Alderano I Cybo-Malaspina and his wife Ricciarda Gonzaga...
(1731–1790) - Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa (1790–1797)Duchess of Modena, Reggio, Massa and Carrara
- Annexation of the Republic and Cisalpine Cispadana following the invasion of Napoleon (1796–1806)
- Elisa BonaparteElisa BonaparteMaria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy, Princesse Française, Duchess of Lucca and Princess of Piombino, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Countess of Compignano was the fourth surviving child and eldest surviving daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino, making her the younger sister of...
Baciocchi (1806–1814) - Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa (1815–1829)
- The duchy is annexed to the Duchy of Modena
- Francesco IV d'Este (1829–1846)
- Francesco V d'Este (1846–1859)
Policy and Economy
From the information that can be extracted from the large Cybo-Malaspina Archive, and from rescripts and dispatches of the Crown of the two Duchess Maria Teresa and Maria Beatrice d'Este (apart from several other sources) can be reconstructed the policy held by the Duchy of Massa and Carrara in the period roughly between 1450 and 1800.The merge of the Malaspina family with the Cybo family brought the territory to a rather lavish court life. In the conduct of foreign policy the Cybo-Malaspina maintained a role as an intermediary between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Republic of Genoa.
Alberico I brought large urban restructurations in the cities of Carrara and Massa, mainly for prestige reasons. Both cities were equipped with new city walls - with representative functions, rather than military, since the policy of the territory was not expansionist - and new ducal palaces. In Carrara was established the Office of Marble (1564), to regulate the marble mining industry.
The city of Massa, in particular, saw much of its plan redesigned (new roads, plazas, intersections, pavings) in order to make it worthy of an Italian country's capital.
The War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714) was the beginning of the period of deep economic crisis for the duchy. The Empire punished with heavy fines the Cybo-Malspina, who had given hospitality to French troops on its territory. Already Alberich III, but especially Alderamo, found themselves forced to sell many city goods. Alderamo arrived to force people to buy food at a premium, and also because of the luxurious and extravagant lifestyle of the nobleman, the economics of the Duchy was brought to its knees. The financial situation recovered only by dynastic union between the families of the Malaspina and the Este, achieved with the marriage of Maria Teresa and Ercole d'Este in 1741.
From that date, the Duchy of Massa and Carrara gradually lost its political autonomy, going to gravitate more and more closely into the city of Modena sphere of influence.
Under the domination of the Este, the Duchy of Massa Carrara rose to occupy a strategic position, in that it provided a sea outlet to the hinterland domains and promised an easier trade route. Already under Maria Teresa road links between the Duchy of Modena to Massa Carrara were significantly improved: in these road reform attempts belongs the construction of the famous Via Vandelli, starting as early as 1738.
In 1751, was made a first attempt for the excavation of a dock and the construction of a port in the city of Carrara. The port would have been functional to the trade and military activities of the Este, would have housed in a safe place the small fleet of the Duchy of Modena and, finally, would have been essential to free the marble exports from dependence of other nearby ports.
Unfortunately, the coast had a tendency to silt up and after a few years, the construction work had to be suspended.
In 1807 Napoleon's engineers built the important mail road fo the Foce, to link the cities of Massa and Carrara through the inland hills. During the Napoleonic rule were also initiated other public works such as the bonification of the plains, the plantation of coastal pine trees to combat malaria and arrangement of river banks. These works were continued by Maria Beatrice and successors in subsequent decades.
In 1821 the Este Land Registry was established, with the task of regulating and listing the properties of the inhabitants of the duchy.
The years following the annexation to the Duchy of Modena were particularly complex, both for the insurrectional riots that characterized the historical period, and for the economic crisis, which have long gripped the region. The rulers tried several times to exit the stagnation in promoting the construction of infrastructure to increase the volume of trade, but the lack of money often proves an insurmountable obstacle.
A second attempt to build the port of Carrara was entrusted by Duke Francis IV to the engineer Aschenden in 1830, but the project was never made executivee for lack of funds. A dock loader, which came to be the first authentic port core of Carrara was built successfully only in 1851, thanks to the English engineer and tycoon William Walton
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
.
In 1846 the count Francesco del Medico proposed to the Duke Francis V the construction of the Marble Railway of Carrara, to link the marble quarries to the sea and thereby facilitating the transport of blocks to the areas of sorting and loading. This project was also suspended for lack of funds. The Marble Railway was built after the Italian unification
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
(1871–1890).
In the last years of the duchy, an increasing number was seen of clashes between the liberals and the ducal government, especially in Carrara.
The territory was chosen by Cavour and Napoleon III to organize popular anti-Austrian riots and give France an opportunity to intervene on the side of Piedmont in Italy, giving way to the Second War of Independence
Second Italian War of Independence
The Second War of Italian Independence, Franco-Austrian War, Austro-Sardinian War, or Austro-Piedmontese War , was fought by Napoleon III of France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859...
.