Editing Unification of Italy (section)

==Third War of Independence (1866)==
{{Main|Third Italian War of Independence}}
{{See also|Plebiscite of Veneto of 1866}}
[[File:Illustrated London News - 11 agosto 1866. Combattimento fra garibaldini e austriaci a Bezzecca.jpg|thumb|[[Battle of Bezzecca]]]]

In the [[Austro-Prussian War]] of 1866, Austria contested with [[Prussia]] the position of leadership among the German states. The Kingdom of Italy seized the opportunity to capture [[Venetia (region)|Venetia]] from Austrian rule and allied itself with Prussia.{{sfn|Smith|1969|pp=76–82}} Austria tried to persuade the Italian government to accept Venetia in exchange for non-intervention. However, on 8 April, Italy and Prussia signed an agreement that supported Italy's acquisition of Venetia, and on 20 June Italy issued a declaration of war on Austria. Within the context of Italian unification, the Austro-Prussian war is called the ''Third Independence War'', after the ''First'' (1848) and the ''Second'' (1859).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.welcometorome.net/en/about-rome/history/italian-risorgimento|title=Italian Risorgimento|publisher=Welcometorome.net|access-date=30 September 2014|archive-date=30 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140930211556/http://www.welcometorome.net/en/about-rome/history/italian-risorgimento|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Victor Emmanuel hastened to lead an army across the [[Mincio]] to the invasion of Venetia, while Garibaldi was to [[Invasion of Trentino (1866)|invade the Tyrol]] with his [[Hunters of the Alps]]. The Italian army encountered the Austrians at [[Battle of Custoza (1866)|Custoza]] on 24 June and suffered a defeat. On 20 July the [[Regia Marina]] was defeated in the [[Battle of Lissa (1866)|Battle of Lissa]]. The following day, Garibaldi's volunteers defeated an Austrian force in the [[Battle of Bezzecca]], and moved toward [[Trento]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles1800s/p/lissa.htm|title=Battle of Lissa – Third Italian War Battle of Lissa|first=Kennedy|last=Hickman|work=About|access-date=30 September 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006083944/http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles1800s/p/lissa.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Meanwhile, [[Minister President of Prussia|Prussian Minister President]] [[Otto von Bismarck]] saw that his own ends in the war had been achieved, and signed an armistice with Austria on 27 July. Italy followed, officially [[Armistice of Cormons|laying down its arms]] on 12 August. Garibaldi was recalled from his successful march and resigned with a brief telegram reading only "''Obbedisco''" ('I obey').

[[File:Einzug Vittorio Emanuels in Venedig 1.jpg|thumb|[[Victor Emmanuel II]] in Venice]]
Prussia's success on the northern front obliged Austria to cede Venetia (present-day [[Veneto]] and parts of [[Friuli]]) and the city of [[Mantua]] (the last remnant of the ''[[Quadrilatero]]''). Under the terms of a peace treaty signed in [[Vienna]] on 12 October, Emperor [[Franz Joseph]] had already agreed to cede Venetia to Napoleon III in exchange for non-intervention in the Austro-Prussian War, and thus Napoleon ceded Venetia to Italy on 19 October, in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the [[Annexation of Savoy|French annexation]] of [[Savoy]] and [[Nice]].

In the [[Treaty of Vienna (1866)|Treaty of Vienna]], it was written that the annexation of Venetia would have become effective only after a [[Plebiscite of Veneto of 1866|referendum]]—taken on 21 and 22 October—to let the Venetian people express their will about being annexed or not to the Kingdom of Italy. Historians suggest that the referendum in Venetia was held under military pressure,<ref>G. Thaon di Revel: "La cessione del Veneto{{snd}}ricordi di un commissario piemontese incaricato alle trattative" (translation: "The cession of Veneto{{snd}}memories of the piedmontese commissary for the negotiations"). Academic Press, 2002</ref> as a mere 0.01% of voters (69 out of more than 642,000 ballots) voted against the annexation.<ref>Beggiato, E.: "1866: la grande truffa" (translation: "1866: the great deceit"). Venice Academic Press, 1999</ref>

Austrian forces put up some opposition to the invading Italians, to little effect. Victor Emmanuel entered Venice and Venetian land, and performed an act of homage in the [[Piazza San Marco]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.victorianweb.org/history/risorgimento/4.html|title=The Austro-Prussian War and Third War of Italian Unification (1866)|publisher=Victorian Web|access-date=30 September 2014}}</ref>