Historedia
EuropeEvent

Bersaglieri enter Rome at Porta Pia; plebiscite; Rome becomes Italy's capital

When
1870–1871
Where
Porta Pia breach, Rome; Rome
Episodes
3

In September 1870, the withdrawal of French troops allowed the Royal Italian Army to breach the Aurelian Walls near Porta Pia, ending the Papal States' temporal power. Following a plebiscite supporting annexation, Rome was designated as the capital of unified Italy, completing the Risorgimento.

Episodes

  1. 20 September 1870 · Porta Pia breach, RomeBreach at Porta Pia

    Italian forces breached the Aurelian Walls near Porta Pia, allowing Bersaglieri soldiers to enter Rome and end the Papal States' temporal power.

  2. 2 October 1870 · RomePlebiscite on Annexation

    A plebiscite held in Rome supported the annexation of the city by Italy, legitimizing the capture of the Papal States.

  3. 3 February 1871 · RomeDesignation of Capital

    Rome was officially designated as the capital of unified Italy, completing the Risorgimento, though sources differ on the date's precision.

Background and detail

Background. The Papal States had existed since the Donation of Pepin in 756. By 1870, only the Leonine City within Rome remained under papal control. The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War prompted Napoleon III to recall his garrison, depriving Rome of its French protector and creating an opportunity for Italian unification.

Military Action. King Victor Emmanuel II sent Count Gustavo Ponza di San Martino to Pope Pius IX with a proposal for peaceful entry, which was rejected. Consequently, Italy declared war on 10 September 1870. The Royal Italian Army, commanded by General Raffaele Cadorna, advanced toward Rome, culminating in an artillery-opened breach near Porta Pia.

Political Outcome. To legitimize the annexation, Prime Minister Lanza held a plebiscite on 2 October 1870. The vote supported annexation by 133,681 to 1,507. Although the legacy row cites 6 October for the capital designation, the source states Rome was officially made capital on 3 February 1871, completing the unification.

People involved

Sources

  1. Capture of Rome Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
  2. Porta Pia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-30
  3. Papal States Wikipedia
  4. Rome Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-09

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.