First Siege of Rome

First Siege of Rome
	Part of Italian unification
	; Garibaldi capturing four French guns at Rome. Illustration from The Life and Times of Garibaldi, published by Walter Scott.
Date	25 April–30 April 1849
Location	Rome, Italy
Result	Italian victory
Territorial; changes	French and Spanish troops failed to regain Rome from the Italians
Belligerents
Papal States; Supported by:; France; Spain	Roman Republic
Commanders and leaders
Pope Pius IX ; Charles Oudinot; Fernando Fernández	Giuseppe Mazzini; Giuseppe Garibaldi; Bersaglieri
Strength
French troops :; 8000–10,000 French; Spanish troops :; 4000 Spanish	;

First Siege of Rome was fought between Second Roman Republic and the combined forces of Papal states, Second French Republic and Spanish Empire.

Background

In France, the new president Louis-Napoleon (who later became Emperor Napoleon III) faced a difficult choice. Earlier in his life, in 1831, he had actually joined a revolt against the Pope in the Papal States. But now, many French Catholics strongly supported him and wanted him to help the Pope. At the same time, sending French troops to Rome would increase French power in Italy and reduce Austrian (Habsburg) influence, which matched Louis-Napoleon’s foreign policy goals. So, even though he did not really want to go against Italian liberals, he finally decided to send French forces to restore the Pope to power.

Siege

On 25 April 1849, about eight to ten thousand French soldiers under General Charles Oudinot landed at Civitavecchia near Rome, while 4,000 Spanish troops arrived to support the Pope, who was staying in Gaeta after fleeing the city. The French quickly told Giuseppe Mazzini, leader of the Roman Republic, that they intended to restore the Pope’s power. The Roman Assembly refused and, with crowds shouting “War!”, authorised defending the republic by force. At first, the French believed the Romans would not resist. But the city’s spirit rose when the famous commander Giuseppe Garibaldi finally entered Rome on 27 April, and when the skilled Lombard Bersaglieri arrived on 29 April after fighting Austrians in Milan. Defenses were hurriedly built on the Janiculum Hill and in villas around the city. On 30 April, the French, using old maps, marched to a gate that had long been sealed and were confused when the first cannon shot was mistaken for a noon gun signal. They were then surprised by fierce resistance from Garibaldi’s volunteers, citizen fighters from Trastevere and republican troops, who drove them back toward the sea. Although Garibaldi wanted to pursue the retreating French, Mazzini held back, hoping to avoid worsening relations with the French Republic. Captured French soldiers were treated politely as “guests of war” and returned with papers quoting the French constitution’s promise not to use force against the freedom of other nations.

Related Pages

Second Siege of Rome

References

↑ Robertson, Priscilla Smith (1952). Revolutions of 1848, a social history. Internet Archive. Princeton, Princeton University Press. p. 331.
↑ Trevelyan, George Macaulay (1907). Garibaldi's defence of the Roman Catholic Republic,. New York Public Library. London ; New York [etc.] : Longmans, Green and co. p. 227.
↑ Kertzer, David I. (2018). The Pope who Would be King: The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-882749-8.
↑ "Siege of Rome (1849) | Garibaldi, Description, & Significance | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
↑ Tucker, Spencer C. (2009-12-23). A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East [6 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 1191. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5.

[1] Robertson, Priscilla Smith (1952). Revolutions of 1848, a social history. Internet Archive. Princeton, Princeton University Press. p. 331.

[2] Trevelyan, George Macaulay (1907). Garibaldi's defence of the Roman Catholic Republic,. New York Public Library. London ; New York [etc.] : Longmans, Green and co. p. 227.

[3] Kertzer, David I. (2018). The Pope who Would be King: The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-882749-8.

[4] "Siege of Rome (1849) | Garibaldi, Description, & Significance | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-10-31.

[5] Tucker, Spencer C. (2009-12-23). A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East [6 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 1191. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5.