Garibaldi, Giuseppe << GAR uh BAWL dee, juh SEHP ee >> (1807-1882), was a military hero who fought to create an independent, united Italy. He also led military campaigns in Latin America and earned the title “Hero of Two Worlds.”
In 1834, Garibaldi took part in a revolt against the king of Sardinia in Piedmont, a region in northern Italy. The revolt failed, and Garibaldi was forced into exile. He went to South America, where he aided the Brazilian province of Rio Grande do Sul in a revolt against the Brazilian government.
Later, Garibaldi fought for Uruguay against Argentina. During this campaign, he formed the Italian Legion, a group of volunteer troops who wore red shirts. In 1848, Garibaldi led this group, which was nicknamed the red shirts, to Italy to fight against the country’s Austrian rulers. In 1849, Garibaldi’s forces defended a republic formed by the Italian patriot Giuseppe Mazzini at Rome. But French and Austrian troops defeated the Italians. Exiled from Italy, Garibaldi went to the United States. He was allowed to return to Italy in 1854.
In 1860, Garibaldi and his famous red shirts conquered the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which controlled much of southern Italy and the nearby island of Sicily. These areas became part of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed in 1861.
During the 1860’s, Garibaldi fought to bring Rome into the kingdom by ending the pope’s rule there. But Garibaldi’s efforts failed. In 1866, Garibaldi helped Italy gain the city of Venice from Austria. During the 1860’s and 1870’s, he was repeatedly elected to the Italian Parliament. However, he seldom took his seat. Garibaldi was born on July 4, 1807, in Nice, France, which was then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. He died on June 2, 1882.
