GARIBALDI, GIUSEPPE (1807-1882), Italian patriot, was born at Nice on July 4, 180 7. He entered the Sardinian navy, and, with a number of companions on board the frigate "Euridice," plotted to seize the vessel and occupy the arsenal of Genoa at the moment when Mazzini's Savoy expedition should enter Piedmont. The plot being discovered, Garibaldi fled, but was condemned to death by default on June 3, 1834. Escaping to South America in 1836, he was given letters of marque by the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which had revolted against Brazil, and after a series of victorious engagements, passed into the service of Uruguay. In Montevideo, he formed the Italian Legion, with which he won the battles of Cerro and Sant' Antonio in 1846, and assured the free dom of Uruguay. He returned to Italy upon receiving news of the incipient revolutionary movement, and landing at Nice on June 24, 1848, placed his sword at the disposal of Charles Albert. He formed a volunteer army 3,00o strong, but shortly after the defeat of Custozza had to flee to Switzerland. Proceeding thence to Rome, he was entrusted by the Roman republic with the de fence of San Pancrazio against the French, where he gained the victory of April 3o, 1849. During May he dispersed the Bourbon troops at Palestrina, Velletri and elsewhere, and after the fall of Rome started on his wonderful retreat through central Italy pursued by the armies of France, Austria, Spain and Naples. He escaped to Ravenna, then to Piedmont, and ultimately to America from whence he returned to Italy in 1854, and purchased the island of Caprera on which he built his home. On the outbreak of war in 1859 he was in command of the Alpine infantry, de feating the Austrians at Casale on the 8th of May, crossing the Ticino on the 23rd of May, and, after a series of victorious fights, liberating Alpine territory as far as the frontier of Tirol.
Returning to Como to wed the countess Raimondi, by whom he had been aided during the campaign, he was apprised, im mediately after the wedding, of certain circumstances which caused him to abandon that lady and to start for central Italy. Forbidden to invade the Romagna, he returned to Caprera, where with Crispi and Bertani he planned the invasion of Sicily. Assured by Sir James Hudson of the sympathy of England, he began active preparations for the process which ended in the making of Italy. He reached Marsala on May II, 1860, landed under the protection of the British vessels "Intrepid" and "Argus," and on the following day his dictatorship was proclaimed at Salemi. On the I5th the Neapolitan troops were routed at Calatafimi, on the 25th Palermo was taken, on the 6th of June 20,000 Neapolitan regulars were compelled to capitulate, on July 20, Messina fell and on Aug. 21, the battle of Reggio was won. On Sept. 7, Garibaldi entered Naples, and a month later, routed the remnant of the Bourbon army 40,000 strong on the Volturno. On Nov. 7, Gari baldi accompanied Victor Emmanuel during his solemn entry into Naples, and on the morrow returned to Caprera.
Indignant at the cession of Nice to France and at the neglect of his followers by the Italian government, he returned to political life. Elected deputy in 1861, his anger against Cavour found violent expression, until Cavour's successor, Ricasoli, enrolled the Garibaldians in the regular army. While marching on Rome in the following year, he was taken prisoner at Aspromonte on the 27th of August. Liberated by an amnesty, Garibaldi returned once more to Caprera amidst general sympathy, and in 1864 was en thusiastically received in London. On the outbreak of war in i866 he assumed command of a volunteer army and on the 3rd of July he defeated the Austrians at Monte Saello, on the 7th at Lodrone, on the loth at Darso, on the i6th at Condino, on the I 9th at Ampola, on the 21st at Bezzecca, but, when on the point of at tacking Trent, he was ordered by General Lamarmora to retire. His famous reply "Obbedisco" ("I obey") has often been cited as a classical example of military obedience to a command de structive of a successful leader's hopes, but documents now pub lished (cf. Corriere della sera, Aug. 9, 1906) prove that Garibaldi had for some days known that the order to evacuate the Trentino would shortly reach him. As early as the i6th of July Crispi had been sent to warn Garibaldi that, owing to Prussian opposition, Austria would not cede the Trentino to Italy, and that the evacu ation was inevitable. Hence Garibaldi's laconic reply. He re turned to Caprera to mature his designs against Rome, which had been evacuated by the French in pursuance of the Franco-Italian convention of September 1864. In 1867, he prepared to enter papal territory, but was arrested at Sinalunga by the government and conducted to Caprera. He escaped to Florence, and, with the complicity of the second Rattazzi cabinet, entered Roman territory at Passo Corese on the 23rd of October. Two days later he took Monterotondo, but on Nov. 2nd, his forces were dis persed at Mentana by French and papal troops. Recrossing the Italian frontier, he was arrested at Figline and taken back to Caprera. In 1870 he formed a fresh volunteer corps and went to the aid of France, defeating the German troops at Chatillon, Autun and Dijon. Elected a member of the Versailles assembly, he resigned his mandate in anger at French insults, and withdrew to Caprera until, in 1874, he was elected deputy for Rome. Popu lar enthusiasm induced the Conservative Minghetti cabinet to propose that 440,000 with an annual pension of 12,000 be con ferred upon him but the proposal was refused by Garibaldi. Upon the advent of the Left to power, however, he accepted both gift and pension. He died at Caprera on June 2, 1882, one of the greatest masters of revolutionary war.
See Garibaldi, Epistolario, ed. E. E. Ximenes (2 vols., Milan, 1885), Memorie autografiche (n th ed., Florence, 1902 ; Eng. translation by A. Werner, 1889), Scritti politici e militari (19o8) and Lettere e proclami (1917) ; G. Guerzoni, Garibaldi (2 vols., Florence, 1882) ; J. W. Mario, Garibaldi e i suoi tempi (Milan, 1884) ; G. M. Trevelyan, Garibaldi's Defence of the Roman Republic (1907), Garibaldi and the Thousand (19o9) and Garibaldi and the Making of Italy (191I) ; C. de Saint-Cyr, Garibaldi (1907) ; A. V. Vecchi, La Vita e La Geste di Garibaldi (Bologna, 191o) and A. Luzio, Garibaldi, Cavour, Verdi (Turin, 1924) .