1831-49. Charles Albert, after his flight from Turin in 1821, settled for some time in Florence. In 1823 he served as a volunteer in the army of the Duke of Angouleme in Spain, and assisted to crush the constitu tion hi that country which he had endeavoured to setup in his own. He ascended the throne on April 27,1831. For many years he seemed to oscillate between a desire to retain arbitrary power on the one hand, and a desire to grant political privileges to his subjects on the other. In 1836 he issued an edict for the suppression of the feudal system in the island of Sardinia, and in February 1842 an amnesty to his accom plices in the conspiracy of 1821. The interference of Austria in Italy inclined him to liberal institutions as a means of defence against external aggression. Accordingly when the Austrians, fearing the consequences of the liberal measures of Pope Pius IX., occupied Ferrara in 1847, the king of Sardinia protested, and offered to defend the independence of the States of the Church with all his forces. In the same year ho made a commercial league with the Pope, with Tus cany, and Lucca; and followed this up in November by establishing municipalities and provincial councils throughout his states. In February 1843 ha granted a representative constitution, the heads of which have been enumerated above. After the Milanese had driven the Austrians out of Milan, he marched at the head of his army to aid the insurgents in the cause of ' Italian regeneration,' as it was called, but his real motive was most likely to extend his dominions. After' two days' hard fighting be defeated the Austrians at Goito, May 29.
Peschiera then surrendered to him. Verona was attacked, and Mantua , threatened. Soon after the Sardinian fleet entered the Adriatic, and blockaded Trieste. Hitherto he had been on the whole successful ; but the Austrians, who were led by a master of warfare, were not' beaten—they had retreated from Lombardy only to gain strength.
On the 27th of July the Sardinian army was compelled to retreat, and Mantua Wolt relieved. Marshal Radetsky pursued the retreating Sar dinians to Milan, and forced them to surrender (August 4). [MILAN.1 An armistice was agreed upon in September. In the spring of 1849 Charles Albert, influenced by the clamour of his subjects or by sinister advice, renewed the war. He was defeated at all points, and Marshal liadetaky by his great victory at Novara crushed the designs of Charles Albert, who abdicated in favour of his son (the present king Victor Emmanuel II.) on the 24th of March. The Austrians took military possession of the fortress and half the town of Alessandria, and also of the country between the Po and the Seals, until the conclusion of peace. The Sardinian fleet was withdrawn from the Adriatic, and the army reduced to a peace-footing. Charles Albert retired to Portugal, where he died at Oporto on the 28th of July& Ilia remains were brought from Portugal and buried iu the catacombs of the basilica of Superga. He married in 1817 Teresa, archduchess of Austria, by whom he left two sons, the present king, and Ferdinand, duke of Genoa, since dead.