Commemorative Medal of the Unity of Italy
Italian award
The Italian Risorgimento was celebrated by a series of medals set up by the three kings who ruled during the long process of unification – the Commemorative Medal for the Campaigns of the War of Independence and the various versions of the Commemorative Medal of the Unity of Italy, which were granted by the Kingdom of Italy to those who had taken part in the military operations which had led to Italian independence and later to all who participated in the First World War, since at that time it was traditionally held that Italy completed its unification with the annexation of the Trentino. Its final awards were to participants in the March on Rome and the Impresa di Fiume.
Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy
With the intention of celebrating those who had taken part in the battles that had led to the constitution of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, with Royal Decree no. 2174 of 4 March 1865[1], established the commemorative medal of the Wars fought in 1848, 1849, 1859, 1860 and 1861 for the independence and unity of Italy and granted it to all those who had fought in the first war of independence of 1848–49, in the second war of independence of 1859 and in the expedition of the Thousand, called "campaign for Southern Italy", of 1860–61.
All the military troops received the medal and its bands free of charge; for the others a commission was set up to examine the titles that gave entitlement to the medal accompanied by one or more bands.
The medal was to be worn with a ribbon on which were applied as many silver bands as there were the campaigns in which one had participated.
The decree established that the medal could not be combined with any other national medal established for the same title, except for that of the Thousand of the municipality of Palermo.
The concession of this medal was then extended to those who had participated in the Third War of Independence of 1866[2] and the capture of Rome in 1870, subsequently those who had participated in the Crimean War (1855–56)[3] and the enterprise of the Agro Romano in 1867[4] were also entitled to the medal.
Insignia
Medal
The medal consists of a silver disc, with a diameter of 32 mm and a thickness of 1 mm, suspended from a ring, with
on the obverse:
the face of the sovereign facing left, surrounded by the legend "Vittorio Emanuele II King of Italy". On some models, under the neck of the king is the signature of the engraver: "Canzani", "Cassina" or others;
on the reverse:
draped female figure with turreted crown (personification of Italy) holding with her right hand a spear that comes out of a laurel branch and with her left hand leans on a Savoy shield; at the entrance (from 8 am to 4 am) the inscription "Wars for independence and the unification of Italy".
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