The Battle of Solferino and San Martino by sandra46

Photography • Landscape • posted on Jan 10, 2011

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Description

From the terrace of the cafeteria at San Martino della Battaglia one can see the plain where the famous battle of Solferino was fought during what is usually called the Second War of Italian Independence in Italian schoolbooks . The Battle of Solferino, (referred to in Italy as the Battle of Solferino and San Martino), was fought on June 24, 1859 and resulted in the victory of the Franco-Sardinian Alliance, that is the allied French Army under Napoleon III and Sardinian (later Italian) Army under Victor Emmanuel II against the Austrian Army under Emperor Franz Joseph I; it was the last major battle in world history where all the involved armies were under the personal command of their monarchs. Perhaps 300,000 soldiers fought in this important battle, the largest since the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. There were about 160,000 Austrian troops and a combined total of 156,000 French and allied Piedmontese troops. The clash was chaotic, on a front stretching for 15 kilometers. The battle was a particularly gruelling one, lasting over nine hours. Reports of wounded and dying soldiers being shot or bayoneted on both sides added to the horror. In the end, the Austrian forces were forced to yield their positions, and the Allied French-Piedmontese armies won a tactical, but costly, victory. After this battle, the Austrian Emperor refrained from further direct command of the army. Napoleon III was moved by the losses, and for reasons including the Prussian threat and domestic protests by the Roman Catholics, he decided to put an end to the war with the Armistice of Villafranca (July 12, 1859). The Italians won Lombardy but not the Venetia. The Kingdom of Italy was created in 1861. The battle is especially notable for being witnessed by the Swiss Jean-Henri Dunant. Horrified by the suffering of wounded soldiers left on the battlefield, Dunant set about a process that led to the Geneva Conventions and the establishment of the International Red Cross. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem 'The Forced Recruit at Solferino' commemorates this battle (Last Poems 1862). Joseph Roth's 1932 novel Radetzky March opens at the Battle of Solferino. There, the father of the novel's Trotta dynasty is immortalized as the Hero of Solferino. Thanks for your kind comments.

Comments (47)

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lyron

10:45AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Great work!!!

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flora-crassella

10:48AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

a wonderful and interesting view! GREAT photo!!!!!!!

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magnus073

10:48AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Sandra, this is such a marvelous capture as the pov you selected to show off this historical area is perfect. Thanks for providing so many fascinating details on the epic battle that took place here, and for also pointing out the positive things that came out of this terrible time.

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Osper

11:00AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

COLORFUL!!!!!! Good history also (interesting).

alanwilliams

11:02AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

very interesting information to go with an extremely interesting shot, i love the layering of the picture

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brycek

11:10AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Fantastic capture and interesting history!!

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durleybeachbum

11:19AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Fascinating pic and info!

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bakapo

11:33AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

a nice shot!

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Vialliy

11:40AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Impressive history. Nice to see it is a properous place nowadays.

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flaviok

11:47AM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Narrativa impressionante, captura maravilhosa minha amiga, aplausos (5)

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carlx

12:37PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Great colors and photography!!!

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bazza

12:39PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Great shot and interesting info on the history of the place Sandra!

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jmb007

12:58PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

bon renseignement et photo!

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jayfar

12:59PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Great pic and wonderful information.

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drifterlee

1:21PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Wonderful shot!!!!!

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claude19

3:33PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Ode to the geometry! BEAUTIFUL photo.

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jeroni

5:33PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Beautiful composition. excellent work

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Faemike55

5:56PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Very beautiful capture and fascinating information. sometimes good does come out of the worst of events

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eekdog

6:21PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

like your history on this Sandra, beautiful color in this shot..

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0rest4wicked

7:04PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

A great narration!!!!!!!

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Radar_rad-dude

8:48PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Fantastic capture and interesting history!!

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psyoshida

9:10PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Gorgeous photo and amazing history. Seems impossible that all that death and destruction took place in such a lovely location.

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MOSKETON

9:11PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

PRECIOSA IMAGEN.

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danapommet

10:52PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Beautiful capture of the vineyard and surrounding areas. Sad to read of so much loss of blood. Outstanding narrative Sandra and the POV that show the decay in the foreground building. Dana

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jocko500

11:08PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

this is wonderful work

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bimm3d

11:39PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

wonderful POV and place!!

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wysiwig

11:46PM | Mon, 10 January 2011

Fascinating history. All we learn here in the States is about Garibaldi. Ironic considering the history how the plants are arrained as if ready for battle. Beautiful scene.

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Umbetro38

12:18AM | Tue, 11 January 2011

a beautiful plant with beautiful colors

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Madbat

2:57AM | Tue, 11 January 2011

Interesting history, you actually cleared up a point I wasn't certain about, the last battle where Monarchs commanded. This actually came up in a conversation a couple of days ago. Thanks!

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