Battles & Campaigns · 1860
Battle of Castelfidardo
Castelfidardo, Marche, Italy
What happened
The Sardinian army under Manfredo Fanti and Enrico Cialdini fought the Papal army under Louis de Lamoricière. Sardinia invaded the Papal States while Garibaldi fought in the south. Near Castelfidardo, Sardinian troops blocked the Papal army's road to the port of Ancona. Fighting moved through farmhouses in the Musone valley until the Papal army broke.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended the Papal army as a fighting force. The Marche and Umbria regions were later joined to Sardinia.
What came next
Lamoricière escaped to Ancona, which surrendered on 29 September. The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in March 1861.
Did you know?
Cialdini joked that the casualty list of the Franco-Belgian volunteers read like a guest list for a ball of Louis XIV.
Timeline
- 18 September 1860Battle of Castelfidardo.
- 29 September 1860Ancona surrenders.
- March 1861Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed.