On this day 163 years ago, Sep. 11, 1860. The Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont began its invasion of the Papal States, 70,000 Italian troops poured over the border into the Pope's northern states of Umbria and the Marches.

For years the Kingdom of Sardinia had been plotting to unify Italy. During this time period Italy was separated into 10 different Kingdoms. Most of them Bourbon or under Austrian influence. The King of Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel II and his Prime Minister, Cavour spurred by the nationalist fervor of the time period would stop at nothing to see Italy united under their rule. They had already instigated the Franco-Austrian war a year earlier. Which ended in Sardinia taking the Papal territory of Romagna and Austria-controlled Lombardy.

Following the war Sardinia staged civil unrest in their neighboring Kingdoms. Their monarchies toppled and Sardinia annexed their territory. Next was the Southern Kingdom of Naples, which was invaded in May, 1860 by the revolutionary Garibaldi with Piedmontese support.

By Sep. the Kingdom of Naples had fallen. Cavour was afraid that Garibaldi would get ahead of himself and march on Rome. This would upset Austria and France and start another war. To avoid this he secretly met with Napoleon III, who had been protecting Rome with a French garrison of troops since 1849. Cavour proposed that the French let them take the Papal States. So that they could unify Italy and prevent Garibaldi from ransacking Rome. Napoleon III agreed to let them take the Papal States with the exception of Rome and the Lazio region. Cavour agreed, as the Roman question could be dealt with later. This was a very treacherous act as Napoleon III told Bl. Pope Pius IX that he would not allow his territory to be taken.

On Sep. 7, uprisings were staged on Papal State border towns as a pretext for invasion. The Papal Army quickly moved to suppress the uprisings. This worried the Commander of the Army, General Lamoricière as he figured this was a Piedmontese trap for invasion. At the same time he was worried about Garibaldi invading from the south.

It was a trap. On Sep. 10 Gen. Lamoricière received an ultimatum from Cavour. If the Papal States suppressed the ιnѕυrrєcтισns or if the Papal Army did not immediately evacuate the affected regions, Sardinia would invade to protect Italians from the troops of the Pope.
The Cardinal Secretary of State, Antonelli was supposed to be given the same ultimatum, however due to a delay at sea Victor Emmanuel II's emissary arrived a day late. Regardless, before the demands were even given to him he told the Sardinians that Pius IX rejected the "just demands of his master the King of Piedmont".

War was declared and the following day 70,000 Italian troops poured over the border into the Papal States. The Catholic powers at the time protested but did little to protect the Pope. The much more inferiorly equipped Papal Army of 15,000 was left to fend for itself. The Papal troops fought bravely but by Sep. 29 they capitulated. The Papal States lost the vast majority of their territory, being reduced to only Rome and the surrounding Lazio region.

Bl. Pope Pius IX, Pray for us!