The
Carbonari were groups of secret revolutionary societies founded in early
19th century Italy, and instrumental in organising revolution in Italy in
1820 and
1848. Idealistically, they sought the creation of a unified, liberal Italy through spontaneous rebellion by the
working class, led by university students and intellectuals. The revolutions were put down by the French under Louis
Napoleon III and by the
Austrian Hapsburgs, who sought to maintain their significant power in Italy (
Venice and
Milan were both part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies[?] was ruled by a Hapsburg monarch). The failure of the revolutions showed that unification would not be achieved by idealism but by
realpolitik - In
1867 the unification of Italy was completed under
Count Camilio di Cavour[?] of
Piedmont-Sardinia[?].