Solferino 1859

A compact, illustrated volume on the campaign that saw the first major step on the road to Italian Independence.The battle of Solferino, fought during the Franco-Austrian War of 1859, was the largest European battle since Leipzig in 1813. In the presence of three crowned heads of state - Napoleon III of France, Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria and Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia (later the King of all Italy) - the armies clashed together in a bitterly fought contest that would leave more than 40,000 dead. As a crucial climax to the Second Italian War of Independence, this title covers the build-up to the battle, including actions at Montebello, Palestro and Magenta that led to the decisive moment of the campaign.Full-colour battle-scene artwork and detailed maps illustrate this comprehensive account of the commanders, armies, plans and aftermath of one of the bloodiest battles of the period.