The Perugine Revolution (3 February-17 March 1872) was a rebellion launched by the short-lived Perugine Republic against the Italian monarchy in early 1872. The revolution was the result of Italy's annexation of the Papal States with its capture of Rome in 1870, as the Second French Empire decided to restore the Papal States as a reactionary republic. The republic, led by Pietro Figa, established a short-lived Catholic dictatorship in central Italy that controlled the cities of Ancona, Perugia, and Viterbo, and Figa passed a law that forbade any other party from having representation. King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy declared war on the Perugine revolutionaries and sent Luigi Solari and 15,000 Italian troops to crush the uprising, storming Perugia. Marino Orsini's 3,000 revolutionary troops were overwhelmed and defeated, and the Italian forces restored order to the rebellious region. Figa fled into exile in Croatia, and Orsini was forced to flee to France. After the end of the rebellion, no further attempts would be made to overthrow the Italian government.
Advertisement