The Ten Days of

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...

( it, Dieci giornate di Brescia) was a revolt which broke out in the northern Italian city of that name, which lasted from 23 March to 1 April 1849. In the early 19th century Brescia was subject of the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

empire, as the rest of

Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia ( la, links=no, Regnum Langobardiae et Venetiae), commonly called the "Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom" ( it, links=no, Regno Lombardo-Veneto, german: links=no, Königreich Lombardo-Venetien), was a constituent land ...

. The revolt, headed by the patriot

Tito Speri Tito Speri (2 August 1825 - 3 March 1853) was an Italian patriot and hero of the Risorgimento. Life Speri was born in Brescia. He began his military career as a volunteer in the First Italian Independence War in 1848, has been engaged in the Ba ...

, began on the same day as the Battle of Novara (though news of Austria's victory there had not yet reached Brescia). The Austrian troops, under General Nugent, were initially surprised and retired to the castle, from which they heavily cannonaded the city, damaging many of Brescia's historical monuments. A total encirclement of Brescia was established by the Austrians beginning on the 8th day of the revolt, when reinforcements arrived. The following day General Haynau, later nicknamed "The Hyena of Brescia", came and demanded the unconditioned surrender of the Bresciani. As the latter refused, the fighting continued until late night, when the heads of the revolt decided to surrender. The following day (April 1), however, the Austrian troops sacked the city and massacred numerous inhabitants before the surrender could be signed. Some 1,000 citizens were killed during the battle. For its fierce resistance, the city of Brescia earned the surname ''Leonessa d'Italia'' (Lioness of Italy).

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ten Days Of Brescia Revolts of the Italian unification Battles involving Austria Conflicts in 1849 1849 in Italy Brescia History of Lombardy 1849 in the Austrian Empire March 1849 events April 1849 events Rebellions against the Austrian Empire Battles of the First Italian War of Independence

See also

Sources