The International Legion was created in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

, on October 5, 1860 – in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of the Volturno, where the forces of the Bourbon

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

were decisively broken. It had been the last main military engagement of the Expedition of the Thousand; however, at the time Garibaldi seriously considered going on to northwards to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, in order to put an end to the Temporal power of the Holy See. The International Legion was evidently to take part in this campaign, from which Garibaldi was later reluctantly dissuaded by King Victor Emmanuel II. The International Legion brought together different national divisions of French,

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

, German and other nationalities, with a view not just of finishing the liberation of Italy, but also of their homelands. Ludwik Mieroslawski was made head of the organization. During Garibaldi's campaign in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

in 1860, he received reinforcements consisting of about 2,500 men. The largest contingent consisted of 500

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

under the leadership of Colonel István Türr with Adolf Mogyórody, Nándor Éber and Gusztáv Frigyesy. The British Legion was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

contingent, including John Whitehead Peard, John Whitehead Peard (1811-1880) a British soldier, second son of Vice-Admiral Shuldham Peard Hugh Forbes, and Colonel John Dunne. Frenchmen included Lieutenant Paul de Flotte, Jean Philippe Bordone, Gustave Paul Cluseret, Maxime du Camp and

Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

References

Military units and formations of the Wars of Italian Independence Volunteer military units and formations Expatriate military units and formations {{mil-unit-stub

See also

References