Giuseppe Garibaldi
A revolutionary soldier who traded his sword for a plow, leading a volunteer army that stitched Italy together from Sicily to the Alps.
1807–1882 (age 75)·Italian patriot and general·Birthday: July 4
Biography
Giuseppe Garibaldi’s life reads like a nineteenth-century adventure novel, its chapters written across two continents. Born in Nice, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, his early years as a merchant sailor were eclipsed by a fervent belief in Italian republicanism, forcing him into exile. He found his military calling fighting in South American civil wars, earning his 'Hero of the Two Worlds' moniker and mastering the guerilla tactics that would define his legend. Returning to a fragmented Italy in 1848, he became the charismatic, red-shirted figurehead of the Risorgimento. His most audacious act was the 1860 Expedition of the Thousand, where he and a ragged band of volunteers conquered the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, a daring stroke that made the unification of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel II a tangible reality. Though he later clashed with the very monarchy he helped create, Garibaldi remained, until his death on the island of Caprera, the beating heart of the Italian nation, a symbol of selfless sacrifice and martial romance.
#1 When Giuseppe Was Born
The biggest hits of 1807
Giuseppe's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1807Born
1812Started school
1820Became a teenager
1823Could drive
1825Could vote
1828Turned 21
1837Turned 30
1847Turned 40
1857Turned 50
1867Turned 60
President: Andrew Johnson
1877Turned 70
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1882Died at 75
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
Key Achievements
- Led the Expedition of the Thousand in 1860, conquering Sicily and Naples with a volunteer force of about a thousand men.
- Played a decisive military role in the unification of Italy, particularly in the 1859 Second Italian War of Independence.
- Served as a general and commander for the fledgling Kingdom of Italy during its formative wars.
- His campaigns in South America, notably for the Riograndense Republic, cemented his international reputation as a revolutionary fighter.
Did You Know?
He was offered a Union command during the American Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln, but declined.
He was a global celebrity in his time, with his image appearing on popular merchandise and in newspapers worldwide.
After unification, he retired to farm on the rocky island of Caprera, living a relatively simple life.
He was elected to the French National Assembly in 1871, though he never took his seat.
“I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor food; I offer only hunger, thirst, forced marches, battles and death.”
