republic · Italy

Roman Republic (1849)

1849 CE – 1849 CE · capital Rome

The republic proclaimed in Rome in 1849 and led by Mazzini, whose defence by Garibaldi against French troops became a legend of Italian unification.

Origins

After the murder of Pope Pius IX's minister Pellegrino Rossi in November 1848, the pope fled to Gaeta in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. An elected Constituent Assembly met in Rome and on 9 February 1849 abolished the temporal power of the Papal States and proclaimed a republic.

Rule and society

A triumvirate of Giuseppe Mazzini, Aurelio Saffi and Carlo Armellini governed. The republic abolished the death penalty, introduced religious freedom and drafted a democratic constitution, promulgated on 3 July 1849. Giuseppe Garibaldi led volunteers in defence of the city, notably on the Janiculum hill.

Decline and legacy

Louis-Napoleon's France sent an army under General Oudinot, which besieged Rome from June and entered the city in early July 1849. Garibaldi retreated with his volunteers, and papal rule was restored under French protection.

Lineage

Papal States 754 CE – 1870 CERoman Republic (1849)Papal States 754 CE – 1870 CE

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Roman Republic (1849). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/roman-republic-1849
MLA
“Roman Republic (1849).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/roman-republic-1849. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Roman Republic (1849).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/roman-republic-1849.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Roman Republic (1849)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/roman-republic-1849 (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻