The Italian Risorgimento was the political process that led to the unification of the Italian peninsula into a single kingdom after three bloody wars fought between Piedmont and Austria. It lasted for more than two decades (1848-1870) and was one of the key moments in the history of Europe.

The Crimean War of 1854-1856 was one of the largest military conflicts of the 19th century and saw Russia fighting against an international coalition that comprised Great Britain and France in addition to the Ottoman Empire.