Item number: M538-8

Reference number: Borna Barac III#366

Year: AD 1922

Material: Bronze

Provenance: Bertolami Fine Art s.r.l. 2025

This is a miniature version of the Commemorative Medal for the Unification of Italy. Originally instituted in AD 1883, it was conferred upon all personnel who participated in the Italian Wars of Independence.

The obverse bears the left-facing effigy of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, encircled by the Latin inscription “VITTORIO EMANUELE III RE D’ITALIA”, signifying “Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy”. The reverse features the horizontal Latin inscription “UNITÀ D’ITALIA 1848–1918” in the centre, denoting “The Unification of Italy 1848–1918”. The ribbon exhibits the colours of the Italian national flag in red, white, green, white, and red, with a broader central green stripe.

Medals bearing the inscription “UNITÀ D’ITALIA” were initially instituted by Umberto I in AD 1883 to decorate those who had taken part in the struggle for Italian unification prior to AD 1861; in addition, the award was extended to veterans of the Crimean War, Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Roman Expedition, and Carlo Pisacane’s Sapri Expedition. Following the First World War, with the recovery of former Austrian-administered territories such as Trentino and Trieste, Victor Emmanuel III expanded the eligibility criteria to bestow the Unification Medal upon those who fought in the Italo-Austrian War of AD 1915–1918.

Although Italy was founded in AD 1861 and achieved unification in AD 1870, regions in its northeast under Austrian control, such as Trentino and Trieste, were still inhabited by large numbers of Italians, fostering a strong sentiment for irredentism throughout Italian society. Meanwhile, both nations regarded the Adriatic Sea and the Balkan Peninsula on its opposite shore as vital to their core interests; as the Austro-Hungarian Empire actively expanded into the Balkans, the geostrategic confrontation between the two parties grew increasingly sharp. Although both nations joined the Triple Alliance in AD 1882 and secretly partitioned their spheres of competition in Albania in AD 1913, the alliance fundamentally lacked mutual trust. Italy repeatedly demanded territorial compensation from Austria for its expansion into the Balkans, but these requests were consistently rejected, leading to a rapid deterioration in bilateral relations.

When the First World War broke out in AD 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia without consulting Italy. Italy subsequently declared its neutrality on the grounds that Austria had initiated an act of aggression, which did not align with the defense terms of the alliance. Subsequently, the Allied Powers enticed Italy with the secret signing of the Treaty of London, promising that territories under Austrian control—such as Trentino, South Tyrol, Trieste, the Istrian Peninsula, and Dalmatia—would be ceded to Italy after the war. Amidst a fanatical domestic atmosphere fiercely stoked by extreme nationalists advocating for entry into the war, Italy revoked the Triple Alliance in May AD 1915 and formally declared war on Austria, after which both sides engaged in a prolonged mountain war of attrition along the Alps and the Isonzo River.

During the hostilities, owing to low morale and command issues, the Italian army suffered a crushing defeat against the combined German and Austrian forces at the Battle of Caporetto in AD 1917, resulting in a substantial retreat of their lines. However, at the tail end of the First World War in AD 1918, Italian forces regrouped and launched a counter-offensive, decisively defeating the Austrian army at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. They successfully expelled the Austrian forces entirely and effectively occupied and controlled disputed areas such as Trentino, Trieste, and the Adriatic coast, forcing the Austro-Hungarian Empire to sign an armistice and surrender.

With the conclusion of the First World War and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although Italy successfully reclaimed former Austrian territories such as Trentino and Trieste, the commitments made in the Treaty of London regarding Balkan areas like Dalmatia were not fully honoured at the Paris Peace Conference due to US President Woodrow Wilson’s promotion of national self-determination and opposition from nations such as Britain and France, with most disputed regions assigned to the newly formed Yugoslavia. The severe depletion of the national treasury and acute inflation caused by prolonged warfare against Austria, combined with a profound sense of frustration—termed the “mutilated victory”—stemming from stymied diplomatic expansion, thoroughly eroded the credibility of the liberal government, ultimately laying the groundwork for the rise of Mussolini and the fascist regime.

Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele III) reigned from AD 1900 to 1946. During his tenure, he witnessed the Italo-Turkish War, the First World War, and the post-war social crisis, earning the title “King of Victory” after the AD 1918 triumph. Nevertheless, his decision in AD 1922 not to employ military force against Mussolini’s Blackshirts, allowing the Fascist Party to take over the government, is regarded as a pivotal catalyst enabling the establishment of the fascist dictatorship. During the AD 1930s, he remained the nominal head of state, though actual power was entirely monopolised by Mussolini. Following Italy’s defeat in the Second World War and the rise of the republican movement, he abdicated in AD 1946, went into exile in Egypt, and passed away in Alexandria in AD 1947.

物件編號: M538-8

參考書目編號: Borna Barac III#366

年代: 公元 1922 年

材質: 青銅

來源: Bertolami Fine Art s.r.l. 2025

這是一枚義大利統一獎章的迷你版。最初於公元1883年設立，頒予所有參與義大利統一戰爭的人員。

正面為義大利國王伊曼紐三世左側肖像。周圍環列拉丁銘文「VITTORIO EMANUELE III RE D’ITALIA」，即「義大利國王維克多·伊曼紐三世」。

背面中央橫列拉丁銘文「UNITÀ D’ITALIA 1848-1918」，即「義大利的統一 1848-1918」。綬帶為義大利國旗的紅-白-綠-白-紅三色，中央綠色色帶較寬。

以「UNITÀ D’ITALIA」為銘的獎章，最初由翁貝托一世於公元1883年設立，獎勵於公元1861年前曾參與義大利統一之戰者，此外，也授予參加克里米亞戰爭、加里波底的羅馬遠征、馬志尼的薩普里遠征的人員。一戰後，隨著特倫蒂諾與的里雅斯特等奧地利舊轄領土的收復，伊曼紐三世擴增資格，向參加公元1915-1918年義奧戰爭者同樣授予義大利統一獎章。

義大利雖於公元1861年建國並於公元1870年完成統一，但位於其東北部、由奧地利控制的特倫蒂諾與的里雅斯特等地區仍居住著大量義大利人，使義大利社會普遍產生收復失地的強烈情緒。同時，兩國皆將亞德里亞海及其對岸的巴爾幹半島視為自身核心利益，隨著奧匈帝國積極向巴爾幹擴張，雙方地緣戰略對立日益尖銳。儘管兩國曾於公元1882年加入三國同盟，且在公元1913年秘密協定劃分阿爾巴尼亞的角逐範圍，但該同盟實質上缺乏互信。義大利一再要求奧國在其向巴爾幹擴張時給予領土補償，卻屢遭拒絕，導致雙方關係急劇惡化。

公元1914年第一次世界大戰爆發時，奧匈帝國在未徵詢義大利的情況下向塞爾維亞宣戰，義大利遂以奧國先發動侵略、不符合同盟防衛條款為由宣告中立。隨後，協約國以秘密簽署的《倫敦協定》為誘餌，許諾戰後將奧地利控制的特倫蒂諾、南蒂羅爾、的里雅斯特、伊斯特拉半島及達爾馬提亞等地劃歸義大利。在國內極端國家主義分子極力鼓吹參戰的狂熱氛圍下，義大利於公元1915年5月廢除三國同盟並正式對奧地利宣戰，雙方隨即沿阿爾卑斯山脈及伊松佐河一帶展開長期的山地拉鋸戰。

戰事期間，義軍因士氣低落與指揮問題，於公元1917年的卡波雷托之役遭德奧聯軍重創慘敗，陣線大幅後撤。然而到了公元1918年一戰尾聲，義軍重振旗鼓發動反攻，在維托里奧·維內托之役大敗奧軍，順利將奧地利軍隊徹底逐出，並實際進駐與控制了特倫蒂諾、的里雅斯特及亞德里亞海沿岸等爭議區域，迫使奧匈帝國停戰投降。

隨著一戰結束與奧匈帝國解體，義大利雖成功收復了特倫蒂諾與的里雅斯特等奧地利舊轄領土，但在巴黎和會中，因美國總統威爾遜提倡民族自決以及英、法等國的阻撓，《倫敦協定》中承諾的達爾馬提亞等巴爾幹區域未能完全兌現，多數爭議地區被劃歸新成立的南斯拉夫。長期對奧作戰造成的國庫透支與嚴重通膨，疊加外交擴張受阻所引發的「殘缺的勝利」之強烈挫折感，徹底打擊了自由派政府的威信，最終為墨索里尼與法西斯政權的崛起埋下伏筆。

維克多·伊曼紐三世(Vittorio Emanuele III)，公元1900至1946年在位。任內歷經義土戰爭、第一次世界大戰與戰後社會危機，並在公元1918年勝利後獲稱「勝利之王」。然而，他在公元1922年選擇不對墨索里尼的黑衫軍採取武力抵制，允許法西斯黨接管政府，被視為法西斯獨裁得以建立的關鍵推手。公元1930年代，他名義上仍是國家元首，但實權被墨索里尼完全壟斷。二戰後隨著義大利戰敗與共和派興起，他於公元1946年退位並流亡埃及，於公元1947年在亞歷山卓逝世。