ABSTRACT
Cavour had Vittorio Emanuele pledge to serve as the first soldier of Italian independence, and welcomed Napoleon to Italy, delighted to see his plans materialize. On the French Emperor's suggestion, Vittorio Emanuele refused the dictatorship but secured command of the troops raised in Tuscany, assuming responsibility for the protection of the duchy during the course of the war. On 29 April 1859, the Austrian force finally crossed the Ticino and entered Piedmont. Shortly after, on 3rd May, Napoleon asserted that in attacking his ally, Piedmont, Austria also waged war on France. Napoleon argued that Austrian actions had created a situation whereby the Hapsburgs would either control all of northern Italy, or Italy from the Alps to the Adriatic would be free. Garibaldi, denied a key role during the campaign of 1859, was angry with Cavour's ministry, which he saw as responsible for the slight, and wounded by the 'betrayal' of Napoleon at Villafranca.
