This chapter provides an essential, but directed, historical background. The first section, “The Cross: Roma o Morte!” reconstructs power struggles in Rome between liberal forces and the papacy during the middle of the century. Whereas the ascent of Pope Pius IX in 1846 indicated a move towards reform, the papal identification as a supernational spiritual leader prevented compromise or cooperation with nationalist advocates. In “The Heart: Milan, Liberal Sentiment and the Patriotic Pledge,” the focus shifts to the post-Napoleonic environment in the north and the aftermath of the Enlightenment. The passion and struggle for a free state fostered in Milan led to the expression of revolutionary sentiment essential for amassing support for unification. Finally, “The Crown: Post-Borbonic Naples and the ‘Southern Question’” investigates how the shift from the Bourbon crown to a constitutional monarchy, combined with the absence of industrial and administrative infrastructure south of Rome, resulted in a cultural resistance to the new state.