Unification process: Aquisition of Lombardy

Plombieres meeting:

• it was kept very secret, only a few people knew about it, even France's foreign minister was unaware
• Louis Napoleon said he would support Piedmont with all of his power in a war with Austria
  BUT only if Austria was the aggressor
• unless the war seemed reasonable to Europe's leaders, Austria may find allies
• Piedmont's ideal situation would be that Austria could be manoeuvred into declaring war (which is what eventually happened)
• the two men were unable to find and excuse that would be acceptable for France and Piedmont to declare war on Austria
  INSTEAD they focused on a future Austria-free Italy
• the terms of this agreement were as followed: in return for the support of 200,000 French troops, Napoleon demanded Savoy and Nice…