The Thousand of Pius IX

In the decade of upheaval that forged modern Italy, an unlikely army rose to defend Pope Pius IX and the temporal power of the Church. They were not ordinary mercenaries but princes, dukes, counts, and barons from across Europe, joined by Irish, German, Dutch, and Italian soldiers. United by faith and a fierce opposition to the new Italy—which they saw as ruled by Freemasonry and hostile to Catholic tradition—they became the backbone of the papal army between 1860 and 1870.

In the final, desperate stand of 1870, a thousand volunteers rushed to Rome. Their courage was legendary, but not enough to halt history.

This book brings to life a forgotten army of noble idealists, fortune seekers, and uncompromising fighters. A hidden yet pivotal chapter, it sheds light on the contradictions, passions, and battles that shaped the birth of modern Italy.