The Five Days of Milan: the popular uprising against the Austrians began on the 18th of March 1848, ending on the 22nd of March with the victory of the rebels. With the sudden departure of the viceroy, leaving the governor O’Donnel and General Radestzky behind in Milan, the news of the liberation from Vienna quickly spread.
A demonstration organized by the rebels led to the institution of the Civil Guard. While the crowd was leaving the square, a fight between soldiers caused a popular revolt even greater than the first. On the morning of the 20th of March a war council was appointed to lead the insurrection. The revolt culminated on the 22nd of March with a successful assault on Porta Tosa (present-day Porta Vittoria) putting an end to the siege of city by General Radetzky whose troops had surrounded the walls and bastions. The Austrians retreated from the city.
In these years don Tazzoli was arrested. The deciphering of his papers allowed the Austrian police to arrest a lot of Mazzinian conspirators in Lombardy.
Curiosity: Milanese veal cutlet or Wiener schnitzel? For many years food historians have debated the origin of the famous Milanese Veal Cutlet (or Wiener schnitzel?). Today the diatribe may seem silly or of little importance, but half a century ago it was the source of no small controversy for its evident patriotic implications. The question was resolved by the Viennese Marshal Radetzky in a letter addressed to Count Attems, affirming to have discovered the famous cutlet in Milan and describing the recipe in exacting detail.
While Radetsky was fleeing Milan, Charles Albert, King of Sardinia, who had helped the Milanese liberate the Lombardo-Veneto, declared war on Austria on the 24th of March. However his efforts did not meet with success and in August Radetzky returned to Milan.
Though Milan was forced to surrender, the experience of the Five Days gave the population a psychological groundwork for definitive independence.
It would be ten years in coming.
During the 2nd War of Independence the Austrians were definitively expelled after the battle of Magenta on the 5th of June 1859, the battles of San Martino and Solferino on the 24th of June (the Austrian army was utterly defeated and forced to retreat) and on the 8th of June 1859 Victor Emmanuel II and Napoleon II arrived in Milan. Milan became part of the Kingdom of Italy (1861) under King Victor Emmanuel II.
