Cialdini, Enrico [key], 1811–92, Italian general and diplomat. During the wars leading to Italian unification he fought in Sardinian service in the campaigns of 1848–49 and 1859 against Austria and, invading the Papal States in 1860, won at Castelfidardo. He led the siege of Gaeta and, after the surrender of Francis II of Naples in 1861, was made duke of Gaeta. Cialdini was (1861–62) civil and military commissioner of the former kingdom of Naples and became (1864) a senator. He succeeded (1866) La Marmora as commander in the Austro-Prussian War. He was (1876–81) ambassador to France until his retirement.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Italian History: Biographies
