PIEDMONT
78
PIEDMONT
reached was in regard to the administrator of vacant
benefices, who was also appointed the Apostolic ad-
ministrator for this purpose. In this form the office of
the Apostolic-royal steward continued to exist.
When the Island of Sardinia was granted to Pied- mont in 1720 a new conflict arose, as the pope claimed to be the sovereign of the island. The basis of this was that Boniface VIII had invested the King of Aragon with the island under the condition that it should never be separated from the Crown of Ajagon. Consequently the demand was made upon the new King of Sardinia that he should seek papal investiture. As Victor Amadcus refused to do this, the pope re- jected the arrangements for filling the episcopal sees and ecclesiastical benefices made by the king, who also claimed all the rights of patronage exercised by the Spanish sovereign. As a consequence most of the sees on the islands were without incumbents, which in- creased the difficulties. Benedict XIII (1724-30) sought to bring about a reconciliation in order to put an end to the injury inflicted on reUgious life. In Turin the necessity of an accommodation was also realized, and the king sent the adroit and skilful Marquess d'Ormea to Rome to prepare the way for the negotiations. The peace-loving pope made large concessions, although the king made still further en- croachments upon the rights of the Church. The negotiations were carried on by a congregation com- posed of four cardinals and the prelate Merlini. Sev- eral points were adjusted, especially the king's right of presentation to the bishoprics and abbacies, while others were discussed, particularly the immunity of the Church, the right of the pope to claim the spolia, also the right to charge ecclesiastical revenues with pensions. Most of the difficulties were finally ad- justed, and an agreement was signed in 1727, so that the vacant sees could now be filled and ecclesiastical administration resumed. King Charles Emmanuel III (1730-73) made new conventions xvith Benedict XIV (1740-.59), who had formerly supported the Marquess d'Ormea in his negotiations, and had al- ways maintained friendly relations with him. By two conventions made in 1741 the King of Sardinia was granted the Apostolic vicariate for the papal fiefs on condition of paying a quit-rent, and the questions of the ecclesiastical benefices, the revenues of benefices during vacancy, and the administration of these va- cant benefices were adjusted. Notwithstanding his friendliness, the papal commissioner had a very difficult position to maintain in his relations with the president of the senate, Caissotti. Finally on 6 Jan., 1742, the pope issued instructions to the bishops, in which both sides had concurred; in these it was made the duty of foreign bishops to appoint vicars for the parts of their dioceses in the territory of Piedmont, ecclesiastical jurisdiction was curtailed, and the landed property of the Church that had been obtained after 1620 was made subject to the ordinarj' civil taxes. In 1750 the pope resigned various revenues that the Apostolic See derived from Piedmont in return for a very small in- demnity. Charles Emmanuel III now remained on the best of terms with Rome, notwithstanding isolated difficulties and disputes which still arose. Merlini was once more received at Turin as nuncio, and the piously-inclined king sought to promote the interests of religion, to protect Christian discipline, and to sup- port the rights of the Church in other countries.
The last period of the history of the Kingdom of Sardinia began after the Napoleonic era. In 1814-1.5 Victor Emmanuel I regained Piedmont with the terri- tories of Genoa (Liguria) and Grenoble. The Govern- ment again sought to base the administration on the old political principles of the period before the French Revolution, while a large part of the citizens of the country were filled with ideas of political independence and Liberahsm, and the revolutionary secret society, the Carbonari, was at work. When in 1821 a mihtary
insurrection broke out, the king abdicated in favour of
his brother Charles Felix (1821-31). Before Charles
Felix arrived the country was administered by
Charles Albert, the heir-presumptive to the throne,
who was a member of the Savoy-Carignan branch of
the family. Charles at once established the Spanish
constitution of 1812 and summoned a Liberal minis-
try. However, Charles Felix crushed the Liberal
opposition with the aid of .\ustrian troops and re-
established former administrative conditions. At his
death the direct line of the dynasty of Savoy was ex-
tinct, and he was succeeded by Charles Albert of
Savoy-Carignan (1831^0). This king gave the coun-
try a constitution in 1848, summoned a Liberal min-
istry, and assumed the leadership of the movement
for the national unity of Italy. This led to a war with
Austria in which he was defeated at Novara, and con-
sequently was obliged to abdicate on 4 Nov., 1849, in
favour of his son Victor Emmanuel II (1849-78).
Count Camillo de Cavour (d. 6 June, 1861) was soon
made the head of the administration. Journeys in
France and England had imbued Cavour with ideas
of political and parliamentary freedom; from 1848 he
had sought to spread his opinions by publishing with
the aid of Balbo, Santa Rosa, and others the journal
"II Risorgimento". On 4 Nov., 1852, he was made
president of the ministry; he now sought by the eco-
nomic development of the country and by diplomatic
relations, especially on the occasion of the Crimean
War, and at the Congress of Paris in 1856, where the
"Italian" question was raised, to prepare for war
with Austria.
In a secret agreement with Napoleon III made at Plombieres on 20 July, 1858, he gained the support of the French emperor by promising to cede Savoy and Nice to France. In this way Victor Emmanuel II was able in 1859 to begin war against Austria with the aid of Napoleon, and the two allies defeated the Aus- trian army at Magenta (4 June) and at Solferino (24 June). At the same time a revolution broke out in central Italy that had been planned by the followers of Mazzini, and the national union founded by him in Piedmont. Tuscany, the duchies, and the districts ruled by delegation received Piedmontese adminis- trators. In his choice of means the only principle fol- lowed by Cavour was to use whatever might prove advantageous to him. His connexion with men like Mazzini, Garibaldi, and others shows the lack of prin- ciple in his conduct. Piedmont adopted the cause of the revolution. In the Peace of Zurich, 10 Nov., 1859, it was stipulated that Lombardy would be given to Piedmont. In 1860 the people of Savoy and Nice voted for union with France, so that these territories now became a part of France, and the royal dynasty of Piedmont resigned its native land of Savoy. As compensation for this loss Piedmont received Tus- cany and Emilia. On 2 April, 1860, the "National Parliament" was opened at Turin; the parliament, asserting the principle of nationality, demanded "Italy for the Italians". Soon other Italian domains were absorbed, and on 17 March, 1861, Victor Em- manuel II assumed the title of King of Italy (see It.\ly), whereby Piedmont and the Kingdom of Italy were merged into the united Kingdom of Italy. On 29 March, 1861, Cavour announced that Rome was the future capital of united Italy.
After the readjustment of ecclesiastical conditions in 1S17 there were seven Church provinces in the Kingdom of Sardinia that had been formed and en- larged in the period following the Napoleonic era. The.se archdioceses were: in Piedmont. Turin with 10 suffragans, to which in 1S60 an eleventh, Aosta (which had belonged to Chambery), was added; Vercelli with 5 suffragans; in Liguria, Genoa with 6 suffragans; in Savoy, Chambery with 4 suffragans (after the with- drawal of Aosta only 3) ; on the Island of Sardinia the three Archdioceses of Cagliari, Oristano, and Sassari,
