Home

Cavour

Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour, born 10 August 1810 in Turin, was an Italian statesman and a leading figure in the movement toward Italian unification. He belonged to a noble Piedmontese family and pursued studies in economics and public administration. Cavour emerged as a liberal monarchist who favored constitutional government, industrial modernization, and a strong central state under the House of Savoy.

As premier of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Cavour sought to raise the status of Piedmont as the

His most famous move was the 1858 Plombières Agreement with Napoleon III, which led to the Second

Cavour also helped modernize the economy and infrastructure of his states and supported administrative reforms, education,

Legacy: Cavour is regarded as a principal architect of Italian unification, shaping both policy and diplomacy.

---

core
of
a
united
Italy.
He
pursued
a
policy
that
combined
internal
reform—railways,
banks,
and
a
more
efficient
administration—with
proactive
diplomacy.
A
key
goal
was
to
counter
Austrian
influence
and
to
align
with
France
to
achieve
national
unification.
Italian
War
of
Independence
in
1859.
The
conflict
produced
territorial
gains
for
Sardinia
and
set
the
stage
for
broader
unification,
with
Lombardy
joining
the
new
Italian
state
and
other
territories
added
after
plebiscites
in
1860–61.
and
the
development
of
infrastructure
like
roads
and
railways.
He
died
on
6
June
1861
in
Turin,
before
Rome
was
incorporated
into
the
kingdom
of
Italy.
His
approach
favored
a
strong,
centralized
state,
liberal
constitutionalism,
and
pragmatic
diplomacy
over
popular
revolution.
Historians
continue
to
evaluate
his
role
in
the
broader
Risorgimento,
including
tensions
with
republican
leaders
and
the
limits
of
his
vision
for
a
united
Italy.