Italian Army: today the 158 anniversary of the constitution

(To Greater Defense)
04/05/19

The 4 May 1861 was born the Italian Army.

A provision of the Minister of War Manfredo Fanti decreed the end of the Sardinian Army and the birth of the Italian Army:
"Given the law dated 17 March 1861, with which sm has taken the title of king of Italy, the undersigned informs all the authorities, bodies and military offices that from now on the Royal Army will have to take the name of Italian Army, the ancient name of Sardinian Army being abolished. "

Many stages that have marked the history of the Armed Forces, such as, just to mention some of the most significant dates, the Battle of Custoza of the 1866, taken by Gorizia in the 1916, the Battle of Monte Lungo in the 1943.

The history of the Army, however, has much more distant and profound roots that sink and take over those of the previous pre-unification states that helped to establish it. Let us recall for example the date of the 18 April 1659, when the duke Carlo Emanuele II of Savoy, wanting to have military personnel trained and ready for employment for his real Sardinian-Piedmontese army, announced a call for the recruitment of 1.200 men to be framed in a regiment called "of the Guards".

This event marked the transition from the militia of fortune to permanent units, organisms of the state. The "Guardie" regiment was, therefore, the first permanent department in Europe, a forerunner of the current professional army.