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This map of Italy, published by James Wyld in 1842, offers a detailed visual representation of the geopolitical divisions of the Italian Peninsula and its surrounding islands following the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815).
The map reflects the political restructuring that took place after the Napoleonic Wars, setting the stage for Italy's gradual unification, which would reach its culmination decades later.
During the early 19th century, Italy was not a unified nation but a patchwork of states under various foreign and domestic rule. Following the fall of Napoleon, the 1815 Treaty of Paris, depicted on this map, confirmed the restoration of pre-Napoleonic borders, aligning with the conservative goals of the Congress of Vienna. Major regions such as the Kingdom of Sardinia, which included Piedmont, Savoy, and the Duchy of Genoa, remained under the control of the House of Savoy, while Austria held dominance over Lombardy, Venice, and other northern territories. The Papal States, Naples, and Sicily were restored to their respective rulers, leaving Italy deeply divided.
The note on the map highlights that regions like the Duchies of Milan and Mantua, as well as the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, were under the direct control of the Austrian Empire. Austria’s influence over the Italian Peninsula was profound during this period, serving as a major obstacle to the nationalist movements that sought unification. The Kingdom of Sardinia, particularly under the leadership of figures like Charles Albert of Savoy, would later play a pivotal role in the push for Italian independence, which would culminate in the Risorgimento, led by Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Although Garibaldi's major campaigns would not begin until the 1850s, the seeds of Italian unification were sown during the decades represented on this map. Garibaldi, a central figure in the fight for Italian independence, would lead his famed Expedition of the Thousand in 1860, aiming to liberate southern Italy and Sicily from Bourbon rule. His military efforts, combined with the political machinations of Sardinian Prime Minister Count Cavour, would eventually force the unification of Italy.
James Wyld Sr. (1790-1836) was a British cartographer and one of Europe’s leading mapmakers. He made many contributions to cartography, including the introduction of lithography into map printing in 1812.
William Faden, another celebrated cartographer, passed down his mapmaking business to Wyld in 1823. The quality and quantity of Faden’s maps, combined with Wyld’s considerable skill, brought Wyld great prestige.
Wyld was named geographer to Kings George IV and William IV, as well as HRH the Duke of York. In 1825, he was elected an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Geographical Society in 1830. Also in 1830, his son, James Wyld Jr., took over his publishing house. Wyld Sr. died of overwork on October 14, 1836.
James Wyld Jr. (1812-87) was a renowned cartographer in his own right and he successfully carried on his father’s business. He gained the title of Geographer to the Queen and H.R.H. Prince Albert. Punch (1850) described him in humorous cartographic terms, “If Mr. Wyld’s brain should be ever discovered (we will be bound he has a Map of it inside his hat), we should like to have a peep at it, for we have a suspicion that the two hemispheres must be printed, varnished, and glazed, exactly like a pair of globes.”
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