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Italy, Kingdom. Two Sicilies. An Expedition of the Thousand Volunteers Medal, c.1860

This item is part of The Dr. Albert Goodwin Collection. Click Here to view all items in this collection.

Item: EG278

Italy, Kingdom. Two Sicilies. An Expedition of the Thousand Volunteers Medal, c.1860

$800

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Italy, Kingdom. Two Sicilies. An Expedition of the Thousand Volunteers Medal, c.1860

In silver, unmarked, measuring 30.7 mm, original ribbon, extremely fine.

Footnote: The Expedition of the Thousand Volunteers Medal was instituted on June 21, 1860. The Expedition of the Thousand was an event of the Italian Risorgimento that took place in 1860. A corps of volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto, near Genoa (now Quarto dei Mille) and landed in Marsala, Sicily, in order to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, ruled by the Bourbons. The project was an ambitious and risky venture aiming to conquer, with a thousand men, a kingdom with a larger regular army and a more powerful navy. The expedition was a success and concluded with a plebiscite that brought Naples and Sicily into the Kingdom of Sardinia, the last territorial conquest before the creation of the Kingdom of Italy on March 17, 1861. The sea venture was the only desired action that was jointly decided by the ""four fathers of the nation"" Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Victor Emmanuel II and Camillo Cavour, pursuing divergent goals. However, the Expedition was instigated by Francesco Crispi, who utilized his political influence to bolster the Italian unification project. The various groups participated in the expedition for a variety of reasons: for Garibaldi, it was to achieve a united Italy; to the Sicilian bourgeoisie, an independent Sicily as part of the Kingdom of Italy, and for the mass farmers, land distribution and the end of oppression.

This offering is a part of the "Dr. Albert Goodwin Collection", a preeminent assemblage of world Orders, Medals, and Decorations composed solely by Dr.Goodwin between 1946-1967. Dr. Goodwin had a successful career as an educator and prominent physician in New York as well as actively serving in both World Wars with the United States Medical Corps. He acted as both President and Vice-President of the Orders and Medals Society of America (OMSA) and is responsible for organizing their first convention in 1960. He maintained further membership with the American Society of Military Collectors, the International Orders Research Society, and the American Numismatic Society. His knowledge and passion for history and awards is evident in this meticulously compiled collection that is now available in its entirety for the first time exclusively on eMedals.com.