Austrian troops occupy the papal city of…

Austrian troops occupy the papal city of Ferrara in July 1847.

This intervention stimulates cooperation among Italian rulers, including Charles Albert of Sardinia, whose relations with Austria have been particularly strained; he replaces his reactionary Cabinet with a reformist one.

While the rulers discuss reforms—especially the formation of an all-Italian customs union—and the measures needed to cope with famine in several regions, the populace begins to stir.