Giuseppe Garibaldi (July 4, 1807 – June 2, 1882) wis an Italian general and politician.
He is considered, with Camillo Cavour, Victor Emmanuel II and Giuseppe Mazzini, as one of Italy's "fathers of the fatherland".
Garibaldi is a central figure in the Italian Risorgimento, since he personally commands and fights in many military campaigns that lead eventually to the formation of a unified Italy.
He generally tries to act on behalf of a legitimate power, which does not make him exactly a revolutionary: for example, he is appointed general by the provisional government of Milan in 1848, General of the Roman Republic in 1849 by the Minister of War, and leads the Expedition of the Thousand on behalf and with the consent of Victor Emmanuel II.
He has been called the "Hero of Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe.
These earn him a considerable reputation in Italy and abroad, aided by exceptional international media coverage at the time.
Many of the greatest intellectuals of his time, such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and George Sand, shower him with admiration.
The United Kingdom and the United States help him a great deal, offering him financial and military support in difficult circumstances.
In the popular telling of his story, he is associated with the red shirts worn by his volunteers in lieu of a uniform.
