This is a list of wars involving the Italian Republic and its predecessor states since the Italian wars of independence in the 19th century, but does not include wars fought by the historic states of Italy. The result of these conflicts follows this legend:
*e.g. result unknown or indecisive/inconclusive, result of internal conflict inside Italy, status quo ante bellum, or a treaty or peace without a clear result.
Italian Wars of Unification The Risorgimento movement emerged to unite Italy in the 19th century. The Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia took the lead in a series of wars to liberate Italy from foreign control. Following three Wars of Italian Independence against the Habsburg Austrians in the north, the Expedition of the Thousand against the Bourbons of the Two Sicilies in the south, and the Capture of Rome, the unification of the country was completed in 1871 when Rome was declared capital of Italy.
Start Finish Name of conflict Belligerents Outcome Combatant 1 Combatant 218481849First Italian War of IndependenceSupported by: (1849)Austrian victory Return to the status quo ante bellum18531856Crimean War SardiniaAllied victory Russia loses the Danube Delta and Southern Bessarabia18591859Second Italian War of Independence SardiniaFranco-Sardinian victory Armistice of Villafranca Sardinia annexes Lombardy from Austria, occupies and later annexes Habsburg-ruled Tuscany, Modena and Emilia.France gains Savoy and Nice from Sardinia.18601860Expedition of the Thousand RedshirtsSupported by: Piedmont-Sardinia Two SiciliesSupported by: Papal StatesGaribaldine victory Liberation of Southern Italy Collapse of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Papal States reduced to Lazio Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy Post-Unification Italian Brigandage Southern Italy, Marche and Umbria annexed by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia18611865Brigandage in Southern ItalySouthern Italian brigandsSupported by:Bourbon Legitimists in Southern ItalyPartisans from Bourbon SpainUnification victory18661866Third Italian War of IndependenceSupported by:Italian victory Veneto, Friuli and Mantua annexed by Italy18701870Capture of Rome Papal StatesItalian victory Fall of the Papal States Completion of the Italian unification Rome becomes the capital of Italy Annexation of Rome and Lazio by the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) Start Finish Name of conflict Belligerents Outcome Combatant 1 Combatant 218851895Eritrean warIndro Montanelli, Storia d'Italia, vol. 6 1861 - 1919, RCS Libri S.p.A., 2006 Mahdist Sudan Eritrean rebelsItalian Victory Treaty of Wuchale ends the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1887–1889, establishment of Italian Eritrea; defence and consolidation of the colony in the 1890s18811899Mahdist War Mahdist StateAllied victory Sudanese invasions of neighbours repelled Establishment of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, a polity jointly ruled by Britain and Egypt Kassala temporarily occupied by Italy Congo secures the Lado Enclave until 191018951896First Italo-Ethiopian WarKingdom of ItalyEthiopian EmpireEthiopian victory Treaty of Addis Abeba abrogates and replaces the treaty of Wuchale Sovereignty of Ethiopia preserved Italian possession of Eritrea confirmed1890s1908Mukhtar, M. H. (2003). Historical Dictionary of Somalia. Stati Uniti: Scarecrow Press.Benadir warBimaal and other groups
Dervish movementItalian Victory Establishment of Italian Somaliland Suppression of the Bimaal revolt18971898Cretan Revolt (1897–1898) (International Squadron (Cretan intervention, 1897–1898)) Cretan revolutionaries Kingdom of Greece Italy (until April 12, 1898) (until March 16th, 1898)Italian Victory Cretan State established through the intervention of the great powers of EuropeMehmed'in kanı ile kazandığını, değişmez kaderimiz !-barış masasında yine kaybetmiştik..., Cemal Kutay, Etniki Eterya'dan Günümüze Ege'nin Türk Kalma Savaşı, Boğaziçi Yayınları, 1980, p. 141. Yunanistan'ın savaş meydanındaki yenilgisi ise Büyük Devletler sayesinde barış masasında zafere dönüşmüş, ilk defa Lozan müzakerelerinde aksi yaşanacak olan, Yunanistan'ın mağlubiyetlerle gelişme ve büyümesi bu savaş sonunda bir kez daha görülmüştür., M. Metin Hülagü, "1897 Osmanlı-Yunan Savaşı'nın Sosyal Siyasal ve Kültürel Sonuçları", in Güler Eren, Kemal Çiçek, Halil İnalcık, Cem Oğuz (ed.), Osmanlı, Cilt 2, Yeni Türkiye Yayınları, 1999, , pp. 315–316. Withdraw of Ottoman forces from Crete.18991901Boxer Rebellion United Kingdom
France Righteous Harmony SocietyItalian Allied Victory, Boxer Protocol: Anti-foreign societies banned in China. Italy obtains the Italian concession of Tientsin19001920Somaliland Campaign Dervish movementItalian-British Victory Collapse of the Dervish state19021903Venezuelan naval blockade United Kingdom Germany Italy VenezuelaInconclusive/Other Outcome Venezuelan debt dispute resolved19111912Italo-Turkish WarItalian Victory: Italy gains Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, Fezzan and the Dodecanese Islands.19141918World War IAllied Powers
Central PowersItalian Allied Victory: Destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Annexation of Trentino-Alto Adige, Gorizia and Gradisca, Istria, Trieste, Zara and the Julian March to the Kingdom of Italy. Armistice of Villa Giusti Treaty of Versailles: German demobilisation Russia pulls out in 1917 Russian Civil War Creation of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin Rises to power Creation of League of Nations19181920Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War White Movement
France Latvian SSR Ukrainian SSR Commune of Estonia Mongolian CommunistsBolshevik Victory: White Army defeated Allied withdrawal from Russia Soviet Union new Russian Power19181923Occupation of ConstantinopleTemporary occupation Constantinople Military occupation by the United Kingdom, followed by France and Italy, then abandoned. Britain officially dismantled the Ottoman Empire parliament on 16 March 1920 and restored it on 9 September 1922 to the Ankara Government19191923Turkish War of IndependenceItaly, who had occupied Constantinople and a part of southwestern Anatolia, protected Turkish civilians from Greek and Allied troops and accepted Turkish refugees who had to flee from the regions invaded by the Greek army. The Place of the Turkish Independence War in the American Press (1918-1923) by Bülent BilmezItalian Allied Victory Treaty of Lausanne19201920Vlora crisis Principality of AlbaniaCompromise agreement Italy voluntarily abandons Vlora, but annexes the island of Saseno. Italy abandons plans to establish a mandate over Albania, but retains diplomatic protection over the country to guarantee its special interests.19201920Bloody Christmas Italian Regency of CarnaroItalian Victory: Expulsion of D'Annunzio's forces. Conquest of the Italian Regency of Carnaro. Independence of the Free State of Fiume.19231932Pacification of Libya Senussi OrderItalian Victory: Stabilization of Italian rule in Libya. Ethnic cleansing of the Cyrenaican indigenous population. Mass deaths of Cyrenaican indigenous civilians.19241927Pacification of Italian Somaliland Sultanate of Hobyo Majeerteen SultanateSomali rebelsItalian Victory: Pacification of Somalia The independent Majeerteen Sultanate is suppressed in 1927, finalizing the Italian occupation of Somalia.19351937Second Italo-Abyssinian War Italian Eritrea Italian SomalilandItalian Victory: Debellation of Ethiopia, foundation of Italian East Africa.19361939Spanish Civil War Nationalist
Portugal Foreign volunteers Republican Foreign volunteers (1936–1938)Italian Allied Victory Defeat of the Second Spanish Republic Beginning of Franco's dictatorship19391939Invasion of Albania AlbaniaItalian Victory, Italian occupation of Albania.19391945World War II Italian Resistance (1943-1945) Italian Civil War Japanese-Italian War Axis Powers
(until 1943) (from 23 Sep. 1943)
(until 1944) (until 1944) Serbia (until 1944)
(until 1944) Vichy France Allied Powers
France Poland
(from 1943) (from 1944) (from 1944) (from 1944)'United Nations' Allied victory: Kingdom of Italy signs the Armistice of Cassibile, declares war on Germany and becomes a co-belligerent of the Allies in 1943. Nazi Germany, along with the collaborationist regime of the Italian Social Republic, is defeated in the 1943-1945 Italian Campaign by the Allies and the Italian Resistance; an aspect of this conflict is the Italian Civil War. Italy signs the Treaty of Paris. It is forced to cede Istria, Zara and most of the Julian March to Jugoslavia, Brigue and Tende to France, as well as losing all its colonies and part of its surviving fleet, and paying reparations to several countries.
Italian Republic (1946–present) Start Finish Name of Conflict Belligerents Outcome Combatant 1 Combatant 219601964ONUCVarious armed groupsAllied Victory Stabilization of Congo's security19821984Multinational Force in Lebanon Islamic Jihad Organization Iran Progressive Socialist Party Amal Movement Withdrawal of the multinational mission, replaced by UNIFIL (ongoing) Multinational forces fail to prevent collapse of Lebanese Army into sectarian militias. Multinational forces evacuated after the US embassy and US Marine barracks are bombed by the Islamic Jihad Organization. Multinational forces oversee withdrawal of Palestine Liberation Organization. Civil war continues until 1990. Syrian occupation continues until 2005.19911991Gulf War Operazione LocustaOther Allies IraqAllied Victory Kuwait regains its independence19921995Bosnian War Bosnia and HerzegovinaAllied Victory Dayton Accords Internal partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina according to the Dayton Accords Deployment of NATO-led IFOR to oversee the peace agreement Massive civilian casualties for the Bosniak ethnic group19921995Somali Civil War Various Somali factionsUN withdrawal UN withdrawal. About 100,000 lives were saved by outside resistance. Civil war is ongoing.199719971997 Albanian civil unrest(Operation Alba) Government of Sali Berisha (Operation Alba) Italian Armed Forces French Armed Forces Turkish Armed Forces Hellenic Armed Forces Romanian Armed Forces Austrian Armed Forces (Operation Libelle) German Armed Forces (Operation Silver Wake) United States Armed Forces RebelsAllied Victory New Parliamentary Elections.19981999Kosovo War Kosovo Liberation ArmyNATO victory Kosovo administered by UNMIK20012021Afghanistan War Northern Alliance Taliban al-Qaeda Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan HI-Gulbuddin Hezb-e Islami Khalis Haqqani network Lashkar-e-Taiba Jaish-e-Mohammed East Turkestan Islamic Movement Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Islamic Emirate of Waziristan Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi Islamic Jihad UnionDefeat Invasion of Afghanistan Fall of the Taliban government in Afghanistan Destruction of al-Qaeda camps Over two thirds of al-Qaeda's leadership demolished Occupation of Afghanistan Establishment of a new Afghan Government and Security Force Taliban insurgency Killing of Osama bin Laden Escape of Ayman al-Zawahiri Taliban retakes Kabul20032006Iraq War Multi-National Force – Iraq:
Other Allies Islamic State of Iraq al-QaedaVarious insurgentsAllied Victory Overthrow of Ba'ath Party government Execution of Saddam Hussein Deployment in Dhi Qar Province Iraqi insurgency, emergence of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Sectarian Violence Rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the successor of al-Qaeda in Iraq Italian withdrawal in 2006, US withdrawal in 201120112011First Libyan Civil WarMany NATO members acting under UN mandate, including:
and Anti-Gaddafi forces several Arab League states Sweden Pro-Gaddafi forcesAllied Victory Fall of Gaddafi regime Muammar Gaddafi killed National Transitional Council take control2024OngoingOperation Aspides Belgium Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Italy Latvia Netherlands Sweden (SPC) (SPC faction) Ongoing
See also History of Italy Military history of Italy
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