The Siege Of Venice

The siege of Venice in 1848 is one of history's most thrilling and tragic episodes. After half a century of Habsburg imperial rule the Venetians drove out the occupying army and established their own republic. Led by the Jewish lawyer Daniele Manin a man of immense courage and personal integrity they embraced the lofty values of the Risorgimento Italy's struggle for national unity freedom and justice. When the Austrians returned with a massive army intent on recapturing Venice Manin rejected their surrender demands. The city braced itself for a siege lasting more than a year ending only when bombardment cholera and starvation made further resistance impossible. This epic story in Jonathan Keates's gripping and meticulously-researched account embraces the wider world of the revolutionary Italy of Garibaldi Mazzini and Pope Pius IX warrior priests militant actresses death-or-glory poets a Mata Hari-type siren spy and a rebel princess. At the centre of the whole crowded canvas however stand the truest heroes of all - the people of Venice. Their grit humour and endurance under a hail of bombs and a tide of blood sweeping across their once peaceful lagoon make The Siege of Venice a profoundly touching and unforgettable book.