The unification of Italy was finally accomplished by

Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Kingdom of Sardinia, led by its Prime Minister, Count Camillo di Cavour. Through a series of successful military campaigns and political compromises, the various Italian states were united into the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The new kingdom was proclaimed in Turin, with Vittorio Emanuele II as the first king of Italy. The process of unification was not without its challenges, including the opposition of the Pope, regionalism, and the question of what form the new Italian state should take. However, by the late 19th century, Italy had become a unified nation-state, and one of the major powers of Europe.