13 February 1861 - The Surrender of Gaeta.

Up to 1859 modern Italy as we know it today was made up of seven smaller States and provinces, the strongest of which was the Kingdom of Sardinia led by King Victor Emmanuel and the nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi.

In 1859 Sardinia with aid from France seized most of the northern Italian provinces belonging to Austria followed by the peaceful annexation of the Duchies of Parma, Tuscany and Modena plus part of the Papal States. This left only the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the south, a distinctly more difficult proposition.

However in 1860 an opportunity presented itself. A revolt on the island of Sicily against King Francesco II allowed Garibaldi to lead an army of liberation which, after securing Sicily, crossed the Straits of Messina to the mainland. He met with little opposition and entered the capital Naples in October. King Francesco and his wife sought refuge in the fortress of Gaeta, all that remained unconquered of his Kingdom. 

Gaeta held out for three months under siege but food shortages, disease and the departure of the French fleet that protected and supplied it by sea meant that Francesco surrendered on 13v February 1861. 830 died during the winter siege. He and his wife fled into exile. A month later Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy.  

To complete the story - the last remaining province in the north under Austrian control was taken in 1866 and all that remained of the Papal States fell in 1870, thus Italy was finally united under one Crown. 

Yes, an honourable surrender. They didn't go far at first, only to Rome where they headed a Sicilian Government-in-exile. After Rome itself was taken over in 1870 they moved to Austria where King Francesco died in 1894, his widow lived until 1925, she died 100 years ago last month.

A map of Italy in 1859 which will help to understand things showing -

Kingdom of Sardinia in orange. The island of Sardinia and its mainland territories, the strongest State in Italy and the one that overran the others 1859-70.

Austrian territory in blue, lost in 1859 and 1866.

In green north to south the Duchies of Parma, Modena and Tuscany, lost in 1859-60.

The Papal States in red, lost in 1859 and 1870.

the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in yellow. The island of Sicily and its mainland territories, lost in 1860-61. 

14 February 1797 - The Battle of Cape St Vincent.

A naval battle in the French Revolutionary Wars.

In 1796 Spain signed an alliance with France and declared war on GB. The British fleet in the Mediterranean was outnumbered overnight, so a decision was made to withdraw from the Mediterranean and relocate to Lisbon on Portugal's Atlantic coast. 

Early in 1797 a Spanish fleet put to sea to escort a convoy from south America heading for Cádiz, it was then to join the French at Brest for a planned attack on Ireland. The British under Admiral Sir John Jervis lay in wait for the Spanish with 22 ships. On the morning of 14 February the Spanish were sighted, Admiral de Córdoba led a fleet of 36 including his flagship the huge 130 gun Santísima Trinidad sailing in two parallel lines. With great skill Jervis forced his ships in single file between the Spanish lines, but in doing so he was sailing against the wind and the Spanish threatened to escape. At this point Captain Horatio Nelson in HMS Captain swung his ship out of line and into the path of the leading enemy vessel the Santísima Trinidad. This unconventional act forced the Spanish to alter course allowing the rest of Jervis' fleet to catch up. Four Spanish ships were either captured by boarding or surrendered, others barely escaped to Cádiz. The Spanish lost four ships, 430 killed and 3000 prisoners, Jervis lost 73 killed.

Sir John Jervis was awarded a peerage becoming Earl of St Vincent and Nelson made his name as an innovative and daring captain.

This has particular interest for me as Admiral the Earl of St Vincent was born in my home town and his tomb is just five minutes walk away. 

A proper Georgian mausoleum in the Grecian style. Built in the 1750s by his father who was a name in the Admiralty. Nine members of the Jervis family are interred within. It's opened for one day a year for visitors. 

That one day isn't October 31st by chance is it?

How very odd, I didn't post the last comment, but it's come out under my name!

We do open it in October, usually the first Saturday.  

By adding to a post instead of replying it cuts down from seeing the same post over and over.

15 February 1900 - The Siege of Kimberley lifted.

The second of the three towns in the British south African colonies of Natal and Cape Colony to be besieged by the Boers in the 2nd Boer War.  

The diamond mining town with a population of 40,000 but with only 1600 trained men to defend it was surrounded on 14 October 1899. Command fell to Cecil Rhodes the former Prime Minister of Cape Colony and Col. Robert Kekewich. 

The siege was never a full scale bombardment, rather a containment with daily shelling (except on Sundays) to prevent anyone from leaving in the hope that shortages or disease would bring about a capitulation. The British made a number of sorties out against the Boers and had their own artillery with which to return fire. 

Eventually a relief column under Maj-Gen, Sir John French arrived after defeating a Boer force that stood in his way. The besiegers retreated before he reached Kimberley which he entered unopposed on 15 February.      

16 February 1646 - The Battle of Torrington.

By the beginning of 1646 the English Civil War was almost over. King Charles was on the run seeking safety in the few garrisons that remained in Royalist hands but without an army of any size. The only significant body of Royalist troops lay in the far south west in Devon and Cornwall. Here Ralph, Baron Hopton commanding an army of 5,000 held the Devon town of Torrington against the advance of Sir Thomas Fairfax's 10,000 men.

Arriving as night was falling on 16 February Fairfax initially intended to wait until the following morning, but skirmishing with Royalist pickets developed into a general battle as the Parliamentarians came up against the Royalist barricades. Fighting spread out onto the streets and although Hopton's men were gradually pushed back they took with them several hundred prisoners holding them in St Michael's Church. After two hours of back and forth the battle suddenly ended when a stray shot ignited the Royalist gunpowder store in the church which exploded killing many Royalists and most of the Parliamentarian prisoners within. 

In the confusion Hopton was able to retreat back to Cornwall, where the remnants of his army, with nowhere to go, surrendered four weeks later.

Torrington was the last significant battle of the first phase of the English Civil War.  

Obviously I have sympathy for King Charles and had I been around then I would have worn a feather in my hat and gone to war in a velvet coat, but he did bring a lot of it on himself. 

I think I'd look rather smart.

17 February 1979 - The Sino-Vietnam War began.

A short conflict, just a month long, in response to the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia two months earlier in which the repressive Khmer Rouge was overthrown. There were also many border disputes and incursions by both sides in the 1970s as relations deteriorated.

Around 200,000 Chinese troops crossed the border penetrating several miles into Vietnamese territory, but no attempt was made to march on the capital Hanoi. An unexpectedly stiff defence from Vietnam resulted in China declaring its war aims to have been achieved and their withdrawal began in early March, by the middle of the month it was over with around 56,000 dead combined. 

18-20 February 1653 - The Battle of Portland.

Also knows as the Three Days' Battle, fought in the 1st Anglo-Dutch War. 

After defeat the previous December the English made great efforts to rebuild and enlarge the fleet to take on the Dutch again. The first action was an attack on a Dutch convoy of over 150 merchant vessels escorted by 80 warships sailing out into the Atlantic under Admiral Maarten Tromp. The English, also with 80 warships led by General-at-Sea Robert Blake, intercepted them off Portland on 18 February. In the first engagement the Dutch lost four ships sunk and one captured, the English one sunk and one captured.

The running battle continued for two more days with the result that a much depleted convoy was forced to return to port having lost around 15 merchant vessels captured. plus a total of five Dutch warships lost. The only English losses were the two on the first day.      

Didn't I just learn something new.  A Cavalier with a capital "C" is a supporter of King Charles I and is the equivalent of a knight.  While the suit you're wearing, Mark, surely makes a lady swoon, it hardly looks battle ready

It was for the time girl. The three musketeers dress the same in the movies .

1. a horseman, especially a mounted soldier; knight.
2. one having the spirit or bearing of a knight; a courtly gentleman; gallant.
3. a man escorting a woman or acting as her partner in dancing.

4. (initial capital letter) an adherent of Charles I of England in his contest with Parliament.

The word Calvary also comes from the word Cavalier.

Cavalier derives from the same Latin root as the Italian word cavaliere, the French word chevalier, and the Spanish word caballero, the Vulgar Latin word caballarius, meaning 'horseman'.

17 February 1979 - The Sino-Vietnam War began.

You know you're getting old when you actually recall the day this happened.  I thought the Vietnamese kicked the Chinese out, but your account indicates the Chinese saw it as a win.

Can't remember it so was probably I was only a wee kid when it happened girl ;-)

Much as Putin is spinning his quagmire in Ukraine as a win. Those kind of despots will say anything to make themselves look good. China had the good sense not to push too far into Vietnam, Russia had warned China beforehand not to go too far. 

Didn't I just learn something new.  A Cavalier with a capital "C" is a supporter of King Charles I and is the equivalent of a knight.  While the suit you're wearing, Mark, surely makes a lady swoon, it hardly looks battle ready

It was for the time girl. The three musketeers dress the same in the movies .

1. a horseman, especially a mounted soldier; knight.
2. one having the spirit or bearing of a knight; a courtly gentleman; gallant.
3. a man escorting a woman or acting as her partner in dancing.

4. (initial capital letter) an adherent of Charles I of England in his contest with Parliament.

The word Calvary also comes from the word Cavalier.

Cavalier derives from the same Latin root as the Italian word cavaliere, the French word chevalier, and the Spanish word caballero, the Vulgar Latin word caballarius, meaning 'horseman'.

There was a TV series over here a few years ago - The Musketeers with the four characters from Dumas' novel in new stories. Very good, several internet discussions between ladies discussing which one they preferred. The middle two got most support. 

And a stirring theme tune, almost makes me want to don a leather jerkin.

The novel The Three Musketeers is about D'Artagnan joining the French King's Musketeers after befriending the three Musketeers of the title Athos, Porthos and Aramis thus making the four we see in the book and on the screen.

They're similar to the English Cavaliers in that they were around at about the same time. English Cavaliers figure in the Civil War 1642-51 while the French Musketeers were a regiment in the French Army with Dumas setting his novel in the 1620s.