Imperial Echos Volume #7 - The Italian Army 1896 - In 1863, the armies of all the Italian states, unified in 1861, were combined into a national army. The units of Sardinia, Naples, the Papal States, Tuscany, Parma and Modena all took their place in the order of battle along with newly created regiments from Lombardy. When Venice was liberated in 1866 their forces were added. Welding this army as an effective fighting force was not easy. Calabrians and Lombards were not enamored of each other and Sicilians, unsurprisingly, liked no one. It was decided that, unlike other European armies and despite the regional regimental names, their makeup would be from the wider population. Initially results were mixed and fights and even murders took place, but eventually the system worked. King Humbert I, who reigned from 1878 until his assassination in 1901, left his stamp on the era. It was marked by Italy’s first colonial adventures in Eritrea and Abyssinia on the Horn of Africa which ended badly at Adowa in 1898. The first uniforms were naturally of Sardinian pattern and in the early 1870s it was decided to create a national uniform. This uniform would remain characteristic of the Italian army until the early nineteen hundreds and in many respects, especially in the Bersaglieri, Alpini and cavalry regiments, elements survive to this day. Moritz Ruhls plates show the uniforms and badges from the 1880s to 1902. He includes schematic details of all branches. Unfortunately, he does not include any of the colonial uniforms worn. Also included in the booklet is a brief account of the era along with organizational charts and regimental lists. - Uniformology Uniform Books