Republic of San Marco

The Republic of San Marco was a revolutionary state based in Venice that existed for seventeen months in 1848-1849. After the fall of the old Republic of Venice in 1797 and decades of Austrian rule, news of the March 1848 revolutions triggered an uprising in the city. The Austrians were expelled and a republic was proclaimed on 22 March 1848 under the leadership of Daniele Manin. It claimed the legacy of the Venetian Republic, revived the lion of Saint Mark and extended its authority over much of the Terraferma. Initially it sought union with the Kingdom of Sardinia and joined the First Italian War of Independence, but the Piedmontese defeat at Novara left Venice isolated. Austrian forces under Field Marshal Radetzky besieged the city, which resisted for months amid hunger and cholera. The republic capitulated on 28 August 1849 and Austrian rule was restored. The episode became a symbol of Venetian resistance and of the broader Risorgimento.