Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/642

* SAHCINIA. 576 SARDINIA. History. Sniiliiiia, at first oallod by the Crooks Iclinusa and Sainlaliotis, from its resem- blaiioe to a liumau footprint, and afterwards Sardo, a word of Pluoniciaii derivation, was colonized at a very earl)- period. Areliieologists luive tliouf;lit they found remains of a very ancient I'luenician occupation and perhaps of a sulisequent one by Egyptians, but these are hugely speculations, as are the surmises con- cerning the primitive inhabitants. The first really historical event is the partial conquest by the Carthaginians about B.C. 550. They made the island a great corn-producing country. They practically completed the conquest in B.C. 200, but in 2.'i!l, when Carthage was threatened by a revolt of her mercenaries, Rome accepted the island from the mutinous troops, and made it a province of the Uipiiblic. It was not reduced to complete submission until B.C. 235. It was guarded with care by Rome, as a natural part of her western Mediterranean domain and as one of the valuable granaries of the capital. Sardinia fell into the hands of the Vandals in A.n. 458, and was subjected to the Eastern Em- pire in 533, l)ut tiiuilly fell into the power of the Saracens al)out the middle of the eighth century. These «ere drien out in their turn by the Pisans and Genoese in the eleventh century, and the island was bestowed by the Pope upon Pisa, one of whose de])uty governors obtained the erec- tion of Sardinia into a kingdom (1104) by Frederick I. Frederick II. made his son Enzio King of Sardinia in 123S, but in 1250 the Pisans reconquered the island. The popes, who had long claimed a right of suzerainty over the isl- and, gave it in 1290 to .James II, of Aragon, and it continued in the possession of Spain till 1708, when it fell into the hands of the British. By the Peace of Utrecht (1713) it was given to the Elector of Bavaria and by him transferred to Austria in the following .year in exchange for the Upper Palatinate. In" 1720 Austria gave it to the Duke of Savoy in exchange for Sicily, and it has since that time formed a part of the do- minions of the House of Savoy. BiBLiofiRAPiiy. Boullier, L'^^e de Sardaifine (Paris, 1805) ; Maltzan. Reise auf der Insel Sar- dinicn (Leipzig, 1800) ; Bonnet, La Corse et la Sardnigne. Etude dc i-oynrje et de climntolorjie (Paris, 1870); Tennant, f<nrdinia and Its Re- sources (London, 1885) : Edwards. Sardi'nm and the Sardes (ib., 1889) : Vuillier, The Forgotten Isles (New York, 1890) ; Pais, La Sardegna prima del dominio romano (Rome, 1881). SARDINIA, KixoDO-M of. A former Italian kingdom, and the nucleus of the present Kingdom of Italy, It included the duchies of Savoy, Aosta, and Genoa, the former Duchy of Monit- ferrat, part of the old Duchy of Milan, the Prin- cipality of Piedmont, the County of Nice, and the islands of Sardinia and Caprera. The modern Kingdom of Sardinia was origi- nated by a treaty (August 24, 1720) between Austria and the Duke of Savoy (q.v.), by which the latter agreed to surrender Sicily oil receiving in exchange the island of Sardinia, and the erection of his States into a kingdom. Of the kingdom thus constituted the island which gave its name was held in slight regard, the principal territories being on the mainland. The active life of the kingdom was in Piedmont (q.v.), where was Turin, the royal capital, and Piedmont is fre(iuently referred to in nine- teenth-century history instead of Sardinia. In 1730 Victor Amadous I., the last Duke of Savoy and first King of Sardinia, resigned the throne to his son, Charles Emmanuel i. (1730- 73). The latter, hy joining with France and Spain against Austria, obtained ( 1738) the terri- tories of Tortona and Novara, to which were further added (1748) the County of Anghiera and other districts. Charles Emmanufl was the author of the code known as the Corpus Caro- linum. During the reign of Victor Amadous IL (1773-90) the French Revolutionary armies in- vaded Savoy, and the victories of Napoleon led the King to conclude peace in 1790 at the sacri- fice of Savoy and Nice. Cuneo, Alessandria, and Tortona were garrisoned by French troops. Charles Emmanuel II. (1790-"l802) was at first an ally of France; but the Directory in 1798 com- pelled him to give up Piedmont, which in 1802 was incorporated with France. In that year Victor Emmanuel I. succeeded Charles Emman- uel, his realm being limited to the island of Sardinia. The Congress of Vienna (1814-15) reinstated the House of Savoy in its former pos- sessions, to which the territories of the ex- tinguished Republic of Genoa were added. Victor Emmanuel I. (1802-21) made his entry into Turin May 20, 1814. His return restored the ancient misgovernment ; and the reactionary policy in this and other Italian States called forth the activity of the Carbonari (q.v.) and other secret associations, whose aims were sup- ported by a portion of the nobilitj' and army, and by the heir presumptive to the throne, Charles Albert, Prince of Savoy-Carignan. The military insurrection in March, 1821, brought on a general revolution. The King abdicated in favor of his brother, Charles Felix (1821- 31), the Austrians came to the rescue of abso- lutism, and the revolutionary movement w-as quelled. On the death of Charles Felix the elder line of Savoy became extinct, and the suc- cession fell to the cadet branch of Savoy-Cari- gnan (see Savoy, House of), whose rights had been recognized by the Congress of Vienna, and Charles Albert ("1831-49) ascended the throne. The liberals were gratified with some slight re- forms, but the ])ower of the clcrg)' was untouched. The internal administration was, however, car- ried on with energJ^ In 1842 the King began a gradual but progressive liberal policy, relaxed the .severity of the censorship, reformed the judicial administration and prison discipline, and abolished the feudal system in Sardinia. On February 8. 1848. the King announced a new and extremely liberal constitution, which was pro- claimed some weeks afterwards; a Parliament was convoked in April. In the midst of these changes the Revolution in Southern and Central Italy broke otit, and Charles Albert, who was siiluted with the title of 'the Sword of Italy,' put himself at the head of the movement, and de- clared war against Austria. On the day after the fatal rout of Novara (March 23." 1849) Charles Albert abdicated, and was succeeded by his son, Victor Emmanuel II. The further his- tory of Sardinia is merged with that of Italy (q.v.). Consult: GaUencia. Histori/ of Pirdmox't. translated from the Italian (London, 1850) : Manno, Storia moderna della Hardegna (Flor- ence. 1858) : Ricotti, Sitorta della monorchia piemontese (ib., 1801-09).