United Provinces of Central Italy

The United Provinces of Central Italy (Province Unite del Centro Italia), also known as the Confederation of Central Italy or General Government of Central Italy, was a short-lived military government established in 1859 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. It was formed by a union of the former Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Parma, the Duchy of Modena, and the Papal Legations, after the Second Italian War of Independence.

After August 1859, the pro-Piedmontese regimes of Tuscany, Parma, Modena and the Papal Legations agreed to several military treaties. On 7 November 1859, they elected Eugenio Emanuele di Savoia-Carignano as their regent.

The peace of the Treaty of Zürich had left the question of the United Provinces unsettled. This led to a period of negotiations and eventually to the Treaty of Turin in 1860. During this time, Napoleon III faced pressure from Austria through their ambassador Richard von Metternich to halt Sardinian expansion and restore Ferdinand IV (who had been deposed) as Grand Duke of Tuscany. Ferdinand was a cousin of Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. The Austrians saw Savoia-Carignano, a member of the same dynasty as Victor Emmanuel II, as unacceptably likely to promote annexation by Sardinia. At the urging of Napoleon III, Victor Emmanuel II refused to allow Savoia-Cariagnano to accept a position of leadership in Tuscany, instead sending Carlo Bon Compagni as the Governor General of Central Italy, and making him responsible for the diplomatic and military affairs of the states.

On 8 December 1859, Parma, Modena and the Papal Legations were incorporated into the Royal Provinces of Emilia. After plebiscites were held during March 1860, and France was granted Nice and Savoy, the territory of the United Provinces of Central Italy was annexed formally to Piedmont-Sardinia, as Bon Compagni resigned on 3 March 1860.