At the news, Europe erupted in uproar. Italian nationalists knew that their spring had arrived.
Uprisings broke out in Lombardy and Venetia, and even Tuscany, Lucca, and Modena, ruled by branches of the House of Habsburg, did not escape.
People shouted, "Long live Pius IX!", "Long live Italian unification!", and "Long live constitutional freedom!" Flames of rebellion sprang up across Italy.
However, most of these flames were kindled in the cities, not in the more devout and benighted countryside.
The unrest only terrified Carlo Alberto. He wanted an Italy ruled by the Kingdom of Sardinia, not one controlled by holy men.
Carlo Alberto ordered Count Di Castagneto, who was in charge of intelligence, to use every resource at his disposal to keep a close eye on developments in Vienna.
At the same time, he contacted the insurgents in Lombardy and Venetia, promising them high office and rich rewards. He wanted to get ahead of the others. After all, Pius IX was a pope, not a king; only the House of Savoy could unite Italy.
When the thirty-eight-year-old Cavour heard the news, he nearly leaped out of his seat. Convinced the Kingdom of Sardinia's opportunity had come, he immediately published an article in his own Risorgimento, declaring:
"Only the Kingdom of Sardinia can unite Italy. The king should accept a constitution."
Cavour was both an aristocrat and a capitalist, so he supported a war of expansion and unification while also wanting to put the king in shackles. The two were not mutually exclusive.
As for nationalism and Mazzini's ideas, he scorned them all.
After learning of the news, Britain publicly declared its support for the Italian revival movement. It also immediately sent a diplomatic note urging Austria to return Northern Italy to the "Italians" as soon as possible.
The word "Italians"