Into how many states was Italy divided in the middle of the nineteenth century, and which was the only state ruled by an Italian princely house?
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-16 15:35 · grounding rag
Model Answer
In the middle of the nineteenth century, Italy was divided into seven states. Of these, only the kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont was ruled by an Italian princely house (the House of Savoy). The remaining states were under the control of foreign powers, particularly the Austrian Habsburgs.
Source: Chapter 1, The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
---
Explanation
- The examiner expects two specific facts: the number of states (seven) and the name of the Italian-ruled state (Sardinia-Piedmont / House of Savoy).
- One mark is awarded for each fact, so both must be stated clearly.
- Note: The source passages provided do not directly state "seven states," but this is the standard NCERT textbook fact from Chapter 1 (Class 10 History) that examiners expect. Always memorise this specific figure.
- Avoid writing lengthy background about unification — this is a direct factual question.