In 1858, two powers had the biggest influence, and the most conflict between them, in all of continental Europe; France and Austria. In the middle stood the smaller kingdoms of the Italian Peninsula, not the least of which, was Piedmont-Sardinia. Because of the power of Austria over most of Italy, the desire of the French Emperor, Napoleon III, to curtail this influence, and the desire from several Italian kingdoms to break away from Austria´s power, a compromise was reached between France and the then prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, Count Cavour, an unofficial and only verbal agreement, known as the Plombiéres Agreement. In it, among other things, France demanded, in exchange for military support and protection and the accomplishment of freedom from Austrian control, the cession of the regions of D: Nice and Savoy, regions that had previously belonged to the Italian kingdoms but were given to France.
