Ten Days of Brescia
The Ten Days of Brescia was a revolt which broke out on 23 March 1849 in the Italian city of Brescia, then part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, a Crown land of the Austrian Empire.
The revolt, headed by the patriot Tito Speri, began on the same day as the Battle of Novara ended and ended on 1 April after 10 days of fierce fighting with the Austrian forces.
In spite of the loss of the Italian rebels, their bravery earned the city the surname of Leonessa d'Italia.
The Austrian troops, under General Nugent, were initially surprised and retired to the castle, from which they heavily cannonaded the city, damaging many of Brescia's historical monuments. A total encirclement of Brescia was established by the Austrians beginning on the 8th day of the revolt, when reinforcements arrived. The following day General Haynau, later nicknamed "The Hyena of Brescia", came and demanded the unconditioned surrender of the Bresciani. As the latter refused, the fighting continued until late night, when the heads of the revolt decided to surrender. The following day, however, the Austrian troops sacked the city and massacred numerous inhabitants before the surrender could be signed.
Some 1,000 citizens were killed during the battle.
Although it ultimately ended in defeat, the revolt was lauded in a composition by the Italian poet Aleardo Aleardi, who in 1857 depicted Brescia as Leonessa d'Italia for its fierce resistance and its will to not give up in front of a better armed opponent; the expression then became widespread thanks to Giosuè Carducci who reprised it in one of his most famous works, Odi barbare.