The Rimini Proclamation (Italian: Proclama di Rimini) was a proclamation by Joachim Murat, King of Naples, calling for the establishment of a united, self-governing Italy ruled by constitutional law. Its text is widely attributed to Pellegrino Rossi,[1][2] later Papal Minister of Interior under Pope Pius IX.[1] While it is primarily considered as a desperate attempt from Murat to retain the Neapolitan throne,[3] the Rimini Proclamation was among the earliest calls for Italian unification.[1][3]
The Rimini Proclamation is dated to 30 March 1815, when Murat's army was passing through Rimini in the Neapolitan War against the Austrian Empire, though it may have been published only after Murat's defeat at the Battle of Tolentino in May 1815.[1] The citizens' address begins with the call:[4]
Italians! The hour has come to engage in your highest destinies.