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76-517: Templar church Called "the Templars" (actually Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem), the church of St. Andrew was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. In the 14th century, the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem built walls around the church to protect the inhabitants of Luz from attacks by Spanish bandits called 'irregulars'. At that time, a large ditch surrounded the church, crossed by

152-623: A "Green Cross" women's organization whose only section was briefly active in Brussels. In 1901, Dunant was awarded the first-ever Nobel Peace Prize for his role in founding the International Red Cross Movement and initiating the Geneva Convention. By public and private means, Müller, and later Norwegian military physician Hans Daae (who had received a copy of Müller's book), advocated Dunant's case to

228-468: A Norwegian Bank and preventing access by his creditors. Dunant himself never spent any of the money during his lifetime, continuing to live simply and reserving it for bequests in his will to those who cared for him and charitable causes. Among several other awards in the following years, in 1903 Dunant was given an honorary doctorate by the medical faculty of the University of Heidelberg . He lived in

304-422: A book about his experiences, which he titled Un Souvenir de Solferino ( A Memory of Solferino ). It was published in 1862 in an edition of 1,600 copies and was printed at Dunant's own expense. In the book, he described the battle, its costs, and the chaotic circumstances afterwards. He also developed the idea that in the future a neutral organization should exist to provide care to wounded soldiers. He distributed

380-443: A cavalry brigade under La Motterouge, Decaen and Gaudin) encountered Hungarian units posted near Ca’Morino (Medole). The Austrian forces were three corps strong (I, V and VII) and positioned on the towns of Solferino, Cavriana and Volta Mantovana. The Austrians were able to hold these positions all day against repeated French attacks. According to Schneid, "Stadion received reinforcements from Clam Gallas' I Korps but Napoleon III fed

456-522: A close friendship. In 1881, together with friends from Stuttgart, he went to the small Swiss resort village Heiden for the first time. In 1887 while living in London, he began to receive some monthly financial support from some distant family members. This enabled him to live a somewhat more secure existence, and he moved to Heiden in July. He spent the rest of his life there, and after 30 April 1892 he lived in

532-650: A compilation of letters from Dunant to his father. In September 1895, Georg Baumberger, the chief editor of the St. Gall newspaper Die Ostschweiz , wrote an article about the Red Cross founder, whom he had met and conversed with during a walk in Heiden a month earlier. The article entitled "Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross", appeared in the German Illustrated Magazine Über Land und Meer , and

608-659: A coordinated attack on Guidizzolo." However, the arrival of the Austrian III and XI Korps stopped the French assault, and after two hours, Niel withdrew. Around 4:30 am the advance guard of the 1st Corps (three infantry divisions under Forey , de Ladmirault , and Bazaine , and a cavalry division under Desvaux) came into contact with the Austrian V Corps under Stadion near Castiglione delle Stiviere . Around 5 am 2nd Corps under Mac-Mahon (two infantry divisions and

684-533: A corn-growing and trading company called the Financial and Industrial Company of Mons-Djémila Mills ( Société financière et industrielle des Moulins des Mons-Djémila ). However, the land and water rights were not clearly assigned, and the colonial authorities were not especially cooperative. As a result, in 1859 Dunant decided to appeal directly to French emperor Napoléon III , who was with his army in Lombardy at

760-484: A drawbridge. A few years later, the chapel Notre-Dame-de-la-Pitié was built inside the ramparts to ask God to put an end to an epidemic of black plague which devastated the country Toy around 1650. In 1865, a new door was added to facilitate entry. It is a listed monument since 1840. Château Sainte-Marie (ruins) Perched at the top of a rocky outcrop, the Château Sainte-Marie has over the centuries been

836-422: A fixed battle plan, the fighting which took place was uncoordinated, which is why so many casualties occurred, and it fell into three separate engagements, at Medole (south), Solferino (centre) and San Martino (north). The battle started at Medole around 4 am. Marching towards Guidizzolo, the 4th Corps encountered an Austrian infantry regiment of the Austrian 1st Army. General Niel immediately decided to engage

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912-608: A general retreat of both Austrian armies. On the northern side of the battlefield the Sardinians, four divisions strong, encountered the Austrians around 7 am. A long battle erupted over control of Pozzolengo, San Martino and Madonna della Scoperta. The Austrian VIII Corps under Benedek had 39,000 men and 80 guns and was repeatedly attacked by a Sardinian force of 22,000 men with 48 guns. The Austrians were able to ward off three Sardinian attacks, inflicting heavy losses upon

988-441: A hospital and nursing home led by Dr. Hermann Altherr. In Heiden, he met the young teacher Wilhelm Sonderegger and his wife Susanna; they encouraged him to record his life experiences. Sonderegger's wife founded a branch of the Red Cross in Heiden and in 1890 Dunant became its honorary president. With Sonderegger, Dunant hoped to further promote his ideas, including publishing a new edition of his book. However, their friendship later

1064-567: A location of strategic importance for the valley and also a place of refuge for the population. It was built in the 10th century by the Counts of Bigorre. In the 14th century, it was the occupied by the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. The castle and valley were in the possession of the English Crown from 1360 until 1404, when an army of the Comte de Clermont, assisted by the inhabitants of

1140-759: A poor citizen of the region and deeded some money to friends and charitable organizations in Norway and Switzerland. The remaining funds went to his creditors partially relieving his debt; his inability to fully erase his debts was a major burden to him until his death. His birthday, 8 May, is celebrated as the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. The former nursing home in Heiden now houses the Henry Dunant Museum . In Geneva and other places there are numerous streets, squares, and schools named after him. The Henry Dunant Medal , awarded every two years by

1216-504: A single arch. Begun immediately, under the leadership of Mr. Bruniquel, Engineer of Roads and Bridges, the work lasted two years and was completed in June 1861. The deck of the bridge is 68 meters in length, and is located 63 m above the Gave. The arch that supports it is 42 m in diameter. The vault rests directly on the steep rocks that border the Gave. The height of the water level at the base of

1292-456: A teacher in Stuttgart, wrote a book about the origins of the Red Cross, altering the official history to stress Dunant's role. The book also contained the text of A Memory of Solferino . Dunant began an exchange of correspondence with Bertha von Suttner and wrote numerous articles and writings. He was especially active in writing about women's rights, and in 1897 facilitated the founding of

1368-437: A thin line of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in length, was able to stop the Austrian assaults on his position by ably warding off attacks and counterattacking at opportune moments. According to Schneid, "By early afternoon, the Austrian attack had failed and Niel pushed beyond Robecco and Casa Nova halfway to Guidizzolo. At 3:00 pm General Renault's division of Canrobert's III Corps arrived at Robecco. Niel, now reinforced, launched

1444-676: Is 14 m. The column bears the inscription: "To their imperial Majesties Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie, the inhabitants of LUZ St. SAVIOR is grateful". The bridge was open to traffic in 1861 and in September 1863, Napoleon III finally inaugurated the bridge. Battle of Solferino Franco-Sardinian victory The Battle of Solferino (referred to in Italy as the Battle of Solferino and San Martino ) on 24 June 1859 resulted in

1520-445: Is a circular tower, Tower of San Martino della Battaglia , dominating the area, a memorial to Victor Emmanuel II. It is 70 m high and was built in 1893. In the town there is a museum, with uniforms and weapons of the time, and an ossuary chapel. At Solferino there is also a museum, displaying arms and mementos of the time, and an ossuary, containing the bones of thousands of victims. Nearby Castiglione delle Stiviere , where many of

1596-684: Is immortalized as the Hero of Solferino. The Battle of Solferino was depicted also in a 2006 television drama Henry Dunant : Du rouge sur la croix (English title: "Henry Dunant: Red on the Cross"), which tells the story of the signing of the Geneva Conventions and the founding of the Red Cross . Jean-Henri Dunant Henry Dunant (born Jean-Henri Dunant ; 8 May 1828 – 30 October 1910), also known as Henri Dunant ,

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1672-693: The Réveil , and at age 18 he joined the Geneva Society for Alms giving. In the following year, together with friends, he founded the so-called "Thursday Association", a loose band of young men that met to study the Bible and help the poor, and he spent much of his free time engaged in prison visits and social work. On 30 November 1852, he founded the Geneva chapter of the YMCA and three years later he took part in

1748-709: The Chiese to the Mincio . The left wing consisted of four Piedmontese divisions, the right wing consisted of the French III and IV corps, while the center consisted of the I and II corps, with the Imperial Guard held in reserve. On 23 June, Franz Josef moved his 1st Army (57,000 men) and 2nd Army (45,500 men) across the Mincio. Both forces were converging on Medole , Solferino, and San Martino. The Battle of Solferino

1824-895: The Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), he founded the Common Relief Society ( Allgemeine Fürsorgegesellschaft ) and soon after the Common Alliance for Order and Civilisation ( Allgemeine Allianz für Ordnung und Zivilisation ). He argued for disarmament negotiations and for the erection of an international court to mediate international conflicts. Later he worked for the creation of a world library, an idea which had echoes in future projects such as UNESCO . In his continued pursuit and advocacy of his ideas, he further neglected his personal situation and income, falling further in debt and being shunned by his acquaintances. Despite being appointed an honorary member of

1900-517: The Paris World's Fair did not go to Dunant as originally planned but to Moynier, Dufour, and Dunant together so that the prize money would only go to the committee as a whole. Napoléon III's offer to take over half of Dunant's debts if Dunant's friends would secure the other half was also thwarted by Moynier's efforts. Dunant moved to Paris, where he lived in meagre conditions. However, he continued to pursue his humanitarian ideas and plans. During

1976-696: The Swiss government led to the signing of the First Geneva Convention by 12 states. Dunant was in charge of organizing accommodation for the attendees. Dunant's businesses in Algeria had suffered. In April 1867, the bankruptcy of the financial firm Crédit Genevois led to a scandal involving Dunant. He declared bankruptcy. The social outcry in Geneva, a city deeply rooted in Calvinist traditions, also led to calls for him to separate himself from

2052-536: The "brotherhood of people," which could be interpreted more generally as seeing humanitarian work like Dunant's as connected to peacemaking as well. Many recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize in later years can be assigned to either of these two categories first roughly established by the Nobel committee's decision in 1901. Hans Daae succeeded in placing Dunant's part of the prize money, 104,000 Swiss Francs, in

2128-535: The "colonies of Setif" ( Compagnie genevoise des Colonies de Sétif ). Despite little experience, he successfully fulfilled the assignment. Inspired by the trip, he wrote his first book with the title An Account of the Regency in Tunis ( Notice sur la Régence de Tunis ), published in 1858. In 1856, he created a business to operate in foreign colonies, and, after being granted a land concession by French-occupied Algeria,

2204-570: The 1939 English edition published by the American Red Cross), he toured the field following the battle and was greatly moved by what he saw. Horrified by the suffering of wounded soldiers left on the battlefield, Dunant set about a process that led to the Geneva Conventions and the establishment of the International Red Cross . On 22 June, the French (96,000 men) and Piedmontese (37,000 men) allied army advanced from

2280-448: The Austrian right wing near San Martino, the French battled to the south of them near Solferino against the main Austrian corps. The Austrian forces were personally led by Emperor Franz Joseph, consisting of the 1st Army, containing four corps (II, III, IX and XI) under Franz von Wimpffen , and the 2nd Army, containing four corps (I, V, VII and VIII) under Franz von Schlick . The French army at Solferino, personally led by Napoleon III,

2356-401: The Imperial Guard divisions into the combat and by 2:00 pm the cemetery and town were surrounded. Near 3 pm the French reserves, formed by Canrobert's 3rd Corps and the Imperial Guard under Regnaud , attacked Cavriana, which was defended by the Austrian I Corps under Clam-Gallas , finally occupying it at 6 pm and thereby breaking through the Austrian center. This breakthrough forced

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2432-595: The International Committee. Already on 25 August 1867, he resigned as Secretary and, on 8 September 1867, he was fully removed from the committee. Dunant was condemned by the Geneva Trade Court on 17 August 1868 for deceptive practices in the bankruptcies. Due to their investments in the firm, his family and many of his friends were also heavily affected by the downfall of the company. In February 1868, Dunant's mother died. Later that year he

2508-455: The International Committee. He spent the next decades in poverty and obscurity, living in various places across Europe before settling in the Swiss village of Heiden . In 1895, Dunant was rediscovered by a journalist, which brought him renewed attention and support, and in 1901 he was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize alongside French pacifist Frédéric Passy . He died in Heiden in 1910. Dunant

2584-526: The Nobel committee over the course of 4 years. The award was jointly given to French pacifist Frédéric Passy , founder of the Peace League and active with Dunant in the Alliance for Order and Civilization. The official congratulations which he received from the International Committee finally represented the rehabilitation of Dunant's reputation: "There is no man who more deserves this honour, for it

2660-508: The Paris meeting devoted to the founding of its international organization. In 1849, at age 21, Dunant left the Collège de Genève due to poor grades and began an apprenticeship with the money-changing firm Lullin et Sautter . After its successful conclusion, he stayed as an employee of the bank. In 1853, Dunant visited Algeria , Tunisia, and Sicily , on assignment with a company devoted to

2736-532: The Roman Catholics, he decided to put an end to the war with the Armistice of Villafranca on 11 July 1859. The Piedmontese won Lombardy but not Venetia . Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour , resigned. The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861. This battle would have a long-term effect on the future conduct of military actions. Jean-Henri Dunant , who witnessed the aftermath of the battle in person,

2812-477: The article was soon reprinted in other publications throughout Europe. The article struck a chord, and he received renewed attention and support. He received the Swiss Binet-Fendt Prize and a note from Pope Leo XIII . Because of support from Russian tsarist widow Maria Feodorovna and other donations, his financial situation improved remarkably. In 1897, Rudolf Müller, who was now working as

2888-489: The attackers; at the end of the day Benedek was ordered to retreat with the rest of the Austrian army, but ignored the order and kept resisting. At 8:00 pm a fourth Sardinian assault finally captured the contested hills, and Benedek withdrew. The main Sardinian contribution in the overall battle consisted in keeping Benedek's corps deeply engaged throughout the day and preventing the sending of two brigades as reinforcement to

2964-534: The book to many leading political and military figures in Europe. Dunant also began to travel through Europe to promote his ideas. His book was largely positively received, and the President of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, jurist Gustave Moynier , made the book and its suggestions the topic of the 9 February 1863 meeting of the organization. Dunant's recommendations were examined and positively assessed by

3040-544: The castle is actually located in the neighboring town of Esterre. The Solferino chapel This chapel with its Byzantine tower was rebuilt in 1859 on the orders of Emperor Napoleon III in honour of the victims of the Battle of Solferino , on the ruins of the ancient chapel of St. Peter founded by the Knights Hospitaller in the Middle Ages. For a long time, its priest blessed the herds at the beginning to

3116-415: The enemy and deployed his forces east of Medole. This move prevented the three corps (III, IX and XI) of the Austrian 1st Army from aiding their comrades of the 2nd Army near Solferino, where the main French attacks took place. The French forces were numerically inferior to the Austrians'. The 4th Corps contained three infantry divisions under de Luzy, Vinoy and Failly and a cavalry brigade. Niel, holding

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3192-468: The force attacked by the French in Solferino. The battle was a particularly gruelling one, lasting over nine hours and resulting in over 2,386 Austrian troops killed with 10,807 wounded and 8,638 missing or captured. The Allied armies also suffered a total of 2,492 killed, 12,512 wounded and 2,922 captured or missing. Reports of wounded and dying soldiers being shot or bayonetted on both sides added to

3268-565: The head of the House of Habsburg, representatives of the Order of St. George and the presidents of the Society of Solferino and San Martino to emphasize the peace of the nations. Wreaths were laid in the cemeteries and the museum was honored. During the event, the battle was re-enacted by hundreds of volunteers. The area contains a number of memorials to the events surrounding the battles. There

3344-527: The high pastures of the mountain. The Napoleon Bridge Napoleon III fell in love with the Pyrenees and made several stays in the company of Empress Eugenie. His great work at Saint-Sauveur was the realization of an idea that was dear to him: connecting the two banks of the Gavarnie Gave by building a bridge. An "American" and a "wire" design were considered before finally designing a stone bridge of

3420-698: The horror. In the end, the Austrian forces were forced to yield their positions, and the Allied French-Piedmontese armies won a tactical, but costly, victory. The Austrians retreated to the four fortresses of the Quadrilateral , and the campaign essentially ended. Napoleon III was moved by the losses, as he had argued back in 1852 "the French Empire is peace", and for reasons including the Prussian threat and domestic protests by

3496-523: The largest since the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. There were about 130,000 Austrian troops and a combined total of 140,000 French and allied Piedmontese troops. After the battle, the Austrian emperor refrained from further direct command of the army. The battle led the Swiss Jean-Henri Dunant to write his book A Memory of Solferino . Although he did not witness the battle (his statement is contained in an "unpublished page" included in

3572-886: The members. They created a five-person Committee to further pursue the possibility of their implementation and made Dunant one of the members. The others were Moynier, the Swiss army general Henri Dufour , and doctors Louis Appia and Théodore Maunoir . Their first meeting on 17 February 1863 is now considered the founding date of the International Committee of the Red Cross . From early on, Moynier and Dunant had increasing disagreements and conflicts regarding their respective visions and plans. Moynier considered Dunant's idea to establish neutrality protections for care providers unfeasible and advised Dunant not to insist upon this concept. However, Dunant continued to advocate this position in his travels and conversations with high-ranking political and military figures. This intensified

3648-642: The national Red Cross societies of Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Prussia and Spain, he was nearly forgotten in the official discourse of the Red Cross Movement, even as it was rapidly expanding to new countries. He lived in poverty, moving to various places between 1874 and 1886, including Stuttgart , Rome, Corfu , Basel , and Karlsruhe . In Stuttgart he met the Tübingen University student Rudolf Müller with whom he would have

3724-411: The nursing home in Heiden until his death. In the final years of his life, he suffered from depression and paranoia about pursuit by his creditors and Moynier. There were even days when Dunant insisted that the cook of the nursing home first taste his food before his eyes to protect him against possible poisoning. In his final years, he spurned and attacked Calvinism and organized religion generally. He

3800-404: The personal conflict between Moynier, who took a rather pragmatic approach to the project, and Dunant, who was the idealist among the five. In October 1863, 14 states took part in a meeting in Geneva organized by the committee to discuss the improvement of care for wounded soldiers. Dunant was a protocol leader during the meeting. A year later on 22 August 1864, a diplomatic conference organized by

3876-427: The prize should go to an individual who had worked to reduce or eliminate standing armies, or directly to promote peace conferences, which made Passy a natural choice for his peace work. On the other hand, the arguably distinct bestowal for humanitarian effort alone was seen by some as a wide interpretation of Nobel's will. However, another part of Nobel's testament marked the prize for the individual who had best enhanced

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3952-493: The prize. Müller also suggested that if a prize were to be warranted for Dunant, it should be given immediately because of his advanced age and ill health. By dividing the prize between Passy, a pacifist, and Dunant, a humanitarian, the Nobel Committee set a precedent for the conditions of the Nobel Peace Prize selection which would have significant consequences in later years. A section of Nobel's will had indicated that

4028-451: The purchase of needed materials and helped erect makeshift hospitals. He convinced the population to service the wounded without regard to their side in the conflict as per the slogan " Tutti fratelli " (All are brothers) coined by the women of nearby city Castiglione delle Stiviere . He also succeeded in gaining the release of Austrian doctors captured by the French and British. After returning to Geneva early in July, Dunant decided to write

4104-436: The same day a battle between the two sides had occurred nearby. Forty thousand wounded, dying and dead remained on the battlefield, and there appeared to be little attempt to provide care. Shocked, Dunant himself took the initiative to organize the civilian population, especially the women and girls, to provide assistance to the injured and sick soldiers. They lacked sufficient materials and supplies, and Dunant himself organized

4180-407: The selection process, he was still a controversial candidate. Some argued that the Red Cross and the Geneva Convention had made war more attractive and imaginable by eliminating some of its suffering. Therefore, Müller, in a letter to the committee, argued that the prize should be divided between Dunant and Passy, who for some time in the debate had been the leading candidate to be the sole recipient of

4256-555: The standing commission of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is its highest decoration. His life is represented, with some fictional elements, in the film D'homme à hommes (1948), starring Jean-Louis Barrault , and the period of his life when the Red Cross was founded in the international film coproduction Henry Dunant: Red on the Cross (2006). In 2010 the Takarazuka Revue staged

4332-415: The suffering of the wounded and the lack of care they received, Dunant took the initiative to organize the local population in providing aid for the soldiers. After returning to Geneva, he recorded his experiences in the book A Memory of Solferino , in which he advocated the formation of an organization that would provide relief for the wounded without discrimination in times of war. In February 1863, Dunant

4408-550: The time. France was fighting on the side of Piedmont-Sardinia against Austria in the Austro-Sardinian War . Napoleon's headquarters were located in the small city of Solferino . Dunant wrote a flattering book full of praise for Napoleon III with the intention to present it to the emperor, and then traveled to Solferino to meet with him personally. Dunant arrived in Solferino on the evening of 24 June 1859, on

4484-561: The valley and commanded by Aougé de Coufitte, took the castle and drove the English from the valley. The castle was then gradually abandoned. Its restoration was undertaken in the 1980s, thus safeguarding one of the most significant vestiges of the history of the valley. The remains of the Château Sainte-Marie have been listed as historic monuments since October 16, 1930. Although commonly described as being within Luz-Saint-Sauveur,

4560-570: The vault is 40 m; it is 63 m at the keystone and 65 m at the bridge. To commemorate the memory of the Emperor's stay and its benefits, the Barèges Valley Trade Union Committee erected a column 12 m high, surmounted by a colossal eagle, at the eastern end of the bridge. The column, consisting of 14 rings, is made of Lourdes stone. The eagle was made at the marble factory of Bagneres. The total height, eagle included,

4636-407: The victory of the allied French army under Napoleon III and the Piedmont-Sardinian army under Victor Emmanuel II (together known as the Franco-Sardinian alliance) against the Austrian army under Emperor Franz Joseph I . It was the last major battle in world history where all the armies were under the personal command of their monarchs. Perhaps 300,000 soldiers fought in the important battle,

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4712-408: The villages of Solferino, Cavriana , Guidizzolo and Medole with, respectively, the 1st Corps ( Baraguey d'Hilliers ), 2nd Corps ( Mac-Mahon ), 3rd Corps ( Canrobert ), and 4th Corps ( Niel ). The four Sardinian divisions were to take Pozzolengo . After marching a few kilometers, the allies came into contact with the Austrian troops, who had entrenched themselves in those villages. In the absence of

4788-416: The wounded were taken after the battle, is the site of the museum of the International Red Cross, focusing on the events that led to the formation of that organization. Elizabeth Barrett Browning 's poem "The Forced Recruit at Solferino" commemorates this battle ( Last Poems 1862). Joseph Roth 's 1932 novel Radetzky March opens at the Battle of Solferino. There, the father of the novel's Trotta dynasty

4864-431: Was a Swiss humanitarian, businessman, social activist , and co-founder of the Red Cross . His humanitarian efforts won him the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 . Dunant was born in Geneva to a devout Calvinist family and had business interests in French Algeria and Tunisia . In 1859, while on his way to petition Napoleon III , he witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in northern Italy. Horrified by

4940-443: Was a decisive engagement in the Second Italian War of Independence , a crucial step in the Italian Risorgimento . The war's geopolitical context was the nationalist struggle to unify Italy, which had long been divided among France, Austria, Spain and numerous independent Italian states. The battle took place near the villages of Solferino and San Martino , Italy, south of Lake Garda between Milan and Verona . The confrontation

5016-441: Was a member of a five-person committee that sought to put his plan into action, which in effect founded the organization that would become the International Committee of the Red Cross . A year later, he took part in a diplomatic conference organized by the Swiss government that led to the signing of the First Geneva Convention . Dunant became embroiled in a business scandal in 1867 which resulted in his bankruptcy and expulsion from

5092-430: Was accompanied by his Minister of War, Lieutenant General Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora . The Austrian high command was hindered by the rivalry between the Chief of Staff, Heinrich von Heß , and the Emperor's Adjutant General Karl Ludwig von Grünne . According to the allied battle plan formulated on 24 June, the Franco-Sardinian army moved east to deploy along the right river banks of the Mincio . The French were to occupy

5168-434: Was also the grounds on which the international community of States has developed and adopted instruments of International Humanitarian Law, the international law rules relevant in times of armed conflict, in particular the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, the 60th anniversary of which will be celebrated this year." In 2019, an important memorial event took place on the former battlefield in the presence of Karl von Habsburg ,

5244-401: Was between the Austrians, on one side, and the French and Piedmontese forces, who opposed their advance. In the morning of 23 June, after the arrival of emperor Franz Joseph, the Austrian army changed direction to counterattack along the river Chiese . At the same time, Napoleon III ordered his troops to advance, causing the battle to occur in an unpredicted location. While the Piedmontese fought

5320-433: Was born in Geneva , Switzerland, in 1828 as the first son of businessman Jean-Jacques Dunant and Antoinette Dunant-Colladon. His family was devoutly Calvinist and had significant influence in Geneva society. His parents stressed the value of social work, and his father was active helping orphans and parolees, while his mother worked with the sick and the poor. Dunant grew up during the period of religious awakening known as

5396-494: Was divided in four Corps plus the Imperial Guard. Many of its men and generals were veterans of the French conquest of Algeria and the Crimean War , but its commander-in-chief had very limited military experience of note. The Sardinian army had four divisions on the field. Although all three combatants were commanded by their monarchs, each was seconded by professional soldiers. Marshal Jean-Baptiste Philibert Vaillant served as Chief of Staff to Napoleon III, while Victor Emmanuel

5472-471: Was expelled from the YMCA because he was the Geneva founder of it and they felt his business failure tainted the group. In March 1867, he left his home city Geneva and would not return for the rest of his life. In the following years, Moynier likely used his influence to attempt to ensure that Dunant would not receive assistance and support from his friends. For example, the gold medal prize of Sciences Morales at

5548-488: Was motivated by the horrific suffering of wounded soldiers left on the battlefield to begin a campaign that would eventually result in the Geneva Conventions and the establishment of the International Red Cross . The Movement organized the 150th anniversary commemoration of the battle between 23 and 27 June 2009. The Presidency of the European Union adopted a declaration on the occasion stating that "This battle

5624-622: Was said to be agnostic. According to his nurses, the final act of his life was to send a copy of Müller's book to the Italian queen with a personal dedication. He died on 30 October 1910, and his final words were "Where has humanity gone?" According to his wishes, he was buried without ceremony in the Sihlfeld Cemetery in Zürich . In his will, he donated funds to secure a "free bed" in the Heiden nursing home always to be available for

5700-421: Was strained by Dunant's unjustified accusations that Sonderegger, with Moynier in Geneva, was somehow conspiring against Dunant. Sonderegger died in 1904 at age 42. Despite their strained relationship, Dunant was deeply moved by the unexpected death. Wilhelm and Susanna Sonderegger's admiration for Dunant, felt by both even after Dunant's allegations, was passed on to their children. In 1935, their son René published

5776-401: Was you, forty years ago, who set on foot the international organization for the relief of the wounded on the battlefield. Without you, the Red Cross, the supreme humanitarian achievement of the nineteenth century would probably have never been undertaken." Moynier and the International Committee as a whole had also been nominated for the prize. Although Dunant was supported by a broad spectrum in

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