ON THIS DAY: 11 April 1864 – Giuseppe Garibaldi arrived in London to scenes of extraordinary public enthusiasm – one of the most remarkable popular welcomes ever afforded to a foreign political figure in Britain.
His visit came just a few years after his dramatic campaigns in southern Italy, most famously the 1860 Expedition of the Thousand, which helped pave the way for Italian unification under Victor Emmanuel II. By 1864, Garibaldi was not merely a general – he was an international symbol of nationalism, liberty and constitutional struggle.
Garibaldi arrived by train at Nine Elms, then an industrial district in the London Borough of Wandsworth. From there he travelled in an open carriage through the capital. The reception was unprecedented.
Hundreds of thousands lined the streets. Windows, rooftops and balconies were filled with cheering spectators. Italian tricolours and British flags waved side by side. Cries of ‘Viva Garibaldi!’ rang out as the red-shirted revolutionary passed. London was effectively brought to a standstill; traffic halted and the procession inched forward through dense crowds eager for a glimpse of the man who had helped reshape Europe.
Why such an outpouring?
Across Britain, Garibaldi was viewed as a romantic hero — a champion of national self-determination and constitutional government. Many liberals saw in the Italian struggle echoes of Britain’s own constitutional tradition. His opposition to autocracy and clerical dominance resonated strongly with Victorian reformers, while sympathetic press coverage elevated him to near-mythic status. So great was the enthusiasm that ‘Garibaldi fever’ even influenced fashion, with red ‘Garibaldi shirts’ becoming popular among British women.
Yet behind the spectacle lay political sensitivity. The British government treated the visit with caution, mindful that overt celebration of a revolutionary figure could strain relations with France and the Papacy. Though publicly acclaimed, Garibaldi’s formal engagements were carefully managed – and his visit ultimately curtailed amid diplomatic tensions and concerns about his political pronouncements.
For a brief moment in April 1864, however, London became the stage for a powerful demonstration of popular liberal internationalism – and Garibaldi its hero.