Although the revolution of 1848 failed, Germany and Italy moved toward unification. One of the major factors that influenced this was the Crimean War. The reason for this war was to destroy the Concert of Europe, which was a series of alliances between Austria, Prussia, Russia, and the UK. Russia was defeated in the Crimean War and left Italy with no allies. This is what led to the unification of Germany and Italy. Italian unification began when Camillo di Cavour formed an alliance with the French Emperor. He declared war on the Austrians in 1859. This led to a peace settlement and when Cavour won, it led other Italian states to overthrow their governments and follow his example. They joined Piedmont which Cavour now had control of. Italy was then unified in 1861 by King Emmanuel II.