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The Battle of Solférino was a decisive engagement in the Italian Campaign in the Franco-Austrian War . The geo-political context for the war was the nationalist struggle to unify Italy, long divided between France, Austria, Spain and the Papal States. The battle took place near the village of Solférino, Italy, a location between Milan and Verona.

The confrontation was between the Austrians, then marching across northern Italy, and the French and Piedmontese forces who opposed their advance. The battle was a particularly gruelling one, lasting over nine hours and resulting in over 40,000 casualties and 6,000 deaths. Reports of wounded and dying soldiers being shot or bayoneted added to the horror. In the end, the Austrian forces were forced to yield their positions.

This battle would have a long-term effect on the future conduct of military actions. Henri Dunant, who witnessed the battle in person, was motivated by the horrific suffering of wounded soldiers left on the battlefield to begin a campaign that would eventually result in the Geneva ConventionsThe Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland that set the standards for international law for humanitarian concerns. The conventions were the results of efforts by Henri Dunant, who was motivated by the horrors of war he wi and the establishment of the International Red Cross.