After centuries of struggle and matyrdom Italy breaks its chains

Description

This is a print showing Vittorio Emanuele III on a horse encouraging his bersaglieri (marksmen) to assault and cross the Austrian border to free some women in chains, an allegory of the unredeemed territories. At the top of the print we can see a representation of the men who made the history of Italy. Next to them there is the picture of an eagle leaning over the coats of arms of the houses of Savoy, Trento, Trieste, Istria and Dalmatia. Around the shields is a tape inscribed with the Savoy motto Fert. There are several suggestions as to what this motto stands for, but one of the most commonly believed is that it is an acronym for Foedere Et Religione Tenemur (we are bound by treaty and religion), with others suggesting that it could refer to the victory of an earlier count of Savoy over the island of Rhodes.