TL-442 Kingdom of Italy

Continuing with my series of maps from TL-442, I give you the Federal Kingdom of Italy circa 1900.

Italy is much stronger in this world that it was in our own. Italy was Conquered by France during the Napoleonic Wars, but something had to be done with it once it was removed from France's iron grip. It couldn't be divided back up into tiny duchies once again, that would leave each nation weak and vulnerable, the British wanted Italy to be strong, so it could resist any further attempts to conquer it. It was decided that Italy would be divided into a few, large states, with some smaller states where unique or distinct cultures and languages were present. In addition to this, the Italian Confederation was created, mirroring the creation of the German Confederation to the north which acted as a successor to the Holy Roman Empire.

Within the Italian Confederation, it quickly became apparent that Milan was THE power in Italy. Not the largest Italian nation in terms of land, but the largest in terms of population and economy. Under the guidance of King Alfonso V Milan set about using its power and influence to unite Italy. Of course, some nations resisted, especcially the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, but the entire north of Italy united, and their military might crushed the south in the War of Italian Unification once and for all.

Now Italy enjoys a comfortable position as a naval power in the Mediterranean. They're not as strong as Britain or France, but they dominate the Balkans to the east, where they have worked to free many nations from the grip of the Ottoman Empire. Combined with an old, but active, alliance with Britain and a colonial empire not to be coughed at, this makes Italy one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Edit: Changed the labels in the Balkans.