On March 25, 1860, a royal decree determined the characteristics of the new flag of the Sardinian army, very similar to that desired by Carlo Alberto in 1848, with the addition of a crown above the Savoy coat of arms. This model is also confirmed after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 and participates in fundamental events in Italian history: the Third War of Independence (1866), which leads to the annexation of Veneto, and the capture of Porta Pia (1870). . The flag remained virtually unchanged until the 1946 referendum which marked the birth of the republican state.