Lucally the unification of Italy involved a mostly¹ failed attempt (by Garibaldi) at overthrowing and annexing the Sikelian empire. Most of the population of the empire were Greek (or rather Italiot) speaking, but there was widespread discontent with the rule of Napoleon’s brothers and nephews, who with the exception of Loukianos and his family had immaculately slipped into the rôle and behavior of a Byzantine imperial family, which Garibaldi seized on. In the end the end Garibaldi failed at gaining popular support, while Loukas Napoleon Kalomeros played out Sikeliot nationalism, lambasting Garibaldi as a Latinos foreigner. In the conundrum Corsica and Sardinia seized the chance to together declare a Mediterranean Republic, with the support of the Republic of Catalonia — still a considerable naval power in the Mediterranean —, thus each revolting against one of the combatants in the Italo-Sikelian conflict. The Mediterranean Republic managed to maintain its independence after the peace between Italy and Sikelia, since both of these laid claims to both islands, and neither wanted to disturb the peace by taking military action against the islands: each would have to pass through waters claimed by the other to get to the island each of them had controlled before the war, let alone their respective claims to the other island.