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Legitimation contested. The rise of Italian parliaments in 1848. The article examines the language and strategies adopted by different political actors during the institutional transition after the Italian states were granted constitutions in 1848. In particular, it focuses on the attempts of Liberals to obtain legitimacy for the parliaments of Turin, Florence, Rome and Naples, within the context of a weak tradition of constitutional thinking, the ill-concealed hostility of the rulers, and the exclusive voting procedures, and the background of the Italian war of independence.