The Balkans, Italy and Africa 1914 - 1918: From Sarajevo to the Piave and Lake Tanganyika - The History of World War I

Although Italy had been allied with the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires since 1882 as part of the Triple Alliance, the nation had its own designs on Austrian territory in Trentino, Istria and Dalmatia. Rome had a secret 1902 pact with France, effectively nullifying its alliance.