Victor Emmanuel I - King of Sardinia

The first Victor Emmanuel ruled only part of Italy

Italian painter Luigi Bernero's 
portrait of Victor Emmanual I

King Victor Emmanuel, who was Duke of Savoy and ruler of the Savoy states in northern Italy, and King of the island of Sardinia, died on this day in 1824 in Turin. 

His namesake in Italian history, who was to become Victor Emmanuel II, the first King of Italy, was the son of one of his distant cousins.

When Victor Emmanuel I died, he left no heir. His surviving daughters were unable to inherit because of a law excluding women and their descendants from the line of succession. He was succeeded as King of Sardinia by his brother, Charles Felix in 1821. His brother also left no successors and he was in turn succeeded to the titles by his cousin, Charles Albert in 1831.

After Charles Albert died in 1849, his son, Victor Emmanuel, became King of Sardinia and took the title of King Victor Emmanuel II. Therefore, when Victor Emmanuel became King of the newly united Italy in 1861, he continued to style himself as King Victor Emmanuel II.

Some Italians may have preferred his title to have been King Victor Emmanuel I, marking a new start for the united country, but their first monarch chose to continue with the same title because of his Savoy ancestor, who had the same name.

This may have given the impression that the country was being taken over by Sardinia and Piedmont and caused resentment in the south of Italy, but to many Italians it was regarded as logical because this was their new king’s existing title.

Victor Emmanuel I had been born in 1759 at the royal palace in Turin. As the second son of King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, he was known from birth as the Duke of Aosta. 

When his father died in 1796, Victor Emmanuel’s older brother became Charles Emmanuel IV, King of Sardinia.  

Charles Emmanuel was immediately faced with the threat of Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army occupying his territory and he withdrew with his wife to Sardinia. He took little interest in the running of Sardinia and subsequently lived with his wife in Naples and Rome. They were childless and so he abdicated in favour of Victor Emmanuel after his wife’s death in 1802.

Victor Emmanuel I ruled from Cagliari
after Napoleon's army occupied Piedmont

Victor Emmanuel I ruled Sardinia from Cagliari for the next 12 years. He founded the Carabinieri, which still exists as one of Italy’s main law and order agencies to this day alongside the Polizia di Stato and the Guardia di Finanza. 

After Napoleon was defeated, he was able to return to Turin and he abolished many of the freedoms that had been granted to the people while under French rule, restoring a stricter regime, refusing to grant a liberal constitution, and entrusting education to the church.

In 1821, when revolutionary fever was threatening to sweep through Italy, Victor Emmanuel I was still unwilling to grant a liberal constitution to the people and so he abdicated in favour of his brother, Charles Felix. 

Because his brother was in Modena at the time, Victor Emmanuel I made Charles Albert, who was second in line to the throne, the Regent of the Kingdom.

In 1824, he went to live in the Castle of Moncalieri, where he died. He was buried in the Basilica of Superga in Turin.

As a descendant of Princess Henrietta, the youngest child of King Charles I of England, Victor Emmanuel I carried the Jacobite claim to the thrones of England and Scotland during his lifetime.

The colourful port city of Cagliari is the
capital of the island of Sardinia

Travel tip:

Sardinia is a large island off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. It has sandy beaches and a mountainous landscape. The southern city of Cagliari, from where Victor Emmanuel I ruled, has a medieval quarter called Castello, which has narrow streets, palaces and a 13th century Cathedral.  It came under Savoy control as part of the settlement following the War of the Spanish Succession, which became a battle for power in Europe between 1701 and 1714.  Victor Amadeus II, who was the Duke of Savoy and ruler of Piedmont, was originally given Sicily, but was persuaded by the victorious Allies - Britain, France, Austria and the Dutch Republic - to accept Sardinia instead, which appealed to the Savoys because, as a Spanish kingdom, it came with a crown. Thus, the Duchy of Savoy and the Principality of Piedmont effectively merged with the island to form the new Kingdom of Sardinia, although ruled from the Piedmont capital, Turin.

Stay in Sardinia with Hotels.com

The Castello di Moncalieri, the Savoy palace
where Victor Emmanuel I spent his last days

Travel tip:

Moncalieri, where Victor Emmanuel I spent his final days living in the castle originally built by his ancestor, Thomas I of Savoy, in 1100, is a town with a population of almost 58,000 people situated about 8km (5 miles) south of Turin, within the city’s metropolitan area. At one time principally a summer resort for the Savoy family, Moncalieri is now essentially a suburb of Turin, and home to many technology companies.  The castle, which Thomas I constructed on a hill as a fortress to command the main southern access to Turin, evolved in the mid-15th century as a pleasure residence at the behest of Yolanda of Valois, wife of Duke Amadeus IX, who employed the architect Carlo di Castellamonte to enlarge and redesign it. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, the castle became a favourite residence of King Victor Emmanuel II and subsequently his daughter, Maria Clotilde. Today it houses a prestigious training college for the Carabinieri, Italy’s quasi-military police force, founded by Victor Emmanuel I.

Hotels in Moncalieri by Expedia

More reading: 

The ruler nicknamed “iron head” who made Turin the capital of Savoy

Victor Emmanuel II proclaimed first King of Italy

The founding of the Carabinieri

Also on this day:

49BC: Julius Caesar leads army across the Rubicon river, sparking civil war

987: The death of Venetian Doge Pietro Orseolo

1834: The birth in Naples of historian and politician Lord Acton

1890: The birth of silent movie star Pina Menichelli

1903: The birth of car designer Flaminio Bertoni

1922: The birth of footballer Aldo Ballarin

1959: The birth of football manager Maurizio Sarri

2009: The death of publisher Giorgio Mondadori

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King Francis II of the Two Sicilies

Last ruler of Naples wanted to help the poor

Francis II ruled for the final
year before unification

Francis II, the last King of the Two Sicilies until he was deposed in 1861, when Italy was about to become a unified country, died on this day in 1894 in Arco in Trentino-Alto Adige. 

Although he reigned over his subjects for one year only, King Francis is remembered as a humane ruler who believed he had a duty to help the needy. He also had a strong Christian faith, and he was declared a Servant of God by Pope Francis in 2020.

Born in 1836, Francis II was the only son and heir of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, with his first wife, Maria Christina of Savoy. He was christened Francesco d’Assisi Maria Leopoldo. Sadly, his mother died only five days after giving birth to him.

Five years later, King Ferdinand married Maria Theresa of Austria and she became stepmother to the young Francis, who was said to have feared her, but was also greatly influenced by her.

Francis married Duchess Maria Sophie of Bavaria in 1859 in Bavaria. They had one daughter, Maria Cristina Pia, born after they had been married for ten years, but she died after just three months

After the death of his father, Francis ascended to his throne in May 1859. He reigned over the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies - Regno delle Due Sicilie - which encompassed all the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States, as well as Sicily. This area was under the control of the House of Bourbon from 1816 to 1861.

It was called The Two Sicilies, because the Kingdom of Naples had also been known officially as the Kingdom of Sicily and, collectively, they had been referred to as ‘both Sicilies’.

Francis is recorded to have appointed committees to improve conditions in prisons and he lowered taxes to help poor people. He ordered wheat stocks to be distributed to poor people at a low price, letting the state bear most of the cost, and he founded schools and universities.

Francis II with his wife, Duchess 
Maria Sophie of Bavaria

He was planning Government sponsored steam-mills to offer free grain grinding to benefit the poor and was also going to enlarge the railway system, when the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s troops halted his projects. His admirers believe his achievements during his brief time on the throne showed what a good ruler he would have been for the south of Italy.

After Garibaldi crossed the Strait of Messina and advanced on Naples in 1860 in his bid to unify Italy, Francis II and his wife, Maria Sophie, sailed to Gaeta to join up with the bulk of his troops. The following day, Garibaldi entered Naples and formed a provisional Government.

Garibaldi’s troops defeated a Neapolitan force at the Battle of Volturno and captured Capua. When only Gaeta, Messina, and Civitella del Tronto still held out against him, Garibaldi laid siege to Gaeta. 

Francis and Maria Sophie behaved with great courage and it was not until February 1861, when the French fleet that had been protecting them from an attack launched from the sea was withdrawn, that they finally gave in.

After Francis II had been deposed, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ceased to exist and its territory was absorbed into the Kingdom of Sardinia, which later became the Kingdom of Italy.

Francis and Maria Sophie moved to Rome to live as guests of the Pope where they maintained a Government in exile that continued to be recognised by some Catholic countries in Europe. Just before the Italian troops moved in to occupy Rome in 1870, Francis and his wife disbanded their Government and embarked on a wandering life, living in parts of Austria, France, and Bavaria.

In 1894, Francis died at Arco in Trentino-Alto Adige. Maria Sophie survived him for another 31 years before she died in Munich.

After the death of Francis, his half-brother, Prince Alfonso, became the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 

The case for the beatification and canonisation of King Francis II was introduced in December 2020 by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the Archbishop of Naples. When the Pope made King Francis a Servant of God, it was seen as the first step towards him becoming a Saint.

The award winning 1989 film, O Re, directed by Luigi Magni, was loosely based on the life of Francis II. The actor Giancarlo Giannini played the part of King Francis.

The ruins of the Castello di Arco sit on a rocky
outcrop overlooking the town of Arco

Travel tip:

Arco is a small comune - municipality - in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige, just 5km (3 miles) from the northern tip of Lake Garda. Its main claim to fame is being the place where King Francis II died. The ruined medieval Castello di Arco,  built on top of a rocky spur, is one of the important sights in the town and featured in a watercolour by Albrecht Durer. The 16th century palace, Palazzo Marchetti, has a portal that is attributed to Giulio Romano. Tourism is a major part of the local economy with many Germans and Austrians coming over the Brenner pass to visit Arco. Wind surfing on Lake Garda and rock climbing on the city walls are popular activities for visitors. Arco also hosts one of the most popular Christmas markets in Trentino-Alto Adige.

Stay in Arco with Expedia

A view of the harbour and waterfront at Gaeta,
on the coast between Rome and Naples

Travel tip:

Gaeta, where Francis II went with his wife as Garibaldi advanced on Naples, is a small city in the province of Latina in Lazio, 120 km (75 miles) south of Rome, set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta. Today it is a fishing and oil seaport and a popular resort with tourists. It has a huge Aragonese-Angevine Castle, which dates back to the sixth century and the Cathedral of Assunta e Sant’Erasmo, which was built over a more ancient church and consecrated by Pope Paschal II in 1106.  Other attractions include the Monte Orlando natural park, a protected area with Roman ruins, hiking trails, and panoramic views, featuring the Mausoleum of Lucius Munatius Plancus.  Gaeta was where Pope Pius IX was given a shelter by Francis’s father, Ferdinand II, after being besieged in Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome, in 1848, having lost control of the Papal States to revolutionaries.

Gaeta hotels from Hotels.com

More reading:

Francis I, the ruler who saw the Austrians from Naples

The architect who helped Bourbon king Charles VII transform Naples   

The Bonaparte who was made King of Naples

Also on this day:

1660: The birth of Saint Veronica Giuliani

1848: The birth of tyre maker Giovanni Battista Pirelli

1888: The birth of tenor Tito Schipa

1983: Pope John Paul II visits would-be killer in prison

1985: Terror attack at Fiumicino Airport

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Zita of Bourbon-Parma

The long life of the last Habsburg Empress

A portrait of Zita taken in 1911,
shortly before her marriage

Zita of Bourbon-Parma, the last Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, was born Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaella Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese on this day in 1892 on the family estate, the Villa Le Pianore, near Viareggio in the province of Lucca in Tuscany.

Zita was the 17th child of the Duke of Parma, Robert I, and his second wife, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal, but her family was poor, even if it did claim descent from Louis X of France. The family villa was situated between Pietrasanta and Viareggio, occasionally moving to stay in Robert’s other property, Schwarzau Castle in Austria.

After her father’s death, Zita was sent to a convent on the Isle of Wight in England to complete her education.

For a time, Zita considered following the lead of  three of her sisters and becoming a nun, but at the age of 19 she married Archduke Charles, the great nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. The two had known each other as children and became reacquainted in 1909, at a time when Charles was under pressure to find a wife. 

They were married at the Schwarzau Castle in October 1911 and went on to have eight children together. 

Within three years, in 1914, the Emperor’s heir, Franz Ferdinand, was shot dead in Sarajevo in the incident that led to the outbreak of the First World War. The Emperor himself died two years later and Zita’s husband, Charles, succeeded him as Emperor. Zita suddenly found herself an Empress in the middle of a world war, in which she had relatives on both sides.

Zita and Archduke Charles
at their wedding in Austria

Two years later, after Austria-Hungary had lost the war, Charles was forced to abdicate. The Habsburgs were deposed and the former empire became home to the states of Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, while other parts were annexed to several eastern European countries.

Charles died less than three years later, in 1922, while the couple were living in Madeira and from that day onwards Zita lived on alone, mostly in exile. She never remarried but continued to raise her family. She spent 63 years mostly living in Switzerland and the United States, never relinquishing her claim to a throne that no longer existed.

She died at the age of 96 in March 1989. After a huge state funeral in St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Zita was buried in the crypt alongside 142 other members of the Habsburg dynasty. An impoverished Italian noblewoman, Zita was the last Habsburg to wear a crown in a line that had worn it first in the year 1282.

Zita was declared Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI and in 2009 the process was opened for her beatification.

Viareggio's Grand Hotel Royal, a notable example  
of the Tuscan resort's Liberty-style architecture

Travel tip:

Viareggio, where Zita was born and brought up, is now a popular seaside resort in Tuscany with beautiful sandy beaches and fine examples of Liberty-style architecture, which include the Grand Hotel Royal. Near the Villa Paolina, which was the home of Napoleon’s sister, Paolina Bonaparte, there is a monument to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, close to the point on the coastline that his body was found following his death in a shipwreck. Paolina, who was a great admirer of Shelley’s work, is said to have chosen the location for the villa for that reason.

Pietrasanta's Duomo - the Collegiata di San
Martino - dates back to the 13th century

Travel tip:

Pietrasanta is a town in northern Tuscany, to the north of Viareggio. It had Roman origins and part of a Roman wall still exists. The medieval town was built in 1255 upon the pre-existing Rocca di Sala fortress of the Lombards and the Duomo (Collegiate Church of San Martino) dates back to the 13th century. Pietrasanta grew in importance in the 15th century due to its marble, the beauty of which was first recognised by the sculptor, Michelangelo.  At different times belonging to Genoa and Lucca, Pietrasanta came under Medici control in 1484 before being seized by Charles VIII of France in 1494.  Pope Leo X, a member of the Medici family, gave Pietrasanta back to his family.  The town declined during the 17th and 18th centuries, partly due to malaria. The seaside resort of Marina di Pietrasanta is 3km (1.9 miles) away.

Also on this day:

1740: The birth of opera composer Giovanni Paisiello

1914: The birth of orchestra conductor Carlo Maria Giulini

1946: The abdication of Vittorio Emanuele III, King of Italy

2013: The death of fashion designer Ottavio Missoni

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Maria de’ Medici - Queen of France

Medici daughter who married Henri IV

Maria de' Medici became Queen of France
with the death of her husband

Maria de’ Medici, who became Queen of France after her marriage to King Henri IV, was born on this day in 1575 at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

After her husband was assassinated the day after his coronation, she ruled France as regent for her son, Louis, until he came of age.

Maria was the daughter of the grand duke of Tuscany, Francesco de’ Medici, and his wife, Joanna of Austria.

Henri had divorced his wife, Margaret, and married Maria in 1600 to obtain a large dowry that would help him pay his debts.

In 1601 Maria gave birth to a son, the future King Louis XIII, and then went on to bear a further five children for her husband.

However she resented her husband’s infidelities and he despised her friends from Florence, Concino Concini and his wife, Leonora.

After Henri was assassinated in 1610, the French parliament proclaimed Maria regent for her young son.

Guided by her favourite, Concini, who had become Marquis of Ancre, Maria reversed Henri’s anti-Spanish policy. She is also alleged to have squandered the country’s revenue and made humiliating concessions to its rebellious nobles.

Maria de' Medici was advised by the
Florentine Concino Concini

Even after Louis XIII came of age, Maria and Ancre were said to have ignored him and continued to rule in his name.

In 1617 Ancre was assassinated by someone working on behalf of Louis and Maria was sent to live in Blois.

After two years she managed to escape and her principal adviser, who was to become Cardinal de Richelieu, negotiated for her to set up a court at Angers.

After she was readmitted to the King’s council, Maria obtained a Cardinal’s hat for Richelieu and persuaded Louis to make him chief minister.

But Richelieu then enraged her by allying France with Protestant countries.

She demanded Richelieu’s dismissal but Louis stood by him and banished his mother to live in Compiegne. She fled to Brussels in 1631 and died destitute 11 years later.

Maria’s legacy was the Luxembourg Palace, which she had built in Paris. It was decorated with paintings by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens portraying the events of Maria’s life, which are considered among his finest work.

The Palazzo Pitti was originally the home of the banker
Luca Pitti in an effort to outshine the Medici

Travel tip:

Palazzo Pitti in Florence, where Maria was born, was originally built for the banker Luca Pitti in 1457 in the centre of Florence, to try to outshine the Medici family. They later bought it from his bankrupt heirs and made it their main residence in 1550. Today visitors can look round the richly decorated rooms and see treasures from the Medici collections.

The Ponte Vecchio linked the Uffizi with the Palazzo Pitti

Travel tip:

The Ponte Vecchio, which connects Palazzo Pitti with the city on the other side of the River Arno, was built in 1345 and is the oldest bridge remaining in Florence. The medieval workshops inhabited by butchers and blacksmiths were eventually given to goldsmiths and are still inhabited by jewellers today. The private corridor over the shops was designed by the architect, Vasari, to link the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, via the Uffizi, allowing the Medici to move about between their residences without having to walk through the streets.



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