Victor Emmanuel II of Italy - Rome, Italy
Posted by: 
manchanegra
N 41° 53.945 E 012° 28.612
33T E 290703 N 4641651
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia and later assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy, a title he held until his death in 1878. The Italians gave him the epithet "Father of the Fatherland".
Waymark Code: WMC7NG
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 08/05/2011
Views: 27
Victor Emanuel II (Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was king of Sardinia from 1849 and, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy, a title he held until his death in 1878. The Italians gave him the epithet Father of the Fatherland (Italian: Padre della Patria).
Victor Emanuel was born the eldest son of Charles Albert of Sardinia and Maria Theresa of Austria. His father was King of Sardinia. He lived for some years of his youth in Florence and showed an early interest in politics, the military, and sports. In 1842 he married his cousin Adelaide of Austria. He was styled as the Duke of Savoy prior to becoming King of Sardinia.
He took part in the First Italian War of Independence under his father, fighting in the front line at the battles of Pastrengo, Santa Lucia, Goito and Custoza.
He became King of Piedmont in 1849 when his father had abdicated the throne after a humiliating military defeat by the Austrians at Novara.
Victor Emanuel II soon became the symbol of the Italian Risorgimento, the Italian unification movement.
Victor Emanuel II sent his forces to fight the papal army at Castelfidardo and drove the Pope into Vatican City. Victor Emanuel II’s success at these goals got him excommunicated from the Catholic Church (At that time, Rome was still part of the Papal States).
In 1870, after two failed attempts by Garibaldi, he took advantage of the Prussian victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War to capture Rome after the French withdrew. He entered Rome on 20 September 1870 and set up the new capital there on 2 July 1871, after a temporary move to Florence in 1864. The new Royal residence was the Quirinal Palace.
The rest of Victor Emanuel II’s reign was much quieter. After the Kingdom of Italy was established he decided to continue on as King Victor Emanuel II instead of Victor Emanuel I of Italy. This was a terrible move as far as public relations went as it was not indicative of the fresh start that the Italian people wanted and suggested that Sardinia-Piedmont had taken over the Italian Peninsula, rather than unifying it. Despite this mishap, the remainder of Victor Emanuel II’s reign was consumed by wrapping up loose ends and dealing with economic and cultural issues.
Victor Emanuel died in Rome in 1878, just after the reversal of excommunication by Pope Pius IX's envoys. He was buried in the Pantheon. His successor was his son Umberto I.
From Wikipedia
Description:
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia and later assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy, a title he held until his death in 1878. The Italians gave him the epithet "Father of the Fatherland".
Date of birth: 03/14/1820
Date of death: 09/01/1878
Area of notoriety: Politics
Marker Type: Tomb (above ground)
Setting: Indoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Mon-Sat 8:30am-7:30pm; Sun 9am-6pm. Closed Christmas Day, New Year's Day and May 1.
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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