This week the capital of Italy was visited by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. She met with President Giorgio napolitano and Pope Francis, with whom she exchanged very original gifts. As it turned out, the Queen of Great Britain is very popular in Italy, many even claim that the country lacks monarchs. Why the Italians have such an opinion can be easily explained not only by the current situation in the country, but also by historical events. We have prepared for you the most interesting facts about the royal power, which once ruled in Italy.
1. The Italian royal family, the Savoy dynasty (Casa Savoia), is one of the oldest ruling families in history. It had a special influence in Italy until the people of the country voted to abolish the monarchy at the end of World War II, after it was established that the royal family supported the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. As soon as the whole truth came out, representatives of the Savoy dynasty were expelled to Switzerland and only in 2002 their offspring were able to return to Italy.
2. Umberto II (Umberto II), also known as the King of May, occupied the throne of the ruler of Italy for much less time than he could have expected. A month after he took the place of his father, the inhabitants of the country voted to abolish the monarchy. After Umberto lived in exile in Portugal for 37 years, while his wife and other relatives were exiled to Switzerland.
3. A letter from the son of Benito Mussolini, Romano Mussolini, published in Italian newspapers in 2011, indicates that the dictator had a romantic relationship with the last Queen of Italy, Maria Jose Savoy.
4. Kings and queens appeared in Italy long before its unification. So, for example, once the Sicily was ruled by the Normans - aristocrats from northern France, and in particular the Duke William, who later took the throne of the king of England and was named William the Conqueror. Despite the fact that thousands of miles separated them from their homeland, the Norman knights were able to conquer not only Sicily, but also a significant part of southern Italy. Roger II (Ruggero II di Sicilia), founder and king of the Sicilian kingdom, was the leader of the crusaders.
5. Due to some inaccuracies in the historical chronicles, the Kingdom of Naples (regno di Napoli), which spread in the south of Italy in the 12th-19th centuries, was known as the Sicilian. And therefore, when Sicily in 1816 merged with the Kingdom of Naples into a single state, it was called The Kingdom of Both Sicilies. However, already in 1861, after the unification of Italy, such a name disappeared from the map.
6. Representatives of the blue blood of Italy have repeatedly found themselves in the center of scandals. So, in April 1655, the Duke of Savoy Emanuele II (Emanuele Filiberto II di Savoia) gave the order to begin the brutal massacre of the Piedmontese Waldenses, followers of the heretical movement. In 1898, during a riot in Milan, whose goal was to reduce food prices, the royal authorities ordered firing cannons at unarmed protesters, among whom were women and children.
7. The descendants of the royal family of Italy fell into many troubles and scandals. Prince of Savoy Victor Emanuele di Savoia, son of King Umberto II and potential heir to the throne, was arrested in 2006 on charges of bribery. In 1989, he was sentenced to imprisonment for the murder of a 19-year-old German during a boat trip, but was acquitted in November 1991.
In 2003, Victor Emanuel stated that the laws against the Jews adopted by Mussolini and signed by the king of Italy were not really “as terrible” as many believe.
In 2004, the crown prince hit his cousin Amedeo in the face during a royal wedding in Spain.
8. In 2010, the son of the restless Victor Emanuel, Emanuele Filiberto, announced that he was dating the British model Kate Moss. “She is a beautiful woman, very charming and absolutely easy to talk with,” said the son of the prince.
9. The residence of the Royal Dynasty of Savoy in Turin, as well as the adjacent territories, are protected as a monument of world cultural heritage.
10. Despite the fact that the titles and other privileges of the Italian royal family are not recognized in Italy, the descendants of the Savoy still bear titles, for example, the Duke of Savoy, Neapolitan and Piedmont Prince.
