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A contentious rivalry between two branches of a royal family.
The Kingdom of Italy was a relatively modern and short lived kingdom, in the grand scheme of history. Before Italian Unification in the 1800’s, Italy was divided up into different kingdoms, principalities, duchies and even republics. These various enclaves were ruled by royal and noble families for thousands of years, yet the country we know as Italy was never ruled by just one person until Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy became the first King of Italy in 1861.
The House of Savoy was a long lived dynasty, stretching back to its founder, Count Humbert I, who was born circa 950, AD. The Savoyards initially ruled the counties of Aosta and Maurienne located in the area between modern day Southern France and Northern Italy. Over time, the Counts of Savoy became Dukes, then Kings of Sicily and Sardinia and finally their realm incorporated the Italian peninsula.
The Kingdom of Italy formally lasted until 1946, although the control of the House of Savoy had been deeply eroded by Benito Mussolini. The last king of Italy, Umberto II, was briefly placed on the throne after his father had abdicated, in the hope that a new king would prevent a republic. This gambit failed. The royal family were exiled and Umberto lived out the rest of his life in Portugal, never returning to his home…
