Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
Encyclopedia
Victor Emmanuel I was the Duke of Savoy
and King of Sardinia
from 1802 to 1821, and Jacobite Pretender
from 1819 until his death.
and Maria Antonietta of Spain
, daughter of King Philip V of Spain
and Elisabeth Farnese.
Victor Emmanuel was known from birth as the Duke of Aosta
. From 1792 to 1796, Aosta's father had taken an active part in the struggle of the old powers against the French Revolution
ary forces, but were defeated and forced to make peace in 1796. The old king died shortly thereafter, and his eldest son and successor, Charles Emmanuel IV was faced in December 1798 with a French occupation and, eventually, annexation, of his mainland territories.
Charles Emmanuel and his family were forced to withdraw to Sardinia
, which was the only part of his domains not conquered by the French. Charles Emmanuel himself took little interest in the rule of Sardinia, living with his wife on the mainland in Naples
and Rome
until his wife's death in 1802, which led the childless Charles Emmanuel to abdicate the throne in favor of his younger brother. Aosta took the throne on June 4, 1802 as Victor Emmanuel I. He ruled Sardinia from Cagliari
for the next twelve years, during which time he constituted the Carabinieri
a Gendarmerie
corp, still existing as one of the main branches of military of Italy.
Victor Emmanuel could return to Turin
only in 1814, his realm reconstituted by the Congress of Vienna
with the addition of the territories of the former Republic of Genoa
. The latter became the seat of the Sardinian Navy. Victor Emmanuel abolished all the freedoms granted by the Napoleonic Codices and restored a fiercely oppressive rule: he refused any concession of a constitution
, entrusted the instruction to the Church and reintroduced the persecutions against Jews and Waldensians
.
After the death of his brother in 1819, he also became the Jacobite
pretender
to the British thrones (as Victor I), although he, like his brother, did not make any public claims to this effect. When Victor Emmanuel died, Lord Liverpool
, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, wrote to his ministerial colleague George Canning
that there should be public mourning in Britain, as a significant number of Britons had regarded Victor Emmanuel as their rightful king.
After the outbreak of the liberal revolution in his lands in 1821, he abdicated
in favor of his brother, Charles Felix. Victor Emmanuel died in the Castle of Moncalieri
. He is buried in the Basilica of Superga
.
(who was the son of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
).
They had six daughters and one son who died very young:
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
and King of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
from 1802 to 1821, and Jacobite Pretender
Jacobite succession
The Jacobite succession is the line through which the crown in pretence of England and Scotland has descended since the flight of James II & VII from London at the time of the Glorious Revolution...
from 1819 until his death.
Biography
He was the second son of King Victor Amadeus III of SardiniaVictor Amadeus III of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus III was King of Sardinia from 1773 until his death. Although he was politically conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until declaring war on revolutionary France in 1792...
and Maria Antonietta of Spain
Maria Antonietta of Spain
Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain was an Infanta of Spain and the youngest daughter of Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese. She was the wife of Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia whom she married in 1750...
, daughter of King Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
and Elisabeth Farnese.
Victor Emmanuel was known from birth as the Duke of Aosta
Duke of Aosta
In the mid-13th century the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta a duchy; its arms were carried in the Savoyard coat-of-arms until the unification of Italy in 1870. The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exception of a French occupation, 1539—1563...
. From 1792 to 1796, Aosta's father had taken an active part in the struggle of the old powers against the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
ary forces, but were defeated and forced to make peace in 1796. The old king died shortly thereafter, and his eldest son and successor, Charles Emmanuel IV was faced in December 1798 with a French occupation and, eventually, annexation, of his mainland territories.
Charles Emmanuel and his family were forced to withdraw to Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, which was the only part of his domains not conquered by the French. Charles Emmanuel himself took little interest in the rule of Sardinia, living with his wife on the mainland in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
until his wife's death in 1802, which led the childless Charles Emmanuel to abdicate the throne in favor of his younger brother. Aosta took the throne on June 4, 1802 as Victor Emmanuel I. He ruled Sardinia from Cagliari
Cagliari
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
for the next twelve years, during which time he constituted the Carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
a Gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
corp, still existing as one of the main branches of military of Italy.
Victor Emmanuel could return to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
only in 1814, his realm reconstituted by the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
with the addition of the territories of the former Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
. The latter became the seat of the Sardinian Navy. Victor Emmanuel abolished all the freedoms granted by the Napoleonic Codices and restored a fiercely oppressive rule: he refused any concession of a constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, entrusted the instruction to the Church and reintroduced the persecutions against Jews and Waldensians
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
.
After the death of his brother in 1819, he also became the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
pretender
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
to the British thrones (as Victor I), although he, like his brother, did not make any public claims to this effect. When Victor Emmanuel died, Lord Liverpool
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool KG PC was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since the Union with Ireland in 1801. He was 42 years old when he became premier in 1812 which made him younger than all of his successors to date...
, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, wrote to his ministerial colleague George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
that there should be public mourning in Britain, as a significant number of Britons had regarded Victor Emmanuel as their rightful king.
After the outbreak of the liberal revolution in his lands in 1821, he abdicated
Abdication
Abdication occurs when a monarch, such as a king or emperor, renounces his office.-Terminology:The word abdication comes derives from the Latin abdicatio. meaning to disown or renounce...
in favor of his brother, Charles Felix. Victor Emmanuel died in the Castle of Moncalieri
Castle of Moncalieri
The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri , Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1997.-History:...
. He is buried in the Basilica of Superga
Basilica of Superga
The Basilica of Superga is a church in the vicinity of Turin.It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga, to fulfill a vow the duke had made during the Battle of Turin...
.
Family and children
On 21 April 1789, he married Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este, daughter of Ferdinand, Duke of ModenaArchduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Anton Joseph Johann Stanislaus of Austria-Este was a son of Holy Roman Emperor Franz I and Maria Theresa of Austria. He was the founder of the House of Austria-Este and Governor of the Duchy of Milan between 1765 and 1796...
(who was the son of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
).
They had six daughters and one son who died very young:
- Maria Beatrice Victoria Josepha of SavoyMaria Beatrice of SavoyMaria Beatrice of Savoy was a Princess of Savoy and Duchess of Modena by marriage. She was also the Jacobite Pretender from 1824 until her death.-Biography:...
(1792–1840), married her uncle Francis IV, Archduke of AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Duke of ModenaModenaModena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.... - Maria Adelaide Clothilde Xaveria Borbonia of Savoy (1794–1802)
- Charles Emmanuel (1796–1799) died of smallpox.
- A daughter (1800–1801)
- Maria Teresa Fernanda Felicitas Gaetana Pia of Savoy (1803–1879), married Charles II, Duke of ParmaCharles II, Duke of ParmaCharles Louis of Bourbon-Parma was King of Etruria , Duke of Lucca , and Duke of Parma .-Early life and marriage:...
(1799–1883) - Maria Anna Ricarda Carlotta Margherita Pia of Savoy (1803–1884), married Ferdinand I of AustriaFerdinand I of AustriaFerdinand I was Emperor of Austria, President of the German Confederation, King of Hungary and Bohemia , as well as associated dominions from the death of his father, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, until his abdication after the Revolutions of 1848.He married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child...
- Maria Cristina Carlotta Giuseppina Gaetana Elise of SavoyMaria Christina of SavoyMaria Cristina of Savoy was the first Queen consort of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies...
(1812–1836), married Ferdinand II of the Two SiciliesFerdinand II of the Two SiciliesFerdinand II was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death.-Family:Ferdinand was born in Palermo, the son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife and first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain.His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Marie...
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 24 July 1759 – 4 June 1802 His Royal Highness the Duke of Aosta
- 4 June 1802 – 12 March 1821 His Majesty the King of Sardinia
- 12 March 1821 – 10 January 1824 His Majesty King Victor Emmanuel
- Jacobite: His Majesty The King of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France
See also
- Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...