by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2016
King Umberto I of Italy; source: Wikipedia
King Umberto I of Italy (Umberto Ranieri Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio) was born March 14, 1844, in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy. the eldest son of the future King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy and Archduchess Adelheid of Austria. He had seven siblings:
- Marie Clotilde (1843 – 1911) – married Prince Napoléon Joseph Bonaparte, had issue
- Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta (1845 – 1890) – later King Amadeo I of Spain – married (1) Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, had issue; (2) Princess Maria Letizia Bonaparte, had issue
- Prince Oddone, Duke of Montferrat (1846 – 1866) – unmarried
- Princess Maria Pia (1847 – 1911) – married King Luís I of Portugal, had issue
- Prince Carlo Alberto, Duke of Chablais (1851 – 1854) – died as a child
- Prince Vittorio Emanuele (born and died 1852) – died at birth
- Prince Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Geneva (born and died 1855) – died as an infant
Umberto with his mother, Queen Adelheid of Sardinia, c.1850. source: Wikipedia
Umberto was just five years old when his father became King of Sardinia, and he was then styled Prince of Piedmont. He was educated privately, with some of the most prominent statesmen and artists among his tutors. After turning 14, he began his military career with the Sardinian forces and participated in the Italian Wars of Independence. In 1861, Umberto became heir to the throne of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.
Due to the infighting within the Italian states during the wars, many other royal houses did not look kindly upon the House of Savoy and were unwilling to establish any relations with them. The House of Savoy’s conflicts with the Pope did not help when it came time to find an appropriate royal Catholic bride for Umberto.
In 1867, in an attempt to ease the tense relations between Austria-Hungary and Italy, an engagement was arranged with Archduchess Mathilde of Austria. She was the daughter of Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen, and Princess Hildegard of Bavaria. However, before the marriage could take place, Mathilde died as a result of an accident. While smoking before going to the theater, she had tried to hide the cigarette from her father and caught her dress on fire, suffering severe burns. She died several days later.
Umberto and Margherita, the late 1890s. source: Wikipedia
On April 22, 1868, Umberto married his first cousin, Princess Margherita of Savoy (their fathers were brothers). She was the daughter of Prince Ferdinando of Savoy, Duke of Genoa, and Princess Elisabeth of Saxony. Umberto and Margherita had one son:
- King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy (1869 – 1947) – married Princess Elena of Montenegro, had issue
When his father died on January 9, 1878, Umberto became King of Italy. Unpopular with the Italian people, Umberto was soon the target of an assassination attempt. While touring the kingdom with his wife in November 1878, an anarchist, Giovanni Passannante, attacked him with a dagger. Umberto was unharmed, but the Prime Minister who was accompanying the royal couple was severely wounded. A second assassination attempt would take place in April 1897, when Pietro Acciarito, an unemployed ironsmith, unsuccessfully attempted to stab Umberto.
In May 1898, workers organized a strike in Milan to protest against rising food costs in Italy. Wheat harvest in Italy had greatly diminished, and the cost of importing grain from America had risen due to the Spanish-American War. Despite attempts by the government to maintain the price by lowering the tariffs, it was too late and not enough. What began as a somewhat peaceful strike soon turned violent. In an attempt to control the crowds, the son of the Milan mayor was shot and killed. Soon, more workers were striking, and riots broke out. The government brought in General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris, one of the leaders in the Italian Wars of Independence, to restore order. All came to a head on May 7, when Bava-Beccaris ordered his troops to fire on the demonstrators. Nearly 100 people were killed and several hundred were wounded. A month later, King Umberto awarded the General with the Great Cross of the Order of Savoy, which brought further uproar among the Italian people. It would lead to a tragic end for the King.
The assassination of King Umberto I. source: Wikipedia
On July 29, 1900, while in the city of Monza, King Umberto I was shot four times and killed, by Gaetano Bresci, an anarchist who claimed he was avenging the deaths that occurred in the Bava-Beccaris massacre, and the insult of rewarding General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccarisfor his actions. King Umberto I was buried in the Pantheon in Rome. His son King Vittorio Emanuele III had a chapel monument, the Expiatory Chapel of Monza, built on King Umberto I’s assassination site.
Tomb of King Umberto I at the Pantheon. source: Wikipedia
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