The
House of Savoy () was formed in the early eleventh century in the historical
Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small
county in that region to eventually rule the
Kingdom of Italy until the end of the
Second World War. Some argue, at the time that the title of king was abolished in 1946, the House of Savoy was the longest surviving royal house in the world.
History
The House of Savoy emerged, along with the free communes of Switzerland, in what is now called
Switzerland. The name derives from the historical region
Savoy in what is now
France. Over time the house expanded from that region to rule almost all of the Italian Peninsula. Yet their growth and survival over the centuries was not based on spectacular conquests, but on gradual territorial expansion through marriage and methodical and highly manipulative political acquisitions.
Early history
The house descended from
Humbert I, Count of Sabaudia (Umberto I "Biancamano"), (1003–1047 or 1048). Humbert's family are thought to have originated from near
Magdeburg in
Saxony, with the earliest recording of the family being two tenth century brothers, Amadeus and Humbert. Though originally a poor county, later heirs to the throne were diplomatically skilled, and gained control over strategic mountain passes in the
Alps. Two of Humbert's sons were bishops at the Abbey of Saint Maurice on the
River Rhone east of
Lake Geneva, and
Saint Maurice is still the patron of the House of Savoy.
Humbert's son,
Otto of Savoy ascended the throne in 1051 after the death of his elder brother
Amedeo and married the Marchioness Adelaide of Turin, passing the
Marquessate of Susa, with the towns of Turin and Pinerolo, into the House of Savoy's possession. This diplomatic skill caused the great powers such as
France,
England, and
Spain to take the dukes' opinions into account.
They once had claims on the modern
canton of Vaud, where they occupied the
Château of Chillon in
Switzerland, but their access to it was cut by
Geneva during the
Protestant Reformation, after which it was conquered by
Bern. Piedmont was later joined with Sabaudia, and the name evolved into "Savoy" (
Italian "Savoia"). The people of Savoy were descended from the Celts and Romans.
Expansion, retreat and prosperity
By the time
Amadeus VII came to power in the late fourteenth century, the House of Savoy had gone through a series of gradual territorial expansions and he was elevated by the Holy Roman
Emperor Sigismund to the Duke of Savoy in 1416.
However, the years of the
Renaissance in Europe witnessed the invasion and occupation of Piedmont by the French. When
Charles VIII of France invaded Savoy, Piedmont, and Italy in 1494 and conquered Naples, the House of Savoy retreated and established its residence in
Turin, where it remained until the unification of Italy.
When
Emmanuel Philibert came to power in 1553 most of his family's territories were in French hands, so he offered to serve France's leading enemy the
House of Habsburg, in the hope of recovering his lands. He served
Philip II as Governor of the
Netherlands from 1555 to 1559. In this capacity he led the Spanish invasion of northern France and won a victory at
St. Quentin in 1557. He took advantage of various squabbles in Europe to slowly regain territory from both the French and the Spanish, including the city of Turin. He moved the capital of the duchy from
Chambéry to Turin and replaced Latin as the duchy's official language with Italian.
The seventeenth century brought about economic development to the Turin area and the House of Savoy took part in and benefitted from that.
Charles Emmanuel II developed the port of
Nice and built a road through the Alps towards France. And through skillful political manoeuvres territorial expansion continued. In early eighteenth century in the
War of the Spanish Succession Victor Amadeus switched sides to assist the
Habsburgs and via the
Treaty of Utrecht they rewarded him with large pieces of land in northeastern Italy, and a Crown in Sicily.
The Kingdom of Italy
The crown of Sicily, the prestige of being kings at last, and the wealth of
Palermo helped strengthen the House of Savoy further and they established themselves in the
Kingdom of Sardinia. In 1792 Piedmont-Sardinia joined the
First Coalition against the
French First Republic, but was beaten in 1796 by Napoleon and forced to conclude the disadvantageous
Treaty of Paris (1796), giving the French army free passage through Piedmont. In 1798
Joubert, occupied Turin and forced
Charles Emmanuel IV to abdicate and leave for the island of Sardinia. Eventually, in 1814 the kingdom was restored and enlarged with the addition of the former
Republic of Genoa by the
Congress of Vienna.
In the meantime, nationalist figures such as
Giuseppe Mazzini were influencing popular opinion. Mazzini believed that Italian unification could only be achieved through a popular uprising, but after the failure of the
1848 revolutions, the Italian nationalists began to look to the
Kingdom of Sardinia and its prime minister
Count Cavour as the leaders of the unification movement. In 1848 under the
Statuto Albertino Charles Albert conceded a constitution to the
Kingdom of Sardinia including the parts of north-western
Italy, such as
Piedmont. The
Statuto Albertino remained at the basis of the Kingdom's legal system even after
Italian unification was achieved and the Kingdom of Sardinia became the
Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
The
Kingdom of Italy was the first Italian state to include the
Italian Peninsula since the fall of the
Roman Empire. But when
Victor Emmanuel was crowned King of Italy in 1861, his reign did not control
Venetia and
Lazio. Yet the House of Savoy continued to rule Italy for several decades through the
Italian Independence wars as the
Italian unification continued and even as the
First World War raged on in the early 20th century.
Controversies
Over the centuries, the House of Savoy had its share of controversies (including massacres of unarmed civilians including children and old people) on more than one occasion.
In April 1655, based on (perhaps false) reports of resistance by the
Waldensians, a
Protestant religious minority, to a plan to resettle them in remote mountain valleys,
Charles Emmanuel II ordered their general massacre. The massacre was so brutal it aroused indignation throughout Europe.
Oliver Cromwell, then ruler in England, began petitioning on behalf of the Waldensians, writing letters, raising contributions, calling a general fast in England and threatening to send military forces to the rescue. The massacre prompted
John Milton's famous
sonnet:
On the Late Massacre in Piedmont.
In 1898 the
Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan involved the use of cannons against unarmed protesters (including women and old people) during riots in Milan over the rising price of bread. King
Umberto I of the House of Savoy congratulated General
Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris for the massacre and decorated him with the medal of Great Official of Savoy Military Order, greatly outraging a large part of the public opinion. As a result
Umberto I was assassinated in July 1900 in
Monza by
Gaetano Bresci, the brother of one of the women massacred in the crowd, who traveled back to Italy from the United States for the assassination.
Fascism and end of monarchy
When the
First World War ended, the
Treaty of Versailles fell short of what had been promised in the
London Pact to Italy. As the economic conditions in Italy worsened after the war, popular resentment and along with it the seeds of
Italian fascism began to grow and resulted in the
March on Rome by
Benito Mussolini.
General
Pietro Badoglio advised King
Victor Emmanuel III that he could easily sweep Mussolini and his rag-tag
Blackshirt army to one side, but Victor Emmanuel decided to tolerate Mussolini. Later, the King's failure, in the face of mounting evidence, to move against the Mussolini regime's abuses of power led to much criticism. Though the King claimed in his memoirs that it was the fear of a civil war that motivated his actions, it would seem that he received some 'alternative' advice, possibly from
Antonio Salandra and possibly some pro-Fascist elements in his immediate family, including
Margherita of Savoy, his mother. In retrospect, members of the House of Savoy and the moneyed class in Italy, felt that Mussolini and his regime offered a more stable and appealing option to the other alternative they perceived:
socialism.
Eventually, the King's decision had dire future consequences for Italy and for the monarchy itself. On October 28, 1922,
Victor Emmanuel III selected Mussolini to become Italian Prime Minister, allowing Mussolini and the Fascist Party to pursue their political ambitions as long as they supported the monarchy. As Mussolini and the
axis powers failed in the
Second World War in 1943 Victor Emmanuel removed Mussolini from office and named
Pietro Badoglio as his replacement. However, he made a blunder when he negotiated a surrender to the Allies without ordering the army to defend Rome. Left without orders, the army virtually disintegrated. Victor Emmanuel and his government fled south to
Brindisi. Victor Emmanuel transferred most of his powers to his son,
Crown Prince Umberto, in April 1944. Within a year, public opinion forced a plebiscite to decide between retaining the monarchy or becoming a republic. In hopes of influencing the vote, Victor Emmanuel formally abdicated on May 9, 1946. It did not work; 54% of the voters favored declaring a republic in the referendum held less than a month later. The Savoy family was required to leave the country. Taking refuge in Egypt, Victor Emmanuel died in Alexandria in 1947 and was buried there.
The rule of the House of Savoy thus ended with the 1946
referendum by which Italians chose the
republic as the form of state (see also
birth of the Italian Republic). Under the
Constitution of the Italian Republic, male descendants of the House of Savoy were forbidden from entering Italy. This provision was removed in 2002 but as part of the deal to be allowed back into Italy,
Vittorio Emanuele the last claimant to the House of Savoy renounced all claims to the throne.
House of Savoy today
The
Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in
Turin and the neighbourhood are protected as a
World Heritage Site. Although the titles and distinctions of the Italian royal family have been legally abolished, the remaining members of the House of Savoy still insist on using various titles, including the Counts of Savoy, the Dukes of Savoy, the
Kings of Sardinia, and the
Kings of Italy.
Currently the leadership of the House of Savoy is contested by two cousins:
Victor Emmanuel, Prince of Naples, who used to claim the title of King of Italy and Duke
Amadeo of Savoy who still claims the title of the Duke of Savoy. Their rivalry has not always been peaceful - on
May 21,
2004, following a dinner held by King
Juan Carlos I of Spain on the eve of the wedding of his son
Felipe, Prince of Asturias, Vittorio Emanuele punched Amadeo twice in the face.
The remaining members of the House of Savoy have been engulfed in controversy in the twenty-first century. On
June 16,
2006 Vittorio Emanuele was arrested in
Varenna and imprisoned in
Potenza on charges of
corruption and recruitment of prostitutes for clients of the
Casinò di Campione (
casino) of
Campione d'Italia. After several days, Vittorio Emanuele was released and placed under house arrest instead. He was released from house arrest on July 20, but he had to stay inside the Italian borders.
Vittorio Emanuele's son
Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy works in
Geneva as a
hedge fund manager. In 2007, lawyers representing the father and son wrote to Italian President
Giorgio Napolitano seeking damages for their years in exile. During a television interview, Emanuele Filiberto also requested that Roman landmarks such as the
Quirinale palace and
Villa Ada should return to the Savoy family. The Italian prime minister’s office has released a statement stating that the Savoys are not owed any damages and suggesting that Italy may demand damages from the Savoys for their collusion with
Benito Mussolini. The Italian constitution contains a clause stripping the Savoys of their wealth on exile.
List of rulers
Counts of Savoy
Main Branch- Humbert I "Biancamano" ("White hand") : 1003–1047 or 1048
Dukes of Savoy
Kings of Sardinia
Savoy-Carignano BranchKings of Italy
Rulers of other countries
- King Amadeus I of Spain (son of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy) : 1871–1873
- King Tomislav II (Prince Aimone, 4th Duke of Aosta) of Croatia (grandson of Amadeus I of Spain) : 1941–1943
Heads of the House of Savoy since 1946
As of
July 7,
2006, the leadership of the House of Savoy is now contested by two cousins:
See also: Lists of incumbents,
List of Presidents of the Italian RepublicName, motto, titles
Name of the dynasty:
Reale Casa di Savoia
House of Savoy Coat of Arms on 1861 flag of Italy
:
FERTThe Motto is believed an
acronym of
- "Foedere Et Religione Tenemur" (We will be kept together by the [constitutional] pact and by religion)
but others suggest:
- "Fortitudo Eius Rhodum Tenuit" (His strength preserved Rhodes). This refers to Duke Amadeo V "the Great" (1249–1323), who fought against the Saracens at the siege of Rhodes in 1310.
- "Fortitudo Eius Rempublicam Tenet" (His bravery preserves the Republic)
- "Fides Est Regni Tutela" (Faith is the protection of the kingdom)
- The proposed origin from "Femina Erit Ruina Tua" (Woman will be your ruin) is obviously only a satire.
- Another famous spurious satire is "Frappez, Entrez, Rompez Tout!", roughly translated from the French as "Knock, get in, then break everything!" It is supposedly a French witticism mocking the freebooting foreign policies of Duke Vittorio Amadeo II.
Titles of the Crown of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia map
The English translation is:
Victor Amadeus III,
by the Grace of God,
King of Sardinia,
Cyprus,
Jerusalem,
Armenia, Duke of Savoy,
Montferrat,
Chablais,
Aosta and
Genevois,
Prince of
Piedmont and
Oneglia, Marquis (of the
Holy Roman Empire) in Italy, of
Saluzzo,
Susa,
Ivrea,
Ceva, Maro,
Oristano,
Sezana, Count of
Maurienne,
Nice,
Tende,
Asti,
Alessandria,
Goceano,
Baron of
Vaud and
Faucigny, Lord of
Vercelli,
Pinerolo,
Tarentaise,
Lumellino,
Val di Sesia, Prince and perpetual Vicar of the Holy Roman Empire in Italy.
Titles of the Crown of Italy
Victor Emmanuel II,
by the Grace of God and the Will of the Nation,
King of Italy,
King of Sardinia,
Cyprus,
Jerusalem,
Armenia, Duke of Savoy,
count of
Maurienne, Marquis (of the
Holy Roman Empire) in Italy; prince of
Piedmont,
Carignano,
Oneglia,
Poirino,
Trino; Prince and
Perpetual vicar of the Holy Roman Empire; prince of
Carmagnola, Montmellian with Arbin and Francin, prince
bailliff of the Duchy of
Aosta,
Prince of
Chieri,
Dronero,
Crescentino,
Riva di Chieri e Banna,
Busca,
Bene,
Brà,
Duke of Genoa,
Monferrat,
Aosta, Duke of
Chablais,
Genevois, Duke of
Piacenza,
Marquis of
Saluzzo (Saluces),
Ivrea,
Susa, del Maro,
Oristano,
Cesana,
Savona,
Tarantasia,
Borgomanero e
Cureggio,
Caselle,
Rivoli,
Pianezza,
Govone,
Salussola,
Racconigi con Tegerone, Migliabruna e Motturone,
Cavallermaggiore,
Marene,
Modane e
Lanslebourg,
Livorno Ferraris,
Santhià Agliè,
Centallo e
Demonte,
Desana,
Ghemme,
Vigone, Count of
Barge,
Villafranca,
Ginevra,
Nizza,
Tenda,
Romont,
Asti,
Alessandria,
del Goceano,
Novara,
Tortona,
Bobbio,
Soissons,
Sant'Antioco,
Pollenzo,
Roccabruna,
Tricerro,
Bairo,
Ozegna, delle Apertole,
Baron of
Vaud e del
Faucigni,
Lord of
Vercelli,
Pinerolo, della
Lomellina, della
Valle Sesia, del marchesato di
Ceva, Overlord of
Monaco,
Roccabruna and 11/12th of
Menton, Noble
patrician of
Venice, patrician of
Ferrara.
These titles were used during the unified Kingdom of Italy which lasted from 1860–1946.
Dynastic orders
The House of Savoy has held two
dynastic orders since 1434, which were brought into the Kingdom of Italy as national orders. Although the Kingdom of Italy ceased to exist in 1946, King Umberto II did not abdicate his role as
fons honorum over the two dynastic orders over which the family has long held sovereignty and grand mastership. The following are the dynastic orders of the Royal House of Savoy. Today,
HRH Victor Emmanuel, Prince of Naples is hereditary Sovereign and Grand Master of these orders.
Recently, all three of
Victor Emmanuel's sisters (HRH
Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma, HRH
Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, and HRH
Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy) resigned from both of these dynastic orders, alleging that memberships in the orders had been sold to unworthy candidates, a newfound practice they could not abide.
In addition to these, the House of Savoy claims sovereignty over the
Civil Order of Savoy and the
Order of the Crown of Italy (since 1988, the Order of Merit of Savoy), which are merit orders of the Royal House.
See also
