Victor Emmanuel II

Long ago, a man named Victor Emmanuel lived.

He was a king.

He led a place called Sardinia. He wanted to join many lands together. This made one big country called Italy.

He worked with many people to do this. One man was named Garibaldi. They helped the lands join.

He even made Rome the new capital. This was a very big job.

People called him the Father of the Fatherland. He was a famous leader.

Victor Emmanuel II was a king. He lived a long time ago.

He was first the King of Sardinia. This was a land in Italy. He wanted to join many lands together. He wanted to make one big country.

He worked with a man named Giuseppe Garibaldi. Garibaldi led a group to the south. This helped the lands join. Victor Emmanuel became the first King of Italy in 1861. He also took the city of Rome. He made Rome the new capital in 1871.

People called him the Father of the Fatherland. This was a special name for a leader. He died in Rome in 1878. He was buried in a place called the Pantheon.

His son, Umberto, became the next king.

Victor Emmanuel II was a very important king. He helped bring many different lands together to form one country.

This movement to unite the land is called the Risorgimento. Because he helped create the nation, people called him the "Father of the Fatherland." He was born in Turin in 1820. His father was Charles Albert, the Prince of Carignano.

His mother was Maria Theresa of Austria. He grew up loving politics, the military, and sports.

To make Italy a single nation, he had to work very hard. He appointed a clever man named Cavour as his Prime Minister. Cavour helped modernize the kingdom of Sardinia.

They worked to build strong alliances with other countries. In 1855, they sent troops to help in the Crimean War. This helped them talk to other European powers about Italy. This was a key step in their plan to unite the land. They also made a secret deal with the French Emperor, Napoleon III. This deal helped them fight against Austrian rule in northern Italy.

Many different battles and leaders helped the process.

A famous leader named Giuseppe Garibaldi led a group called the Thousand. They moved into southern Italy and helped the land change. Victor Emmanuel met Garibaldi at a place called Teano. This meeting helped the southern lands join with the north. In 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was officially started. Victor Emmanuel became its very first king on March 17, 1861. He did not change his name to Victor Emmanuel I. He kept his old name instead.

Unification continued through more wars and changes. In 1866, Italy joined a war with Prussia to gain the land of Veneto.

Later, in 1870, the French troops left the city of Rome. This allowed Victor Emmanuel to take control of the Papal States. He entered the city of Rome on September 20, 1870.

He made Rome the new capital of Italy in 1871. The royal family lived in the Quirinal Palace. His reign became much quieter after the country was finally united.

Victor Emmanuel II lived a long and busy life. He died in Rome in 1878.

Just before he died, the Catholic Church lifted his excommunication. This was a serious religious penalty he had received earlier. He was buried in the famous Pantheon building. His son, Umberto I, became the next king of Italy.

Today, a huge monument stands in Rome to honor him. It is called the Victor Emmanuel II Monument.

Victor Emmanuel II was the first king of a united Italy. He led the movement to bring many separate lands together into one nation. This movement is known as the Risorgimento. Because of his role in this unification, Italians gave him the title "Father of the Fatherland." He was born in Turin on March 14, 1820. His father was Charles Albert, the Prince of Carignano. His mother was Maria Theresa of Austria.

Victor Emmanuel grew up with an interest in politics and the military. He fought in the First Italian War of Independence between 1848 and 1849. After his father abdicated the throne in 1849, Victor Emmanuel became the King of Sardinia. He worked quickly to stabilize his new position. He replaced his Prime Minister, Claudio Gabriele de Launay, with Massimo D'Azeglio. Later, in 1852, he appointed a very important strategist named Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour.

Cavour was essential to the king's success. He used ideas like liberalism and nationalism to modernize the Kingdom of Sardinia. Cavour wanted to expand the power of the House of Savoy. To do this, he sought strong alliances with other European powers. In 1855, Victor Emmanuel sent troops to join Britain and France in the Crimean War. This deployment included the Battle of the Chernaya on August 16, 1855. By participating in this conflict, Sardinia earned a seat at the peace conference in Paris. This allowed the king to discuss Italian unification with other nations.

Diplomacy led to military action against Austrian rule. In 1858, Cavour and the French Emperor Napoleon III met secretly at Plombières-les-Bains. They agreed that France would help Sardinia fight Austria. In exchange, Sardinia would give France the territories of Savoy and Nice. This led to the Second Italian War of Independence. While the war was a mix of success and setback, it helped liberate Lombardy. The Treaty of Turin in March 1860 eventually confirmed the transfer of Nice and Savoy to France.

Unification grew even faster through the actions of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Garibaldi led the "Expedition of the Thousand" in 1860. His forces caused the rapid fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in southern Italy. Victor Emmanuel supported this movement but stopped Garibaldi from attacking Rome. Rome was part of the Papal States and was protected by French troops. In 1860, several central Italian areas like Tuscany and Modena chose to join Sardinia. After the Battle of Castelfidardo, Victor Emmanuel's forces moved through Marche and Umbria. This conflict led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church.

On March 17, 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was officially established. Victor Emmanuel II became its first king. He met Garibaldi at Teano to receive control of southern Italy. He chose to keep his name as Victor Emmanuel II rather than becoming Victor Emmanuel I of Italy. This choice was seen by some as a sign that Piedmont-Sardinia was taking over the peninsula. The unification process continued through further conflicts. In 1866, Italy joined the Third Italian War of Independence. This helped the nation annex the territory of Veneto.

The final major step occurred in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. When French troops withdrew from Rome, Victor Emmanuel took the opportunity to capture the Papal States. He entered Rome on September 20, 1870. He established Rome as the new capital of Italy on July 2, 1871. The royal family resided in the Quirinal Palace. After these events, the king's role in daily governing began to decrease. The power of Parliament grew as ministers became responsible to it rather than just the crown.

Victor Emmanuel II died in Rome in 1878. Just before his death, the Catholic Church lifted his excommunication. He was buried in the Pantheon.

His son, Umberto I, succeeded him as king. To honor his legacy, a massive monument was built in Rome. It is called the Victor Emmanuel II Monument and contains the Altare della Patria.

His life remains a central part of Italian history.