From the Savoy dynasty. King of Sardinia in 1849--1861 it. King of Italy in 1861 --1878 Son of Charles Albert and Teresa of Tuscany. J.: 1) since 1842 Adelaide, daughter of Archduke Rene of Austria (b. 1822. Died 1855); 2) from 1869 Rosa, Countess Mirifiori (born 1833, died 1885). Genus. 1820 Died January 9 1878 Victor Emmanuel took the Sardinian throne after the abdication of his father and the defeats suffered by Piedmontese troops in the war with the Austrians. Having assumed power, he first of all hastened to conclude a truce with the Austrian command. By this he aroused such indignation throughout the country that the deputies refused to approve the treaty. Victor Emmanuel dissolved the House and called new elections, threatening: if they did not give a majority to the moderate factions, the Statute (the constitution granted by his father) would be repealed. The elections justified the king's hopes. Moderates established themselves in the chamber and at court, capable of orienting Sardinia towards broad and important goals for Italy. The king himself, despite his excessive passion for hunting and love affairs, was a courageous man. Not possessing much intelligence, he hid a lot of common sense and insight under a purely soldierly roughness. He understood perfectly well that, protected from the rear by the Alps and supported by France, Piedmont could become a center for rallying all forces for the Italian patriots. To do this, it was necessary to remain a liberal in domestic policy, and in foreign policy - to behave boldly in relation to Austria. He successfully followed these two rules throughout his reign, and this was his historical role in the unification of Italy. Others did the rest for him. Since 1852, the government of the Sardinian kingdom was headed by Count Cavour, who played the same role in Italy as Bismarck played in Germany. Under his leadership, liberal reforms began to be carried out. In foreign policy, Cavour was guided by France, in alliance with which he began the war against Austria in 1859. In three battles the Austrian army was defeated. Peace was signed in Zurich in November. Under its terms, Lombardy came under the rule of the Savoy dynasty. In March 1860, the duchies of Parma, Modena and Tuscany were annexed, in which foreign dynasties fell as a result of the uprising. In April, an uprising began in Palermo. In May, the famous Italian patriot Garibaldi crossed to Sicily at the head of a detachment of volunteers. In October, the Neapolitan army was defeated at Volturno. The southern half of Italy also recognized the power of the Savoy dynasty. In March 1861, Victor Emmanuel was proclaimed King of Italy. For the complete reunification of the country, it remained to take Venice from Austria and take possession of the Papal States with Rome. The king hoped to do this with the help of Prussia and concluded a military alliance with it in 1866. The war began in the summer of that year and was unsuccessful for the Italian army. However, the successful actions of Garibaldi and the defeat of the Austrian army by the Prussians at Sadovaya brought Victor Emmanuel what he wanted - the Venetian region became part of Italy. In 1870, after the defeat of France by Prussia, he annexed Rome.
Victor Emmanuel II - king of Sardinia, then of Italy; eldest son and successor of the king. Born 1820; as crown prince, he bore the title Duke of Savoy. He took part in his father's wars against Austria in 1848 and 1849. and showed great courage. After the defeat at Novara, Charles Albert abdicated the throne in March 1849 in favor of his heir and retired to Spain.
The young king was forced to make peace with Austria; but while the rest of Italy was under the rule or influence of Austria, the great task of liberating Italy from foreign rule, outlined by King Charles Albert, was quietly being prepared in Sardinia. Victor Emmanuel had as his assistant such an outstanding statesman and patriot as Count Cavour, who was first minister in 1852-59 and 1860-61. He diligently sought the support of the Western powers, for which he took part in the Eastern War against Russia. As a result, the representatives of Sardinia were admitted to the Paris Congress of 1856, and Cavour acted here as a clear opponent of Austria.
To strengthen the alliance with France, Victor Emmanuel married his eldest daughter, Clotilde, to Prince Napoleon (January 1859). In the war against Austria that opened soon after (in April 1859), the king had the opportunity to demonstrate his personal courage more than once. By the peace treaty of Villafranca and Zurich he received Lombardy. In the spring of 1860, Tuscany, Parma, Modena and Romagna were annexed to Sardinia; but in order to obtain consent to these acquisitions, Victor Emmanuel had to cede Savoy and Nice to France.
Giuseppe Garibaldi
(1807 - 1882) -
folk hero of Italy,
military leader of the Risorgimento
In May 1860, Garibaldi undertook the conquest of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, inscribing the name of the king on his banner. At the same time, unrest began in the Church Region; the moderate national party turned to Victor Emmanuel for assistance; in September 1860, the Sardinian army occupied the Ecclesiastical Region (with the exception of Rome and its immediate environs). The king, having become the head of the army, crossed the Neapolitan border and on November 7 entered Naples, where Garibaldi renounced his dictatorship in his favor. Before the end of 1860, all of Lower Italy and Sicily were connected to Sardinia. This connection, like all previous ones, was confirmed by popular vote. On March 17, 1861, Victor Emmanuel assumed the title of “King of Italy.”
Soon after this, Cavour died suddenly. The king remained true to his promise to govern in accordance with the will of the people and refrained from any direct unconstitutional interference in the struggle of parliamentary parties (for which he received the nickname “il Re Galantuomo” - the gentleman king). He was, however, a strong supporter of an alliance with France; various attempts at reconciliation with the papal curia (however, without success) should be attributed to his personal influence. According to the resolution of the Franco-Italian convention on September 15, 1864, the residence of the king was transferred from Turin to Florence (in the spring of 1865); this marked the temporary renunciation of the new kingdom's claims to Rome as its true capital. During the war in 1866, Victor Emmanuel, as an ally of Prussia, moved his troops across the Austrian border, but at Custozza on June 24 they were defeated and had to retreat. After the defeat at Königgrätz, Austria expressed its readiness to conclude a separate peace with Italy; but Victor Emmanuel remained a loyal ally of Prussia and continued to wage the war, the Italian fleet being defeated at Lissa. According to the Peace of Vienna (in October), Austria finally abandoned the Venetian region, annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.
When in the fall of 1867 Garibaldi's troops began to threaten Rome, the French again returned to the papal possessions they had cleared. On November 3, 1867, at Mentana, Garibaldi was defeated by combined French and papal troops. The Italian government remained a calm spectator of these events. This caused unrest and demonstrations in Florence and Turin, partly directed against the king himself. In 1868 and 1869, the king took an active part in the negotiations on the conclusion of the Triple Alliance between Italy, Austria and France. All demands of Victor Emmanuel for the removal of French troops from the papal possessions remained in vain until the events of 1870 forced the French to clear Rome, which was subsequently (September 20) occupied by Italian troops and from July 1, 1871 became the residence of the king. Even earlier, the so-called law on guarantees, that is, on the independence of the Pope in spiritual matters, was approved in Florence. By the end of the reign of Victor Emmanuel, the finances, upset by the long struggle for Italian independence, were put in order; control passed from the hands of the right side to the hands of the left without any shocks (1876).
VICTOR EMMANUEL II
From the Savoy dynasty. King of Sardinia in 1849-1861 it. King of Italy from 1861 to 1878. Son of Charles Albert and Teresa of Tuscany. J.: 1) since 1842 Adelaide, daughter of Archduke Rene of Austria (b. 1822. Died 1855); 2) from 1869 Rosa, Countess Mirifiori (born 1833, died 1885). Genus. 1820 Died January 9 1878
Victor Emmanuel took the Sardinian throne after the abdication of his father and the defeats suffered by Piedmontese troops in the war with the Austrians. Having assumed power, he first of all hastened to conclude a truce with the Austrian command. By this he aroused such indignation throughout the country that the deputies refused to approve the treaty. Victor Emmanuel dissolved the House and called new elections, threatening: if they did not give a majority to the moderate factions, the Statute (the constitution granted by his father) would be repealed. The elections justified the king's hopes. Moderates established themselves in the chamber and at court, capable of orienting Sardinia towards broad and important goals for Italy. The king himself, despite his excessive passion for hunting and love affairs, was a courageous man. Not possessing much intelligence, he hid a lot of common sense and insight under a purely soldierly roughness. He understood perfectly well that, protected from the rear by the Alps and supported by France, Piedmont could become a center for rallying all forces for the Italian patriots. To do this, it was necessary to remain a liberal in domestic policy, and in foreign policy, to behave boldly in relation to Austria. He successfully followed these two rules throughout his reign, and this was his historical role in the unification of Italy. Others did the rest for him.
Since 1852, the government of the Sardinian kingdom was headed by Count Cavour, who played the same role in Italy as Bismarck played in Germany. Under his leadership, liberal reforms began to be carried out. In foreign policy, Cavour was guided by France, in alliance with which he began the war against Austria in 1859. In three battles the Austrian army was defeated. Peace was signed in Zurich in November. Under its terms, Lombardy came under the rule of the Savoy dynasty. In March 1860, the duchies of Parma, Modena and Tuscany were annexed, in which foreign dynasties fell as a result of the uprising. In April, an uprising began in Palermo. In May, the famous Italian patriot Garibaldi crossed to Sicily at the head of a detachment of volunteers. In October, the Neapolitan army was defeated at Volturno. The southern half of Italy also recognized the power of the Savoy dynasty. In March 1861, Victor Emmanuel was proclaimed King of Italy. For the complete reunification of the country, it remained to take Venice from Austria and take possession of the Papal States with Rome. The king hoped to do this with the help of Prussia and concluded a military alliance with it in 1866. The war began in the summer of that year and was unsuccessful for the Italian army. However, the successful actions of Garibaldi and the defeat of the Austrian army by the Prussians at Sadovaya brought Victor Emmanuel what he wanted - the Venetian region became part of Italy. In 1870, after the defeat of France by Prussia, he annexed Rome.
Monarchs. 2012
Dedicated to the 186th anniversary of his birth
The first king of a united Italy and St. Andrew's Knight Victor Emmanuel II.
Alexander Rozhintsev
15.3.06
The first king of a united Italy, Most Highly conferred by the Imperial Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, Victor Emmanuel II was born in Turin March 2 (15), 1820, in the family of King Charles Albert of Sardinia (1770-1800) and Duchess Teresa of Tuscany (1801-1855).
Savoy dynasty
The Monarch's family belonged to the oldest Savoy dynasty in Europe, known since the 11th century and bearing the title of counts until 1416, from 1416 to 1720. - the title of the dukes, and in the period from 1720 - the kings of the Kingdom of Sardinia, transformed in 1861 by King Victor Emmanuel II into a single Kingdom of Italy.
The first count of the dynasty (from 1027) about whom there is reliable information was Humbert the White Hand (died between 1042 and 1051). Gradually uniting the Savoyard lands, the descendants of Count Humbert expanded their possessions in the northern and eastern direction - from Lake Geneva to the Italian direction. The august son of Count Humbert Odon established himself in Turin (Piedmont), and since then the House of Savoy owned lands on both slopes of the Alps, controlling the passes leading from France to Italy.
Count Amédée VIII of Savoy (1391-1434) first assumed the title of duke in 1416. Having abdicated the throne, he began to lead the life of a hermit and at the Council of Basel was elected Pope under the name of Felix V (1439-1449).
The House of Savoy has long maintained dynastic ties with the French kings. At the beginning of the 12th century, the great-granddaughter of Count Humbert of Savoy. Adelaide of Savoy became the mother of the French king Francis I. Taking advantage of these, the king presented his claims to the ducal throne to the half-brother of his August mother, Duke Charles III (1504-1553), and in 1538, French troops occupied Savoy and almost all of Piedmont.
Only in 1559 did the French return the conquered lands to the son of Charles III, Duke of Savoy Emmanuel Philibert (1553-1580). Under him, the capital of the Savoy possessions was moved to Turin, and the dynasty began to gradually Italianize.
The House of Savoy received the royal title in the person of Victor Amedee II in 1713. At first he ascended the throne under the name of King of Sicily, and from 1720 as King of Sardinia, for which Sicily was exchanged.
Under King Victor Amedee III (1773-1796), close family ties were established with the French Bourbon dynasty. Two daughters of the king's most august daughters were married to the brothers of the unfortunate king of France, Louis XVI. These were the kings of France, Louis XVIII and Charles X. The eldest son and heir of the King of Sardinia from the House of Savoy married the younger sister of the later murdered French Monarch, Princess Maria Adelaide Clotilde.
In 1798, Piedmont was captured by the troops of revolutionary France and King Charles Emmanuel I was expelled from Turin. However, in 1799, the French were expelled by the Russian Army under the command of Field Marshal A.V. Suvorov. Royal power was restored. However, in 1800, after the departure of Russian troops, dictator Napoleon Bonaparte annexed Piedmont, Parma and the island of Elba to France.
On the defeat of Napoleon's troops, the Congress of Vienna 1814-1815. restored the Kingdom of Sardinia, led by Victor Emmanuel I. However, in March 1821, during an uprising in the kingdom, Victor Emmanuel I was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of the august younger brother of the Duke of Savoy, Charles Felix (1821-1831). Upon the death of the childless Monarch, Charles Albert was proclaimed king, the August father of our hero, a representative of the junior line of the House of Savoy - the Dukes of Carignano 9 separated from the main line of the House at the beginning of the 17th century).
In total, before the accession to the throne of Victor Emmanuel II, the Sardinian kingdom was successively replaced by seven Monarchs: kings Victor Amedee II (reigned 1720-1730), Charles Emmanuel III (1730-1773), Victor Amedee III (1773-1796), Charles Emmanuel IV (in 1796-1802), Victor Emmanuel I (in 1802-1821), Karl Felix (in 1821-1831) and Karl Albert (in 1831-1849).
Sardinian Kingdom
The kingdom was formed with the annexation of Fr. Sardinia. The capital of a sovereign state - Piedmont - at the beginning of the 18th century was a poor agricultural region with small towns and a small economically weak bourgeoisie, but with a centralized and relatively strong state apparatus.
During the end wars against revolutionary France, the Kingdom of Sardinia joined the anti-French coalition in 1792. In 1792, French troops occupied Savoy and Nice, which were annexed to France; in 1798 Piedmont was occupied and then annexed to France. After the fall of the Napoleonic Empire, by decision of the Congress of Vienna, the kingdom was restored to its former borders and with the annexation of the province of Liguria (with Genoa). With the restoration of the House and government, the previously existing legislation was renewed, with decisive punishment for those involved in robberies and murders during the years of occupation by France. The measures of the Monarch caused bitterness and rebellion, called the Piedmontese Revolution of 1821. After his suppression in 1834, supporters of G. Mazzini made a futile attempt to raise a republican uprising in the kingdom.
In the 1840s, the industrial revolution began in Piedmont, and the large agricultural estates that had previously emerged were strengthened. The kingdom became one of the economically developed Italian states with a relatively strong army. The state pursued an independent foreign policy. However, the next European anti-monarchical revolution that began in 1848, spreading from Prussia and Austria to Italy, forced King Charles Albert to issue a constitution and lead the all-Italian national liberation struggle against the Austrian Habsburgs, whose expulsion from Italy was the main prerequisite for the creation of a unified Italian state. However, this led to the defeat of Italian troops in the Austro-Italian war of 1848-1849.
By the time King Victor Emmanuel II came to the throne, the situation in the kingdom was tragic. Italy remained fragmented. The Lombardo-Venetian region was ruled by the Habsburgs, and the minor duchies of Modena, Parma and Tuscany were under Austrian influence and military occupation. There was a French garrison in Rome since 1849.
New Monarch
He received an excellent military and religious education. During the reign of the August Father, Karl Albert, he did not delve into state affairs, but showed a strong will. This was especially evident on the day when the king abdicated the throne after the Battle of Novara on March 11 (24), 1849, leaving his eldest son with a defeated army and a country engulfed in revolution.
The personal efforts of King Victor Emmanuel II to achieve peace with Austria (Austro-Piedmontese Peace Treaty, July 25 (August 7), 1849) contributed to the preservation of the independence of Sardinia, made it possible to further develop parliamentary forms of government here and return the Sardinian kingdom to a leading position in the liberation struggle of Italy against Austria. However, the 29-year-old king had to show great restraint, tact and rare self-control to achieve such results.
Having assumed power, the Monarch first of all hastened to conclude a truce with the Austrian command. By this, the king initially aroused such indignation throughout the country that the deputies refused to approve the treaty. Then King Victor Emmanuel II dissolved the House and called new elections, threatening that if they did not give a majority to the moderate factions, the Statute (the constitution granted by his August father) would be repealed. The elections justified the king's hopes. Moderates established themselves in the Chamber and at the Court, capable of orienting Sardinia towards broad and important goals for Italy.
The king was a courageous man. He hid a lot of common sense and insight under the soldier's rudeness. The monarch understood perfectly well that, protected from the rear by the Alps and supported by France, Piedmont could become a center for rallying all forces for the Italian patriots. To do this, it was necessary to remain a liberal in domestic policy, and in foreign policy - to behave boldly in relation to Austria. He successfully followed these two rules throughout his 28-year reign, and this was his historical role in the unification of Italy.
From 1852 to 1861 until his death, the government of the Sardinian kingdom was headed by Count Camillo Benso Cavour, who played the same role in Italy as Bismarck played in Germany, uniting the country under the scepter of Hohenzollern. Under the leadership of Count Cavour, the national idea of unifying Italy under the rule of the Savoy dynasty was born. To achieve this, liberal reforms began to be skillfully carried out.
In foreign policy, Cavour focused on France, concluding a military alliance with it in July 1858. Previously, seeking military and economic assistance from the latter, the kingdom in 1855 entered the Crimean War of 1853-1856. on the side of France and Great Britain. In alliance with France, the king began a war against Austria in April 1859.
In three battles between April and July 1859, the Austrian army was defeated by the combined Franco-Piedmontese forces. The defeats of the House of Habsburg at Magenta and Solferio incline him to conclude the Peace of Villafranca in July 1859 (29 June (12 July) 1859). And although, according to his terms, the French Emperor Napoleon III left Venice under Austrian rule, the new prime minister fully supported the king in the holy cause of further liberating Italy from Austrian troops.
The diplomatic line of the head of government, Cavour, was aimed at annexing the independent states of Central Italy to Piedmont during the liberation war against Austrian rule.
Unification of the Kingdom
In November, the long-awaited and victorious peace for the kingdom was signed in Zurich. Under its terms, Lombardy came under the rule of the Savoy dynasty.
On March 12 (25), 1860, after a plebiscite, King Victor Emmanuel II annexed the duchies of Parma, Modena and Tuscany, Parma and part of Romagna to Piedmont. Shortly before this, foreign dynasties fell as a result of an uprising. In April, an uprising began in Palermo.
On May 6 (19), 1860, the famous Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi crossed to Sicily at the head of a thousand-strong detachment of volunteers, with the goal of liberating the south of Italy from the power of the Neapolitan Bourbons.
In July, after the capture of Palermo, the Garibaldians controlled almost all of Sicily, except for the east coast. After the battle of July 9 (21), 1860, at Milazzo, the Garibaldians occupied all of Sicily. On August 5 (18), the campaign against Naples begins. Garibaldi's troops land in the south of the peninsula, and on August 26 (September 8) they occupy the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Naples.
On September 19 (October 2), 1860, the Neapolitan army, which remained loyal to the Bourbons, was defeated at Valtourneau. The southern half of Italy recognized the power of the Savoy dynasty.
Thus, by supporting Giuseppe Garibaldi in the annexation of the South, the king ensured the triumph of the Monarchy in Italy. As a result, the Italian parliament, elected in January 1861, proclaimed Victor Emmanuel II on March 5 (18) "by the grace of God and the will of the people" king of Italy.
A new constitution was introduced for all of Italy, modeled on the Piedmontese Constitution of 1848. A bicameral parliamentary system was established. The upper house - the Senate - consisted of princes of the blood and members appointed for life. Deputies to the lower house were elected on the basis of a high property qualification. Initially, the number of voters was only 2.5 percent of the total population. The king had significant executive power and could dissolve parliament at his discretion. The government of the united Italian kingdom was headed by liberals - supporters of Prime Minister Cavour.
Defending the country and the throne
After the death of Count Cavour in June 1861, the king from time to time tried to pursue a policy independent of the ministers who protested against his will. The monarch understood that a long peace was not enough for the complete reunification of the country, since it remained to take Venice from Austria and take possession of the Papal States and Rome. Venice was controlled by the Austrians, and Rome by the French.
In 1862, there was an unsuccessful attempt by Giuseppe Garibaldi to liberate Rome, but there was not enough strength. Then the king decides to do this with the help of Prussia, which by that time was preparing for war with Austria. Through the mediation of Emperor Napoleon III, the king concluded a military alliance with Berlin in 1866.
On June 8 (21) of the same year, Austria attacked Italy and developed an active attack on Verona. The war initially turns out to be unsuccessful for the Italian army. On June 12 (25), at Kustotz, the Italian army under the command of the chief of staff of the army, General La Marmora, suffered a severe defeat from the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Albrecht. However, the successful actions of Giuseppe Garibaldi and the defeat of the Austrian army by the Prussians at Sadovaya brought Victor Emmanuel what he wanted - on September 21 (October 4), Austria was forced to sign the Vienna Peace Treaty, according to which it ceded the Venetian region to the Emperor of France Napoleon III. The latter handed it over to the Kingdom of Italy. So the Venetian region became part of Italy.
In the year of the transformation of Austria into the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867), the king renewed his attempt to capture Rome with the troops of Giuseppe Garibaldi. It will be another four years before the political situation in Europe completely changes.
In 1870, on September 8 (21), after the defeat of France by Prussia, French troops left Rome. On September 20 (October 3), 1870, Rome is declared the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. The Pope retained power only in the Vatican.
After the fulfillment of the Monarch’s cherished dream of the annexation of Rome to a united Italy, a little more than 7 years will pass and December 28 (January 10), 1878 the heart of the first Italian Monarch will stop. He will die in the “eternal city”, where seven years later the grateful Italian people will erect a magnificent monument to the unifying king.
From grateful Italy
Monument to King Victor Emmanuel II under the name " Victorian", and now stands against the backdrop of Piazza Venezia. Designed by D. Sacconi and erected in honor of the United Italy, it is intended to glorify the Monarchy, the Fatherland, the Risorgimento and Military Valor.
Construction of the complex began in 1885, but it took forty years to complete it! The wide central staircase leads to the Altar of the Fatherland and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the ashes of a nameless warrior who gave his life for his Motherland in the Great War of 1915-1918 are buried. There is always a guard of honor here. Above the chapel in the niche is a statue of Rome, and to the left and right of it is a bas-relief by the sculptor Angelo Zanelli, glorifying work and love for the Fatherland. There are fountains on both sides of the main staircase. The right fountain depicts the Tyrrhenian Sea, the left - the Adriatic. Directly opposite this fountain is the tomb of Publication Bibulo from the 1st century BC. In the center of the ensemble stands an equestrian statue of King Victor Emmanuel II by sculptor E. Chiaradia. The massive bas-relief of the base of the statue, created by Maccagnini, represents the main cities of Italy. The extensive colonnade, decorated with allegorical groups representing the regions of Italy, ends with two propylaea with bronze quadrigas bearing the winged Victoria. The building houses the Institute of the History of the Italian Risorgimento, the library and the Central Museum and Archive of the Risorgimento.
Descendants of the Monarch
The Duke of Savoy, titular king of Rome and Jerusalem, king of Sardinia and the first king of Italy left behind him a single, rapidly growing rich state and abundant offspring, whose descendants are still alive.
At the age of 22, on March 31 (April 13), 1842, Duke Victor Emmanuel married Duchess Adelaide of Habsburg, the Emperor's August granddaughter "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" and St. Andrew's Knight Leopold II of Habsburg (1747-1792). From this marriage eight August children were born: six sons and three daughters. The eldest sovereign son became King Umberto I of Italy (1844-1900), and the second became King of Spain under the name Amadeus I (1845-1890). Both the most august sons of the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, as well as himself, were highly conferred with the Russian Imperial Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle.
Having been widowed on January 8 (21), 1855, King Victor Emmanuel remarried on October 26 (November 8), 1868 to Countess Rosa Mirifiori (1833-1885). From this sovereign marriage two August children were born: the first Count of Mirafiori, Emmanuel Philibert and Victoria Margarita.
The descendants of the first king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, still treat Russia and the Royal House of Romanov with gratitude and respect.
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Press service of Novorossiya News Agency/SPGU
Vittoriano (Italian: Il Vittoriano) is a monument in honor of the first king of a united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II. Located in Piazza Venezia in Rome, on the slope of the Capitoline Hill.
The project was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in the Empire spirit of ancient Roman architecture. Construction lasted from 1885 to 1911. Part of the monument is a twelve-meter bronze equestrian statue of the king. Below it is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the so-called “Altar of the Fatherland.” Vittoriano is home to two museums: the Risorgimento and the Banners of the Navy. The monument is characterized by excessive eclecticism and a congestion of various details characteristic of ancient Roman buildings (columns, bas-reliefs, statues, etc.). According to many, the monument stands out among other Roman buildings, so various condescending and contemptuous names for this monument are common among the Romans: “Typewriter” (“Macchina da Scrivere”), “Wedding Cake”, “False Jaws” and others.
The white silhouette of this majestic structure, nicknamed "Victorian", rises against the backdrop of Piazza Venezia. Designed by D. Sacconi and erected in honor of the United Italy, it is intended to glorify the Fatherland, the Risorgimento and Military Valor.
Construction of the complex began in 885, but it took forty years to complete. The wide central staircase leads to the Altar of the Fatherland and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the ashes of a nameless warrior who gave his life for his Motherland in the war of 1915-18 are buried. There is always a guard of honor there. Above the chapel in a niche is a statue of Rome, and to the left and right of it is a bas-relief by the sculptor Angelo Zanelli, glorifying work and love in the fatherland. There are fountains on both sides of the main staircase. The right fountain depicts the Tyrrhenian Sea, the left - the Adriatic. Directly opposite this fountain is the tomb of Publication Bibulo from the 1st century BC. In the center of the ensemble stands an equestrian statue of King Victor Emmanuel II by sculptor E. Chiaradia. The massive bas-relief of the base of the statue, created by Maccagnini, represents the main cities of Italy. The extensive colonnade, decorated with allegorical groups representing the regions of Italy, ends with two propylaea with bronze quadrigas bearing the winged Victoria. The building houses the Institute of the History of the Italian Risorgimento, the library and the Central Museum and Archive of the Risorgimento.
Designed by D. Sacconi and erected in honor of the United Italy, it is intended to glorify the Monarchy, the Fatherland, the Risorgimento and Military Valor. Construction of the complex began in 1885, but it took forty years to complete it! The wide central staircase leads to the Altar of the Fatherland and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the ashes of a nameless warrior who gave his life for his Motherland in the Great War of 1915-1918 are buried. There is always a guard of honor here. Above the chapel in a niche is a statue of Rome, and to the left and right of it is a bas-relief by the sculptor Angelo Zanelli, glorifying work and love for the Fatherland. There are fountains on both sides of the main staircase. The right fountain depicts the Tyrrhenian Sea, the left - the Adriatic.
Directly opposite this fountain is the tomb of Publication Bibulo from the 1st century BC. In the center of the ensemble stands an equestrian statue of King Victor Emmanuel II by sculptor E. Chiaradia. The massive bas-relief of the base of the statue, created by Maccagnini, represents the main cities of Italy.
The extensive colonnade, decorated with allegorical groups representing the regions of Italy, ends with two propylaea with bronze quadrigas bearing the winged Victoria. The building houses the Institute of the History of the Italian Risorgimento, the library and the Central Museum and Archive of the Risorgimento.
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