Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-01-17
King Victor Emanuel.

Victor Emanuel Ii, king of Sardinia
trem 1919 and of Italy from 1861 to his
death Jan. 10th, was born in Turin, the
capital of his earlier realm, in 1920. his
father being Charles Albert and his
mother daughter of the grand duke of
Tuscany. His title as heir apparent
was Duke of Savoy, under which name
he distinguished himself for gallantry
IN the field in the war of 1918 with
Austria, when the series of wars, insur-
rectlons and intrigues begun that near
ly twenty years after expelled the last
Austrian from Italy and made ii one
nation under his rule. The disastrous
end of the first outbreak compelled
the abdication of his father in 1919,
when the young Victor Emanuel be-
came king of Sardinia. He negotiated
successful peace with Austria and at
once entered upon a career of internal
reform, aided by his minister Count
Cavour, under whose enlightened and
progressive influence he remained I'M
I'll the latter's death, and to whom the
great results which have since been
accomplished are first of all due. These
earlier schemes included the reorgani-
zatlon of the finances and the army,
the curtailment of clerical privileges,
especially in the monopoly over edu-
cation and the secularization of church
property. The king was excommuni-
Gated by the pope on account of these
proceedings. The foreign policy of
CavOur was no less far-seeing and pro-
ductive of great results to his sovereign
than that at home. 1t first developed
III an alliance with France and England
IN the Crlmean war; which raised Sar-
dinia materially in rank among Euro
pean powers. The next step was the
war of Italian independence in 1859, in
which Sardinia and France joined
against Austria, and in which the king
took personal part and gained general
renoWn for gallantry III the field. At
the battle of Solferino he was personally
opposed to the famous Austrian field
marshal Benedek, whom he defeated
decisively. The peace of Villafranca
gave him Lombardy. France, how
ever demanded Savoy and Nice as a
reward for his aid. The next year,
1860, he annexed the northern duchies
most of the Papal States, and the two
Sicilies, all of these having revolted
against their rulers, the latter through
the efforts of Garibaldi. In March,
1861, Victor Emanuel assumed the
title of king of Italy, and in 1866 re-
moved his capital from Turin to Flor
ence. In 1866 his last accession of
territory from Austria was gained in
the annexation of Venetia after the
seven weeks war in alliance with Prus-
STA, and in 1870 the fall of Louis Napo-
leon gave him the long coveted oppor-
tunity to remove his capital to Rome.
Since that time his efforts have been
mainly directed to reforms of the in
ternal affairs of the kingdom which
have been less prosperous since the
death of Cavour. The kings first wife
was the Archduchess Adelaide of
Austria, who died in 1866. His present
morganatic wife is Rosa Vercellana,
whom he has made countess of Mira
fore, and whom, with her children, are
doubtless the persons 'euphemistically
alluded to as "those who were &C
customed to be near him." The best
known of his royal children are Prince
Humbert who succeeds him SIS king,
and Prince Amadeus, who was for a
short time king of Spain.