The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-24
ROsALIA DI MIRAFIORI.
The Part She Played In Italian PoIitics-His
torical Letters Rurned hy King Hum bert

The Part She Played in italian PoIitics-His-
tOrical Letters Burned by King Humbert
Paris Letter in New York W orld
The Italian journals announced few DAYS ago
the death of woman who played an important
role in her time-the Countess Rosalia Di Mira
fiori, morgauatic wife of the late King Victor
Emmanuel She died at Pisa in the house Of
her daughter the Marchesa Spinola. She was
the daughter of drum ma or of the National
Guard, and first attracted the notice of the King
in the city of Turin, where her father was sta
toned Victor Emmanuel. whose gallantries
gained him the sobriquet of II Re Galantuomo
formed lason with her. installed her in the
Mandria. villa in the environs of Turin. then
his capital. and created her Countess of Mirafiori
He lived with her in the most ostentatious man
ner. somewhat like the late Gar of Russia with
Mime. Dolgorouki. All the influences of state
were used TO induce his Majesty to break off re-
lations with the Countess, but'without avail.
She bore him two children Count Victor En-
manuel, of Mirafori, who married Miss Blanche
Di Lardarel of Florence, and the Marchesa
Spinola, who married two brothers in sue
ceSsion.
After the death of his wife, Queen Adelaide,
Victor Emmanuel was taken seriously i'll in his
hunting palace of San Rossore. and, having
called in his confessor, the latter compelled his
Majesty to legalZe his relations with the
Countess by marrying her. This created a great
Juror throughout Italy, and was vehemently op-
posed by the Kings legitimate children His
ganatlcally, even sought, att the suggestion of
Signor Ratazzi, to have her proclaimed, Queen in
order ito democratize the monarchy" but the
opposition to this project was too great to ignore
The Countess remained the morganatic wife of
the King, and lived with him at the palace, but
she could not appear at court. She was a
woman of engaging manners, though wholly un-
cultured, and generous and kindly toward every
body She was quite popular in Italy among
all classes of society When speaking of the
King she always called him her Victor, and the
people called her Rosa for short. Victor EN-
manuel declared that he especially loved her be-
cause she understood his untamable temper
meut, excused his foibles and subjected him to
no rules of etiquette, which he detested. She
always furnished him with good. plain dinner
which he liked, and her house was the only place.
he was wont to repeat, where he could throw off
the restrictions of royalty feel himself at home,
and enjoy the luxury of living like common peo-
pie.
The Countess was very beautiful in her
younger years, and she was always proud of her
relations with the King, before her marriage
as much as after. This feeling was mutual.
however His Majesty preferred the children of
the Countess to his legitimate children and on
one remarked, in presence of dis
tinguished company totally unconscious of the
implied scandal: 'See, these are the children of
love- the children of the people; how beautiful
they are These Others, on the contrary are the
children of the state, the children of duty
What wretched looking things they are!" The
Countess, on another occasion, pointing to her
son, in company. exclaimed: See the bushy
hair he has; just like Vctor's!" Rosa's influence
over the King even extended to political affairs
but she was shrewd enough in this respect to
know where to draw the line. She never sought
to interfere in matters of grave import. She
was surrounded by little court of her own,
comprising second-class lawyers, doctors and
merchants, and that class of petty parasites that
hang about the fringes of royalty Among these
she assumed all the airs of an empress Sur
rounded by this ridiculous suite, she was fond of
appearing in second-class theaters, blazing with
jewels, with plumes of immense size waving
from her bonnet, and in toilet of the most exc
cradle TASTE generally embracing all the colors of
the rainbow. Lest she might not sufficiently at
tract attention, she would talk in peacock tones
till the actors sometimes had to stop. and at
times she would rise in her seat, adjust her lorg
nette and calmly survey every one from the stage
to the door.
Since the death of King Victor Emmanuel she
has lived retired life at the Mandria, and had
come to be almost forgotten. King Humbert