House of Savoy

The **House of Savoy** was the ruling dynasty of the Duchy of Savoy, then the Kingdom of Sardinia and later Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1946.

The House of Savoy began in Switzerland in the Middle Ages. The Savoy rose to power in Sicily War of Spanish Succession then gave up Sicily for Sardinia in 1720 later adding Piedmont to their kingdom.

In 1792 they joined the alliance against Napoleon Bonaparte. They were defeated at first but had their kingdom restored after Napoleon was defeated.

In 1859, King Victor Emmanuel II led the unification of Italy and ruled until 1878. His grandson Victor Emmanuel III came to power in 1900 after King Umberto I was assassinated. Victor Emmanuel III was king during both World War I and World War II. He also appointed Benito Mussolini Prime Minister in 1922.

After World War II, public support for the monarchy fell and Victor Emmanuel III abdicated in 1946. His son Umberto II was king for a month before a referendum abolished the monarchy. Today the leadership of the House of Savoy is contested between Victor Emmanuel, Prince of Naples, who is the son on Umberto II, and his cousin Prince Amedeo, Duke of Asota.

There was also a branch of the family that settled in France they were known as the Dukes of Nemours and often had close ties with the Court of Louis XIV.

From 2006 until his death in 2021, Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta was the disputed head of the House of Savoy.

## Related pages

- Church of the Castle of Lierna Lake Como
- Lierna

## Infobox (family)

- **name**: House of Savoy
- **coat of arms**: Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy (1890).svg
- **coat of arms size**: 171px
- **country**: County of Savoy
Duchy of Savoy
Kingdom of Sicily under Savoy, Sicily
Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia
Kingdom of Italy, Italy
Kingdom of France, France
History of Spain (1810–1873), Spain
* Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943), Albania
* Independent State of Croatia, Croatia
* Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem
* Kingdom of Cyprus, Cyprus
* Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, Armenia
- **founder**: Humbert I, Count of Savoy, Umberto I of Savoy
- **current head**: Disputed:
* Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice
* Aimone di Savoia Aosta (born 1967), Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta
- **final ruler**: Umberto II of Italy
- **titles**: * Count of Savoy
(1003–1416)
* Duke of Savoy
(1416–1861)
* King of Cyprus
(1485–1946)
* King of Jerusalem
(1485–1946)
* King of Armenia
(1485–1946)
* King of Sicily
(1713–1720)
* King of Sardinia
(1720–1861)
* _King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland_
(Jacobite succession, Jacobite claim, 1807–1840)
* **King of Italy**
**(1861–1946)**
* King of Spain
(1870–1873)
* Emperor of Ethiopia
(1936–1941)
* King of Albania
(1939–1943)
* King of Croatia
(1941–1943)
- **deposition**: 12 June 1946: Umberto II left Italy as a result of the 1946 Italian institutional referendum, insitutional referendum
- **cadet branches**: * Savoy-Morsini-Del demonico
* Savoy-Carignano
* Duke of Aosta, Savoy-Aosta
* Counts of Villafranca, Savoy-Villafranca-Soissons
* Duke of Genoa, Savoy-Genoa (extinct 1996
* Counts of Villafranca, Savoy-Villafranca (extinct 1888)
* Savoy-Soissons (extinct 1734)
* Savoy-Nemours (extinct 1659)
* Savoy-Racconigi (extinct 1605)
* Honorat II of Savoy, Savoy-Tende (extinct 1580)
* Savoy-Acaia/Achaea (extinct 1418)
* Savoy-Vaud (extinct 1359)