History of Fidenza and Milan

**The Kingdom of Fidenza and Milan** is known for its long and rich history as the dominant power in the Italian Peninsula since the early and middle of the 15th century. Beginning as a state of the Holy Roman Empire as the Duchy of Milan, expansionist and developmental policies of Dukes of Milan following Duke Filippo Maria I caused the state to rapidly grow in power and size until becoming the sole rulers of the whole of Italy. The Kingdom has long been ruled by the House of Visconti, which is now known officially as the House of Visconti-Urbino after Queen Maria and King Ludovico III's compromise on the house of their children. These two houses, which ruled Milan and Fidenza for years each, became one of the most prestigious and powerful dynasties in Europe.

Despite this relative stability, the house has been shaken a few times in history due to multiple things; succession crises, civil war and other types of infighting. The dynasty has also spread to other nations outside of Italy, such as on three occasions taking power in the elective Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

## Monarchs of Fidenza and Milan

### **Monarchs as Duke/Duchess of Milan**

#### **Duke Gian I di Visconti, 1395 - 1402**

Gian I was the first hereditary Duke of Milan after in 1385 he deposed his uncle, Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan. With the support of the Holy Roman Empire, Gian became the first sovereign of the Duchy of Milan, paving the way for the modern Kingdom of Fidenza. While his reign was short, he still accomplished much in the development in the wealth and prestige of Milan. Gian also had dreams of a revived Lombard Empire, which would greet him with much hostility in Northern Italy. He conquered many of his neighbours through war, but after his death his growing territory fragmented and Milan was left back in its original position.

Gian I married firstly Isabelle de Valois, who he had one surviving child with, Valentina Visconti. He then married Caterina Visconti, his cousin, who he had two sons with, both who'd become Dukes of Milan. Gian II and Filippo I.

#### **Duke Gian II di Visconti, 1402 - 1412**

Duke Gian II inherited the Duchy of Milan after the death of his father, Gian I, in 1402, at age 13. His Duchy soon disintegrated due to infighting and battling over the succession. The Duchy would still exist in name, but would be plagued by infighting and the amount of territory controlled by the Duke himself would eventually be limited to the City of Milan itself and some surrounding countryside. The Duke's reign was uneventful and weak, his mother as regent was killed in 1404 as part of a plot. Multiple plots were raised against the Duke, mostly by Condottieri commanders such as Facino Cane, who ended up controlling much of Milan. Gian II died in 1412, and the Duchy would be reunited under his successor, his brother, Filippo Maria.

Gian II married Antonia Malatesta of Cesena, with whom he never had any children.

#### **Duke Filippo I di Visconti, 1412 - 1447**

Filippo I, Duke of Milan, succeeded to the Ducal seat after the death of his elder brother, Gian II Maria of Milan. When Facino Cane, the Condottieri commander who had took arms against Gian II, fell ill in 1408, he had his troops swear loyalty to Filippo, who was expected to succeed to the Duchy. If not, Filippo would become their new commander. Filippo did succeed in the Duchy, and thus when Facino Cane died, the Condottieri effectively became a Milanese army. Filippo I initiated a policy of "Milanese Expansionism", which was something almost unknown to the Italian city states in the age. Filippo I waged war against his neighbours, expanding his ducal demesne vastly across Northern Italy. Despite his military expertise and conqueror lifestyle, he was noted for political incompetence. He was succeeded by his son, Francesco I.

Filippo I married firstly Beatrice di Tenda who he himself had tortured and killed. They had no issue. He secondly married Marie di Savoia, with whom he had three children, including his successor, Francesco I di Visconti.

#### **Duke Francesco I di Visconti, 1447 - 1462**

Francesco I succeeded in the Duchy of Milan after the death of his father, Filippo I. With the political strife of his uncle and years of war of his father over, Francesco I turned to developing good government and centralised power in his realm. Under him, the concept for the Ministerial Council was laid down, but was simply an advisory council of the highest men of the Duchy. Francesco I's government became unique and unheard of to any of the other Italian states. This led to weak states which were susceptible to conquest, which Francesco I took advantage of. Central Italy was plagued with dozens of tiny city states surrounding the Papal State, the lands ruled over by the Pope. These were conquered swiftly and effectively, but being pious, Francesco I dared not to attack the Pope. Renaissance art blossomed in Francesco I's reign, and his government became the foundation for modern government.

Francesco I married Francoise de Valois, daughter of Charles VII of France. This marriage led to the traditional friendship between the Visconti and the Valois. They had seven children, notably Duke Francesco II and the first Duchess, Isabella I.

#### **Duke Francesco II di Visconti, 1462 - 1484**

Francesco II succeeded to his father's strong, stable and powerful Duchy in 1462, at the age of just eight. The youngest son of his father, his elder brothers had all predeceased him. His mother, Francoise de Valois, was appointed regent for the Duke's minority. Francoise, however, was known to be essentially mad by this point. His reign was 22 years long, but for 20 years of this reign, Francoise would refuse to give up power. Even though her son had long surpassed the age of majority, Francoise clinged onto power by bribing officials and her supporters to stick with her. Eventually, however, Francesco II made his move. He was now 28, and was done with his mother's grip onto power in Milan. Francesco II himself murdered Francoise, giving himself final control of the Duchy.

Francesco II married Maria de Trastamara, Princess of Castile, but had no issue, leaving the Duchy to his sister, Isabella.

#### **Duchess Isabella I di Visconti, 1484 - 1487**

Isabella I succeeded to the Duchy of Milan after the death of her brother, the childless Francesco II. Her succession had come only because of her favour with her mother, Francoise de Valois, who clung onto power as regent for 20 years of Francesco II's reign, where she had prohibited him from marriage, and by the time he did marry, it was too late. Isabella was sickly, skinny and weak of stature and of mind. Her reign, thus, was dominated by her husband, Francois de Bourgogne. Francois, however, was similar to Francoise de Valois of the previous reign. He wanted his favoured people to inherit the lands, and he wanted to control Isabella. Thus, their marriage would never be consummated. When she fell ill, he tried to make her decree that her successor would be Francois, but she never did as she was too weak.

Isabella I married Francois de Bourgogne, with whom she had no issue.

#### **Duke Gian III di Visconti, 1487 - 1502**

Gian III inherited the Duchy after Isabella I's death without issue. Gian was Isabella's cousin, and as the Visconti descendant from Francesco I and Francoise de Valois died out, he was the closest relative to inherit the land. Thus, he did, and he was one of the most successful rulers of Milan up to that point. He began with political reform, being the first ruler to declare an absolute monarchy, stripping the local nobles of their power and making the Ministerial Council even more of an advisory body than before, much to the outrage of his vassals.

Gian III faced a rebellion of the nobles in 1492, which was quickly put down thanks to Gian's military expertise and his vast numbers in armed forces. He then turned to expansion, and was the first ruler to challenge the Republic of Florence, which resulted in a long and gruelling war. However, as the Siege of Firenze began, the Medici of Florence chose to surrender to the Milanese in exchange for the safety of the city.

Gian III married Francesca Sforza, with whom he had twelve children, though there were only three of note. Ludovico I, Count Gian of Parma and Maria, who would go on to be wed to the King of France.

### **Monarchs as King/Queen of Milan**

#### **Duke/King Ludovico I *the Great* di Visconti, 1502 - 1520**

Ludovico I, first King of Fidenza and Milan, first succeeded to the Duchy of Milan after the death of his father, Gian III. By this time, the Duchy of Milan was strong, rich, prosperous and stable. Most of Northern Italy was now under Milanese control. Ludovico I expanded into Southern Germany, going to war with the Habsburgs, taking more territories north of Venice. He, also, was the first Milanese ruler to challenge the Pope, personally marching into Rome in 1510.

After his conquest, he proclaimed Milan to now be a Kingdom, as it had grown in enough prestige and power to be recognised as such. Ludovico I, arguably, was the most successful monarch up to that point, now owning half of Italy, mostly in the North, as well as claiming the de jure crowns of Sardinia and Lombardy. Ludovico I also greatly expanded the Kingdom's wealth, and left it in a powerful position.

Ludovico I married Giovanna d'Este, with whom he'd have no children, despite many children with mistresses. He'd be succeeded by his sister, Isabella.

#### **Queen Isabella II di Visconti, 1520 - 1523**

Isabella II succeeded to the throne of Milan after the death of her brother, Ludovico I, who had no legitimate children despite countless with many mistresses. Isabella ascended to a Kingdom of prosperity, wealth and culture, an ideal place to be in. However, many of her cousins and uncles were discontent with this, and plots began to form against the Queen. The Queen was well-educated and intelligent, and began increasing Fidenza's trade surplus, but was faced with constant opposition.

There were nine attempts on Isabella's life in all, the first four were attempted stabbings, the fourth was an attempted shooting, the fifth was an attempted kidnapping, the sixth was an attempted carriage crash, the seventh was an attempted coup, the eighth was an almost successful stabbing, but the queen was confused with a noble lady, and the wrong woman was stabbed. In the ninth, she was killed when her carriage was sent flying off a cliff.

Isabella II never married, so was succeeded by her cousin, Cosimo.

#### **King Cosimo I *the Fair* di Visconti, 1523 - 1540**

Cosimo I succeeded the throne after the assassination of his cousin, Queen Isabella II, and it was rumoured that he himself had his cousin assassinated. Immediately after taking the throne, Cosimo began a campaign against Spain over Naples. This dragged him into war with Austria and Spain, but Cosimo's alliance with the French protected him. When the war was won, this made Cosimo the King of Naples, uniting most of the Italian peninsula, aside from a few Northern Duchies and Sicily.

Cosimo I also, with his colonial policies, in a feat of magnificent naval engineering, managed to land Milanese men in South America, which led him into competition with Portugal, who was claiming all of Brazil. This, too, would lead to war which was easily won by Milan, bringing much of the Northern Coast of Brazil under Milanese control.

Cosimo I married Amalia von Habsburg, of the Austrian Habsburgs, after the treaty with Austria. They had 12 children, most notably Filippo II, who would go on to unite all of Italy under one Kingdom.

#### **King Filippo II *the Young* di Visconti, 1540 - 1545 *(first reign)***

King Filippo II ascended the throne at age twelve, of a Milan now ruling most of the Italian peninsula. Being only twelve, Filippo II was appointed a regent, his uncle, Francesco. By this point, the House of Visconti was shaken. People became worried by the decreasing number of adult members of the house, leaving the House of Visconti in a crisis. It also became worrying when many members of the House of Valois began to flood to the Milanese court, and a plot was suspected. Most notable was Louis de Valois, who at home was Duke of Orleans, who led the group.

Filippo II's government was now in turmoil, the French intrusion left tension within court and led to the downfall of the House of Visconti. In 1544, Filippo II came of age and almost immediately went on campaign against what was left of the Papal States, which led the French Valois' to make their move, seizing control in the capital and taking the throne. Filippo II's war was abandoned, and he fled to the village of Fidenza, where he was given refuge.

#### **King Louis I *the Usurper* de Valois, 1545 - 1552**

Louis I could not secure every domain in the Kingdom, but had overall control. With this, he spread his dynasty into Italy and began a hunt for fleeing Visconti members. This, however, was worrying for the Habsburgs who ended up at conflict with Louis and his French relatives, not wishing to cause France to end-up with a powerful puppet. Milan and France ended up in a costly war against Austria and Spain, but this was not Louis' only problem. Louis did not even speak Italian, and this caused outrage with the people and the nobility.

Milan under Louis was weak and unstable, and lost many of its holdings. Filippo II had fled to the town of Fidenza for a time, before fleeing to Napoli, where he reigned as King of Naples, as he had kept hold of the South and that title. Filippo II was gathering support in his homeland, and Louis' position became increasingly precarious. French troops marched into Milan and began an occupation, replacing Louis I, for his cousin, also named Louis.

Louis I married Francoise d'Orleans prior to his ascension. They'd have 7 children, none of which would occupy the throne.

#### **King Louis II *the Hated* de Valois, 1552 - 1553**

Louis II took the precarious French-occupied Milanese throne after the French occupation of Milan deposed his cousin, Louis I. He, immediately, was thrown into a chaotic mess of Milanese politics, and resentment from his subjects due to the French occupation. Furthermore, the legitimate King of Milan, Filippo II, still held all the titles he held aside from Milan, which left him with a strong foothold in South and Central Italy, as well as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Louis II was under attack and it was clear to many, even himself, that he would not last for long. Louis had been forced onto the throne reluctantly, and after eight months, increasing pressure internally and externally forced him to abdicate and return to France, where he would be executed for treachery by the French King.

Louis II married Amelie de Bourbon prior to ascension, with whom he'd have four children, none of which would inherit.

### **Monarchs as King/Queen of Fidenza**

#### **King Filippo II *the Restorer* di Visconti, 1553 - 1555 *(second reign)***

When the French Valois lost the throne of Milan, Filippo II was welcomed back with open arms by the Milanese. Filippo II's first action, realising that his disjointed titles were affecting the stability of the nation, united them all into one, new, kingly title. He declared himself *"King of Fidenza",* a title which he named after the town of Fidenza, which gave him refuge during the French occupation before he could safely pass to Naples. With his Kingdom reunited, it came back stronger than ever before, and bounced back into grandeur.

Filippo II, however, was plagued with ill health and a weak physique, and only at the age of 25 he was constantly ill. This led to Filippo II being unable to accomplish much of note, but in between periods of illness he began great political reform, centralising the role of King and beginning to pull away power from the feudal lords of the Kingdom. This was met with anger by the nobles, but Filippo II was able to accomplish much of note before he took ill with gout. This would kill him, and he'd die in 1555, after only 2 years of his restored reign.

Filippo II married Giovanna de' Medici while King of Naples, with whom he would have no children. Due to this, there'd be a small succession crisis before he'd be succeeded by his cousin, Francesco.

#### **King Francesco III *the Magnificent* di Visconti, 1555 - 1576**

Francesco III ascended the Fidenzan throne after the death of his cousin, Filippo II. Shortly after his ascension, he was declared King of Spain in the midst of a succession crisis in Spain. Although Francesco knew that this would not last long, he took advantage of his position by transferring numerous Spanish colonies to direct control by the Fidenzan crown. When, after two years, he lost the Spanish crown, he retained the colonies he had taken. Francesco III was praised at home as shrewd and thrifty, while the Spanish cursed his name. This produced vast wealth, and Francesco used this to expand into the Balkan provinces and to challenge the Ottoman Empire. He firstly expanded into the Mediterranean, taking many islands, which would lead to war with the Ottoman Empire, this was won, granting Fidenza lots of prestige.

Francesco III married firstly Antoinetta Grimaldi, with whom he'd have four children, notably Ludovico II and Cosimo II, and then Maria Sforza, with whom he'd have two more children.

#### **King Ludovico II *the Weak* di Visconti, 1576 - 1577**

Ludovico II ascended the throne after the death of his father, the shrewd, thrifty and clever Francesco III. Francesco III had left behind a Kingdom more stable, rich and strong than ever before. For many, it was a Fidenzan golden age, but Europe scorned the Kingdom for its power, except their traditional allies. Ludovico II was weak and sickly, and his reign was so short that there is no official portrait of him left. However, his reign did see the beginning of the rebuilding of Fidenzan-French Relations after the Valois held the state for ransom during the reigns of Louis I and Louis II.

Ludovico II's reign also saw the beginning of new technological developments stemming from Fidenza, and the beginning of new art and fashions stemming out of the renaissance styles and into new styles, somewhat unique to Fidenza. Most of these achievements, however, were not achieved by Ludovico himself, mostly by his lords. Ludovico II's reign brought Fidenza deathly close to going backward and removing the reforms of Filippo II and Franceco III at the hands of angered lords. Ludovico II however, would die before they could succeed.

Ludovico II never married, and thus was succeeded by his brother, Cosimo.

#### **King Cosimo II *the Terrible* di Visconti, 1577 - 1580**

Cosimo II ascended the throne after the early death of his weak, infertile and sickly brother, Ludovico II. Cosimo II's reign began a reign of terror in Fidenza, to assimilate the nobles. Hundreds of executions were carried out, conscription of children was put into place, the Royal treasure began extracting tax from lands and leaving nobles impoverished.

This led to a noble revolt, which rapidly gained leverage, and combined armies of nobility seized large chunks of the Kingdom. The final nail in the coffin for Cosimo II's reign was the defection of the army officers. Cosimo was forced to rely on condottieri to put down the revolt, which would never happen as the revolt continued to grow. Cosimo II, infamously as his final act as the rebel armies grew outside the gates of the capital, killed his wife in a fit of rage before jumping out of a window.

Cosimo II married Antoinette d'Orleans, with whom he'd have three children, most notably Francesco IV.

#### **King Francesco IV *the Benevolent* di Visconti*, 1580 - 1592***

Francesco IV succeeded to the throne after the suicide of his father, Cosimo II, when faced with a giant mob in protest of his policies. When he appeared on the balcony of the palace in Milan, calling out that the King was dead, the mob dispersed, and the army ended their mutiny, swearing loyalty to Francesco. Francesco sought to end the stings of his father's short reign, by reinstating many of the rights of the nobles taken away by Cosimo II.

Abroad, Francesco IV continued to conquer into the Balkans, which again brought him to conflict with the Ottoman Empire, which had now begun ailing as a superpower as a result of continued Christian conquests. The war grew, and resulted in most of Christendom invading the Ottoman Empire. Francesco IV also made first Fidenzan contact with Ming China, beginning trade between his own traders and the authorities of the Wanli Emperor in China.

Francesco IV married Beatrice d'Este, with whom he would have two children, both of whom would rule Fidenza, Emmanuele I and Maria I (with her husband, Ludovico, as co-monarch)

#### **King Emmanuele I *the Unready* di Visconti, 1592 - 1605**

Emmanuele I succeeded his father, Francesco IV, to the Fidenzan throne in 1592. He was only five at the time, and thus a regency was instated. His mother, Beatrice d'Este, was made regent of the Kingdom. He also had an older sister, Maria, who was 13 at the time. The regency period was stable and prosperous, but it would be like the Kingdom was on autopilot for ten years, and when it came time for manual control, everything spiralled out of control.

When the regency ended, Emmanuele I was unready, unprepared and untrained for his lofty position. The fifteen year old relied heavily on his elder sister, Maria (who would go on to become queen), to govern the nation, as well as his wife, Marie Louise de Bourbon. Emmanuele was not talented, or particularly gifted at anything, other than hunting. He adored hunting, and eventually abdicated his throne in favour of his sister Maria and her husband Ludovico, Duke of Urbino. He lived until 1651.

Emmanuele I married Marie Louise of France and had 4 children, all after his abdication.

#### **Queen Maria di Visconti and King Ludovico III di Urbino, 1605 - 1642**

Queen Maria succeeded to the throne of Fidenza after the abdication of her brother, Emmanuele I. It was an interesting time in Fidenzan politics, as Emmanuele was the first monarch to abdicate the throne. It also created an issue regarding the ruling house, as Maria's children with her husband were of the House of Urbino. In Emmanuele I's Instrument of Abdication, it stated that the House of Visconti would continue to rule in Fidenza, and all of Maria's children would become part of a new House of Visconti-Urbino, which would keep being referred to as Visconti.

Maria had always relied on her husband, and in return for Ludovico accepting all his children being made into the House of Visconti-Urbino, he was made co-monarch, and became known as King Ludovico III. Their reign was long and prosperous, allowing the growth of the dynasty, the population, the production output of Fidenza, and trade in the Mediterranean. Fidenza became far richer and stronger during their reigns, and their joint reign is revered as one of the most stable times in Fidenzan history.

Maria and Ludovico III were married together, and they had thirteen children, most notably Francesco V.

#### **King Francesco V *the Soldier-King* di Visconti-Urbino*,* 1642 - 1672**

Francesco V, who is now hailed as the beginning of Modern Fidenza, inherited the throne from his mother, Queen Maria. His father, Ludovico III, had died eight years earlier and thus there was no issue with inheritance. Francesco, from an early age, had been taught about war and conquest on the wish of his father, but also of administration and rulership on the wish of his mother. Francesco was intelligent, strong and well-built. The first thing he turned to was centralisation, where he massively extended the Palazzo Reale in Milan, and called all nobles to live there as a royal court. Francesco V's reign would see the proper establishment of a royal court and true centralisation. He would be the beginning of absolute monarchy in Fidenza.

Francesco V then would turn to war, beginning conquest in the Balkans and Mediterranean. As well as this, he'd end up in conflict with Habsburg Spain over the ownership of colonies in South America and the Caribbean, a small conflict which would be won by Fidenza. Then, a conflict over Switzerland broke out, as Francesco would begin conquest in Switzerland, which would bring the Holy Roman Emperor to war with him. Fidenza and France would be against Austria, Spain and their allies. The war was difficult, but Francesco V, with his military education, commanded his army in person. The war was won, but he died in battle at the age of 73, leading his troops into glory for the last time.

Francesco V married Maria Carlotta von Habsburg, with whom he'd have nine children. None of these children would wear the crown or take the throne. He later married Lamberta d'Apulia, where he had six additional children, with whom he'd notably have Kings Emmanuele II and Filippo III.

#### **King Emmanuele II *the Magnanimous* di Visconti-Urbino*,* 1672 - 1678**

Emmanuele II became King in 1672 after the death of Francesco V *the Soldier-King.* Emmanuele II was a sharp contrast to his father, disliking war and conflict and preferring peace-time and internal growth. Development, technology and population growth flourished during Emmanuele II's reign. The Royal Court also flourished, becoming larger and more elaborate than ever. He also established multiple new civil orders, such as the *Order of King Francesco V* and the *Order of the Golden Crest,* two existing prestigious Fidenzan military and civil orders.

Emmanuele II's reign, although short, was a peaceful and prosperous era for Fidenza. The nation was politically stable, the nobility were appeased, and the people were happy and well-fed. This was more than could be said for some nations. Furthermore, the nation was growing colonially, with more colonies being established in South America and the Caribbean, where Fidenza was becoming more prevalent. Emmanuele II, however, died young before being able to accomplish much of note.

Emmanuele II married Maria von Wettin, with whom he had one child.

#### **King Filippo III *the Prudent* di Visconti-Urbino*,* 1678 - 1714**

Filippo III succeeded to the throne of Fidenza after the death of his initially childless elder brother, Emmanuele II. Filippo was easily influenced and weak-willed, but nonetheless kept up the stability enjoyed in his brother's reign. Almost immediately after his ascension, a succession crisis was formed when Emmanuele II's widow, Maria, gave birth to a son. However, the Duke of Calabria smothered the child to death, which caused the Queen-Dowager to flee the nation after the King issued a royal pardon for the offense. Civil War was averted.

Colonial expeditions continued under Filippo III, and some of the first Fidenzan expansion into North America occurred. War with Great Britain would bring Fidenza into control of much of the Southern Thirteen Colonies, making Fidenza very wealthy. The only thing the King truly had his own view on was colonialism, which he viewed very favourably. Otherwise, his favourites dominated politics, including many nobles and his queen, Isabelle Marie. He also fought in the War of the Spanish Succession, where his brother, Carlo Amedeo, was made King of Spain, initiating Visconti rule in Spain. This was scorned by the Habsburgs, but they were defeated once again by Fidenza.

Filippo III married firstly Giovanna of Palermo, with whom he'd have no surviving children, and secondly he'd marry Isabelle Marie of France, with whom he would have 12 children, notably Pope Urban IX, Maria Eloisa, Queen of Spain, Maria Filippa, Duchess of Burgundy and Dauphine of France and also Giovanni Leonardo, who was his heir but died before Filippo himself. Giovanni Leonardo was the grandfather of King Francesco VI.

#### **King Francesco VI *the Beloved* di Visconti-Urbino*,* 1714 - 1761**

Francesco VI ascended the throne aged two after the death of his great-grandfather, Filippo III. There was a regency for the first fourteen years of his reign, which was first a co-regency between his great-grandmother Isabelle Marie and his mother, Maria Carolina, and after the death of Isabelle Marie, Maria Carolina became sole regent. There was a War over the succession in 1725, which was won by Francesco. On his ascension, it was made clear that this was a new era, through newly devised ceremonies and the public being allowed to view the Royal Coronation.

Francesco VI fought many wars against the Ottoman Empire, which by now was being called "the sick man of Europe". The Great Ottoman War (1732 - 1739), which eventually became known as the Tenth Crusade, as many Catholic States flocked to the conflict. The peace was crushing on the Ottomans, with the forcible release of Greece and Jerusalem, the latter of which Francesco VI would be proclaimed King of himself, as well as the expansion of Fidenzan holdings in the Balkans. Francesco has become beloved by his subjects over time, leaving the nation stable and prosperous. He'd die in battle in 1761.

Francesco VI married Maria Elisabeth of Saxony, with whom he'd have ten children, none of whom would inherit.

#### **King Emmanuele III di Visconti-Urbino, 1761 -**

Emmanuele III was never expected to inherit anything. He was born the second son of Francesco, Duke of Savoy who was the son of Francesco VI. However, when his brother was deceased and his father and grandfather both died in battle, he was the legitimate heir left. Thus, at the age of just fourteen, Emmanuele was declared King. Arrogant, proud and lazy, Emmanuele exasperated his advisers and his regent, now Dowager Queen Maria Elisabetta. Getting him to do anything was a chore in itself.

The King himself said to his long-time best friends, *"You know, I never was fond of the simplicity of my grandfather's court. Perhaps it's time for a bit more extravagance and a few more indulgences.".* The King's attitudes caused trouble in themselves. Completely impious and uncaring, the church cared little for the King. Emmanuele was a noted lover of art, architecture and extravagance however. It was said he immediately planned to expand the Palazzo Reale by three new, full-sized wings much to the disdain of the people of Rome. The King's immediate popularity was very little, much unlike his grandfather, Emmanuele, however, seemed to care little.