Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1072

 710 ITALY

1851 ; married, April 22, 1868, to King Umberto I. 2. Prince Tommaso of Savoy, Duke of Genoa, admiral, born February 6, 1854; married, Apiil 14, 1883, to Princess Isabella, daughter of the late Prince Adalbert of Bavaria ; olf spring, Prince Ferdinando [Jmberto of Savoy-Genoa, born April 21, 1884; Prince Filiberto of Savoy-Genoa, born March 10, 1895 ; Princess Maria Bona Margherita of Savoy-Genoa, born August 1, 1896; Prince Adal- berto, born March 19, 1898.

The origin of the reigning house is not historically estabhshed ; but most genealogists trace it to a German Count Berthold, who, in the eleventh century, established himself on the western slope of the Alps, betAveen ]\Iont Blanc and Lake Leman. In the end of the eleventh century the Count of Savoy acquired the countries of Turin and Susa. Count Amadeus, in 1383, founded a law of primogeniture Avhich greatly strengthened the family, leading to the immediate acquisition of the territory of Nice. In 1416 the Counts of Savoy adopted the title of Duke ; in 1418 they acquired the Principality of Piedmont ; and in 1713 they obtained the island of Sicily, with the title of King. Sicily had to be exchanged, in 1720, for the isle of Sardinia, to which henceforth the royal dignity remained attached. Genoa and the surrounding territory were added to the Sardinian C'rown at the peace of 1815. The direct male line of the House of Savoy died out with King Carlo Felice in 1831, and, the existing Salic law prohibiting the accession of females, the crown fell to Prince Carlo Alberto, of the house of Savoy- Carignano, a branch founded by Tommaso Francesco, born in 1596, younger son of Duke Carlo Emanuele I. of Savoy. King Carlo Alberto, the first of the house of Savoy-Carignano, abdicated the throne March 23, 1849, in favour of his son, the late King Vittorio Emanuele II. By the Peace of Ziirich, November 10, 1859, King Vittorio Emanuele II. obtained Lombardy, with the exception of Mantua and a part of the surrounding territory. On March 11, 1860, annexation to Sardinia was voted by plebiscites in Parma, ]\Iodena, the Romagna, and Tuscany ; on October 21, Sicily and Naples (including Bcncvento and Pontecorvo, part of the Papal States), and on November 4, IMarche and Umbria. The first Italian Parliament assembled in February 1861, and declared (March 17, 1861) Vittorio Emanuele King of Italy. The remaining part of the province of Mantua and Venetia were added to his dominions in 1866 (October 21). Finally, the remaining part of the Papal States (province of Rome), having been taken possession of by an Italian army (September 20, 1870), after the retreat of the French garrison, was annexed to the Kingdom by pUbiscite on October 2.

The ' Dotazione della Corona,' or civil list of the King, has been settled at 15,050,000 lire. Out of this the Prince of IS' aples receives an allowance of 1,000,000 lire; the children of the late Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, receive jointly allowance of 400,000 lire; the cousin of the King, Prince Tommaso, Duke of Genoa, an allowance of 400,000 lire.

Tiie greater part of the private domains of the reigning family were given up .0 the State in 1848.

Constitution and Government.

The present Constitution of Italy is an expansion of the King Charles Albert to his Sardinian subjects. According to this charter, the executive power of the State belongs exclusively to the Sovereign, and is exercised by him through responsible
 * Statuto fondamentale del Regno,' granted on March 4, 1848, by