Line of succession to the former Italian throne

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The Italian monarchy was abolished in June 1946 following a referendum which established a republic. The present pretenders are Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples and Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, who dispute each other's right to the throne.

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Prince of Naples

Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, is the son of King Umberto II and his successor as head of the House of Savoy. On 7 July 2006, Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, declared himself to be the head of the house and Duke of Savoy.

On 15 January 2020, Vittorio Emanuele announced in a press release that on 28 December 2019 he used his rights and prerogatives as head of the House of Savoy to abolish the Salic Law which governed the line of succession in favor of absolute primogeniture, allowing his descendants to succeed by birth order regardless of sex on the basis of “equality between the sexes and moreover, an application of both accepted and implemented by extensive international normative”. [1] He cited “the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, applied in the Treaty of Lisbon of 2009, which reaffirmed the principle of equality between men and women and the values and objectives of the European Union”. [2]

On the same day, in response to this act, the Italian Monarchist Union had announced that they opposed this act of change in the line of succession made by the Prince of Naples. [3]

The line of succession to this claim is as follows:

Duke of Aosta

The Duke of Aosta claims that because Vittorio Emanuele married in violation of the House of Savoy's dynastic law he forfeited his dynastic rights. Aldo Alessandro Mola, president of the former Council of the Senators of the Kingdom, published a declaration in favour of Amedeo's claim; and he also received the support of Vittorio Emanuele's sister Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy.

The line of succession to this claim is as follows:

Line of succession in June 1946

The dukes of Genoa male line ultimately became extinct upon the death of Prince Eugenio, the last surviving male agnate of this line, in 1996. In turn, this left only the main Savoy royal male line and the Savoy-Aosta male line.

Clashes

On 21 May 2004 blows were struck in Madrid between the Crown Prince and the Duke of Aosta. At a soirée held at the Zarzuela Palace during the wedding celebrations of the Prince of Asturias, Amedeo approached Vittorio who reportedly punched him twice in the face, causing him to stumble backward down the steps. [6] [7] The quick intervention of Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, who propped him up, prevented the Duke from falling to the ground. [7] She discreetly assisted him indoors while staunching his bleeding face until first aid was administered. [6] Upon learning of the incident, King Juan Carlos of Spain reportedly declared that "never again" would an opportunity to abuse his hospitality be afforded the competing pretenders. [6] [7] The Queen's quick action avoided what might have been more serious injury to Amedeo and a public escalation of the confrontation.

In response to the Duke of Aosta's attempt in 2006 to assume the headship of the house, and his and his son's assumption of the name "di Savoia" along with the undifferenced arms of the Royal House of Savoy and of the Prince of Piedmont, the Prince of Naples and his son filed a lawsuit against the Aosta branch. The lawsuit was successful, the court of Arezzo ruling in February 2010 that the Duke of Aosta and his son must pay damages totalling 50,000 euros to their cousins and cease their use of the arms of the Royal House and those of the Prince of Piedmont. [8] They were also forbidden to use the name "di Savoia", instead they must resume the name "di Savoia-Aosta". [9] The Duke of Aosta is appealing the ruling. [10]

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Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples Prince of Naples

Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Naples is the only son of Umberto II, the last King of Italy and his wife Queen Marie-José. Vittorio Emanuele also uses the title Duke of Savoy and claims the headship of the House of Savoy. These claims are disputed by supporters of his third cousin, Prince Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta.

Amadeo I of Spain Duke of Aosta

Amadeo I was an Italian prince who reigned as king of Spain from 1870 to 1873. The only king of Spain from the House of Savoy, he was the second son of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy and was known for most of his life as the Duke of Aosta.

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Duke of Aosta

In the mid-13th century the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, made the County of Aosta a duchy; its arms were carried in the Savoyard coat of arms until the unification of Italy in 1870. The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exception of a French occupation, 1539–1563. The title Duke of Aosta was given to various princes of the dynasty of Sardinia, second sons of the reigning monarch. It can be compared to the English Duke of York, French Duke of Orléans, Swedish Duke of Södermanland and the Scottish Duke of Albany. It remained in the branch of Prince Amedeo of Savoia, the second son of king Victor Emanuel II of Italy, as he was the first ever cadet prince Duke of Aosta who left male heirs. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Aosta are, from the heritage of Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, the mother of Duke Emanuele Filiberto, Prince della Cisterna and of Belriguardo, Marquess of Voghera, and Count of Ponderano. Ponderano was created in 1559, Voghera in 1618; Cisterna and Belriguardo as princely in 1670. The title has been used since July 2006 by Amedeo's son Prince Aimone, Duke of Apulia, who is married to Princess Olga of Greece, younger daughter of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark.

Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta Duke of Aosta

Prince Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta was the third Duke of Aosta and a first cousin, once removed of the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. During World War II, he was the Italian Viceroy of Italian East Africa.

Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta (born 1943) Duke of Aosta

Prince Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta is a claimant to the headship of the House of Savoy, the family which ruled Italy from 1861 to 1946. Until 7 July 2006, Amedeo was styled Duke of Aosta; on that date he declared himself Duke of Savoy, a title that is disputed between him and his third cousin, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples.

Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice Prince of Venice

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Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta Prince of Asturias

Prince Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta was an Italian general and member of the House of Savoy, as the son of Amadeo I, and was also a cousin of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Filiberto was also commander of the Italian Third Army during World War I, which earned him the title of the "Undefeated Duke". After the war he became a Marshal of Italy.

Prince Aimone, Duke of Apulia Duke of Aosta

Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta, Duke of Aosta is the second child and first son of Prince Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta, one of the two claimants to the former throne of Italy. In 2006, his father declared himself Duke of Savoy and head of the House of Savoy; since then Prince Aimone has styled himself Duke of Aosta. However, because the headship of the royal house is disputed between his father and Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, he is still referred to as Duke of Apulia.

Stupinigi human settlement in Nichelino, Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, Italy

Stupinigi, with some 200 inhabitants, is today a hamlet of the comune of Nichelino, in the Metropolitan City of Turin. It borders with the comuni (municipalities) of Candiolo and Orbassano on the southwestern outskirts of Turin, about 10 km from the centre of the city. Before 1869, it formed part of the comune of Vinovo.

Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo 6Th Princess of La Cisterna

Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo was an Italian noblewoman and became the 6th Princess of La Cisterna after the death of her father. Married to Prince Amadeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta, second son of King Victor Emmanuel. In 1870 her husband became the King of Spain, making her Queen consort of Spain.

Prince Emanuele may refer to:

Emanuele may refer to :

Princess Olga, Duchess of Apulia Duchess of Aosta

Princess Olga, Duchess of Apulia is the daughter of author Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark and his wife, Marina Karella, an artist and daughter of the Greek business magnate Theodore Karella. Princess Olga is the wife of her third cousin Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta, Duke of Aosta.

Princess Maria Bona of Savoy-Genoa Princess Konrad of Bavaria

Princess Bona of Savoy-Genoa, later Princess Bona of Bavaria, was a daughter of Prince Thomas, Duke of Genoa and Princess Isabella of Bavaria.

Princess Claude of Orléans Duchess of Aosta

Princess Claude of Orléans is a French princess of the House of Orléans. She is the former wife of Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, a disputed head of the House of Savoy.

References

  1. ↑ Le prince de Naples change les règles de succession de la maison royale d’Italie. Gothanjou (in Italian and French). Published January 15, 2020.
  2. ↑ Rule of succession. Real Casa di Savoia (in Italian). Published January 15, 2020.
  3. ↑ Comunicato stampa del 15 gennaio 2020. Unione Monarchica Italiana (in Italian). Published January 15, 2020.
  4. ↑ Unione Monarchica Italian - Nascita Reale Archived 2009-01-02 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2009-10-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. 1 2 3 McIntosh, David (December 2005). "The Sad Demise of the House of Savoy". European Royal History Journal. Arturo E. Beeche. 8.6 (XLVIII): 3–6.
  7. 1 2 3 Right royal punch-up at Spanish prince's wedding
  8. ↑ Squires, Nick (18 February 2010). "Italian aristocrat cousins fight over defunct throne". The Telegraph . Rome. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
  9. ↑ "LE LL.AA.RR. I PRINCIPI VITTORIO EMANUELE ED EMANUELE FILIBERTO DI SAVOIA VINCONO LA CAUSA CONTRO AMEDEO D'AOSTA" (PDF). Royal House of Savoy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  10. ↑ "Savoia sì o no? Giurista 'boccia' sentenza che vieta il cognome ad Amedeo". Tuttosport. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
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