Umberto I

Umberto I (born March 14, 1844, Turin, Piedmont, Kingdom of Sardinia [now in Italy]—died July 29, 1900, Monza, Italy) was the duke of Savoy and king of Italy who led his country out of its isolation and into the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany. He supported nationalistic and imperialistic policies that led to disaster for Italy and helped create the atmosphere in which he was assassinated.

Having received a totally military education, Umberto first fought in the war against Austria (1866). The calm and decisive leadership he showed in saving his troops at the Italian debacle at Custoza (June 1866) won him great popularity. His marriage to his cousin Margherita Teresa Giovanna, princess of Savoy (April 22, 1868), and the birth of their son, the future Victor Emmanuel III (Nov. 11, 1869), also gained him public sympathy in spite of prevailing antimonarchist sentiment.

Umberto ascended the throne on Jan. 9, 1878, but his respect for the constitutional regime, as well as his attempt to reconcile various political and regional elements in Italy, allayed the suspicions of the leftists. Nevertheless, he maintained an authoritarian view of the king’s prerogative, which he used, probably under the influence of the ambitious and energetic queen, to bring Italy into the Triple Alliance (May 20, 1882) with Germany and Austria-Hungary. He also urged Italy’s entry into the armaments race despite the country’s limited resources, and he encouraged colonial adventures in Africa.

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A tariff war with France led to grave economic difficulties (1888), and the defeat of the Italians by Ethiopians in the Battle of Adwa (1896) meant the failure of Italian colonialism. In the face of increasing social unrest, Umberto condoned the imposition of martial law (1898) and the harsh repression that followed, especially at Milan. This period of turmoil culminated in Umberto’s assassination by an anarchist, Gaetano Bresci.