Now Kings and Queens I don’t usually do but we were in the big park in Varese when I can across King Umberto and I became curious.
He stands on the edge of the park facing the Town Hall and I can’t say I knew much about him but as the second King of Italy and the last to be buried in the Pantheon in Rome, it seemed a interesting piece of research.
He was born in 1844, ascended the throne in 1870 and was assassinated in 1900.
According to one source he was deeply conservative and supported the Bava-Beccaris massacre in 1898, when food riots in Milan led to the authorities using force in an effort to repress the demonstrations leading to the death of 80 demonstrators.*
He was also in favour of both the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria Hungary and Italy’s policy of colonial expansion.
Needless to say there were more than a few who were not disposed to him and after surviving a number of assassination attempts was killed in 1900.
All of which leaves me wondering how he got the nickname the Good (il Buono).
But no doubt someone with a greater knowledge of Italian history will help me out. Of course it might just be another example of a version of history written by the Establishment.
Well we shall see.
Location; Varese, Italy
Pictures; Umberto King of Italy, 2016 from the collection of Andrew Simpson
* Umberto I of Italy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_I_of_Italy
He stands on the edge of the park facing the Town Hall and I can’t say I knew much about him but as the second King of Italy and the last to be buried in the Pantheon in Rome, it seemed a interesting piece of research.
According to one source he was deeply conservative and supported the Bava-Beccaris massacre in 1898, when food riots in Milan led to the authorities using force in an effort to repress the demonstrations leading to the death of 80 demonstrators.*
He was also in favour of both the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria Hungary and Italy’s policy of colonial expansion.
Needless to say there were more than a few who were not disposed to him and after surviving a number of assassination attempts was killed in 1900.
All of which leaves me wondering how he got the nickname the Good (il Buono).
But no doubt someone with a greater knowledge of Italian history will help me out. Of course it might just be another example of a version of history written by the Establishment.
Well we shall see.
Location; Varese, Italy
Pictures; Umberto King of Italy, 2016 from the collection of Andrew Simpson
* Umberto I of Italy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_I_of_Italy
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