Margherita of Savoy

Margherita of Savoy (Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was Queen of Italy by marriage to her first cousin King Umberto I of Italy. She was the daughter of Prince Ferdinando of Savoy, Duke of Genoa, and Princess Elisabeth of Saxony, and the mother of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.

Life

Early life

Margherita was born in Turin (at the time capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont) to Prince Ferdinando of Savoy, Duke of Genoa, and Princess Elisabeth of Saxony. Her father died in 1855, and her mother remarried morganatically to Major Nicholas Bernoud, Marchese di Rapallo. She was educated by Countess Clelia Monticelli di Casalrosso and her Austrian governess Rosa Arbesser. Reportedly, she was given a more advanced education than most princesses at the time, and displayed a great deal of intellectual curiosity. As a person, she was described as sensitive, proud and with a strong force of will without being hard, as well as having the ability to be charming when she chose to. At 4,554 metres, the "Capanna Regina Margherita" (Margherita Hut) remains the highest hut in Europe. Margherita later accepted the position of Honorary President of the Ladies' Alpine Club.

Queen mother (1900–1926) Umberto I, who had already survived in the past two attempted murders by the anarchists Giovanni Passannante and Pietro Acciarito, was killed on 29 July 1900 by another anarchist, Gaetano Bresci. As the widow of a murdered monarch, Margherita found an enormous amount of sympathy, which created a veritable myth around her as the mourning widow. On 10 January 1926, her body was taken to Rome, where she was buried the following day in the royal tombs of the Pantheon, where she still lies. The funeral convoy stopped briefly at each station to allow people to say a final farewell. Her body passed through Pisa at night, and the band of railway workers of the city went to play as a sign of respect. An emotional crowd hindered and slowed down the progress of the train with her body in order to be able to approach and throw flowers. The Pizza Margherita, whose red tomatoes, green basil, and white mozzarella cheese represent the Italian flag, was named after her in 1889. A pre-dreadnought battleship was named in her honour. It was laid down in 1898 and launched in 1901. In 1906, Margherita's nephew, Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, made the first ascent of the highest summit of Mount Stanley (the third-highest mountain in Africa) and named it Margherita Peak in her honour. In 2011, some of the queen's jewellery was auctioned at Christie's.

Gallery