House of Savoy

The House of Savoy was like a super-long-lasting royal family, kind of like a dynasty that stayed in charge for ages! They started way back in the year 1003. That's over a thousand years ago!

Their home base was a place called Savoy, which was like a small, hilly kingdom nestled between France and Italy. Think of it as a tiny kingdom that grew and grew over time, like a snowball rolling down a mountain!

At first, the Savoy family only ruled a small county, which is like a small area with a castle. But they were super smart and grew their power. They ended up ruling bigger places like the Kingdom of Sicily and then the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Eventually, they became the kings of all of Italy! Their kingdom grew so big it covered almost the whole boot-shaped country. It’s like starting with a small playground and ending up with the whole city to play in!

This family is super important because they were the ones who helped make Italy one country! They led a big change called unification. Then, they ruled Italy as kings for many, many years, until 1946. That's when Italy decided to become a republic, which is a country run by elected leaders, not kings or queens. So, the House of Savoy helped shape the Italy we know today!

The last kings of Italy from the House of Savoy were Victor Emmanuel II, Umberto I, Victor Emmanuel III, and Umberto II. Umberto II was king for a very short time, only a few weeks! After him, the people of Italy voted to have a republic instead of a monarchy. This family's story is a huge part of Italy's history, showing how countries can change over time.