fme_1162700 - ITALY - VICTOR EMMANUEL III Médaille, 50e anniversaire de la construction de la basilique Marie Auxiliatrice

ITALY - VICTOR EMMANUEL III

(1900-1946)

Son of Humbert I and Marguerite of Savoy, Victor-Emmanuel III became King of Italy on July 29, 1900 after the assassination of his father.. He resumed the colonial conquests with Libya in 1911 and the occupation of the Dodecanese islands in 1912. During the First World War he ended up joining the allies which allowed Italy to recover territories such as Trentino, Alto Adige, Trieste and Istria. The economic and political crisis of the interwar period brought the fascists to power. After the march on Rome, on October 26, 1922, of Mussolini's fascists, the king asked the latter, on October 28, 1922, to form a new government. Very quickly a fascist dictatorship is installed. After the invasion of Ethiopia, the Empire of Italian East Africa was proclaimed on May 9, 1936, which conferred on Victor Emmanuel III the title of emperor.. In April 1939, Albania was occupied. After the signing of the Rome-Berlin axis and the steel pact, Italy entered the war on June 10, 1940 alongside Germany.. The British offensive in Africa causes the Italians to lose their possessions on this continent and the arrival of the allies brings down the fascist dictatorship and leads to a situation of civil war. On May 9, 1946, the king abdicated in favor of his son Humbert II, but the referendum of June 2, 1946 put an end to the reign of the Savoys by proclaiming the republic..