Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
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| King of the Two Sicilies | |||||
| Reign | 8 November 1830 – 22 May 1859 | ||||
| Predecessor | Francis I | ||||
| Successor | Francis II | ||||
| Born |
12 January 1810 Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily |
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| Died | 22 May 1859 (aged 49) Caserta, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
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| House | Bourbon-Two Sicilies | ||||
| Father | Francis I of the Two Sicilies | ||||
| Mother | Maria Isabella of Spain | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
| Full name | |
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| Italian: Ferdinando Carlo |
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Royal styles of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies |
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| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Ferdinand II (Ferdinando Carlo, 12 January 1810 – 22 May 1859) was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his early death in 1859.
Ferdinand was born in Palermo, to King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife (and first cousin) Maria Isabella of Spain.
His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Maria Carolina of Austria. His maternal grandparents were Charles IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. Ferdinand I and Charles IV were brothers, both sons of Charles III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony.
In his early years he was fairly popular. Progressives credited him with Liberal ideas and, in addition, his free and easy manners endeared him to the so-called lazzaroni, the lower classes of Neapolitan society.
On succeeding to the throne in 1830, he published an edict in which he promised to give his most anxious attention to the impartial administration of justice, to reform the finances, and to use every effort to heal the wounds which had afflicted the Kingdom for so many years. His goal, he said, was to govern his Kingdom in a way that would bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of his subjects while respecting the rights of his fellow monarchs and those of the Roman Catholic Church.
The early years of his reign were comparatively peaceful: he cut taxes and expenditures, had the first railway in Italy built (between Naples and the royal palace at Portici), his fleet had the first steamship in the Italian Peninsula, and he had telegraphic connections established between Naples and Palermo, Sicily.
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