Kingdom of Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Regno d'Italia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Motto Foedere et Religione Tenemur |
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Anthem Marcia Reale d'Ordinanza (Royal March of Ordinance) |
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Capital | ||||||||||||||||||||
Religion |
Separation of church and state (1870) Freedom of religion (1872) |
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Government |
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King | ||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1861–1878 | Victor Emmanuel II | ||||||||||||||||||
• | 1878–1900 | Umberto I | ||||||||||||||||||
• | 1900–1946 | Victor Emmanuel III | ||||||||||||||||||
• | 1946 | Umberto II | ||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | ||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1861 | Count of Cavour (first) | ||||||||||||||||||
• | 1922–1943 |
Benito Mussolini (Il Duce from 1925) |
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• | 1945–1946 | Alcide De Gasperi (last)a | ||||||||||||||||||
Legislature | Parliament | |||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||
• | Unification | 1861 | ||||||||||||||||||
• | March on Rome | 31 October 1922 | ||||||||||||||||||
• | Overthrow of Benito Mussolini | 25 July 1943 | ||||||||||||||||||
• | Republic established | 1946 | ||||||||||||||||||
Area | ||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1861 (Italy proper) | 250,320 km² (96,649 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
• | 1936 (Italy proper) | 310,190 km² (119,765 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
• | 1938 (including colonies) | 3,798,000 km² (1,466,416 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
Population | ||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1861 (Italy proper) est. | 21,777,334 | ||||||||||||||||||
Density | 87 /km² (225.3 /sq mi) | |||||||||||||||||||
• | 1936 (Italy proper) est. | 42,993,602 | ||||||||||||||||||
Density | 138.6 /km² (359 /sq mi) | |||||||||||||||||||
Currency | Lira | |||||||||||||||||||
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a. | While the Kingdom of Italy ended in 1946, de Gasperi continued as Prime Minister until 1953. |
The Kingdom of Italy (Italian: Regno d'Italia) was a state founded from 1861, when King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, to 1946, when a constitutional referendum led civil discontent to abandon the monarchy and form the Italian Republic. The state was founded as a result of the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which can be considered its legal predecessor state.
Italy declared war on Austria in alliance with Prussia in 1866 and received the region of Veneto following their victory. Italian troops entered Rome in 1870, ending more than one thousand years of Papal temporal power. Italy entered into a Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1882, following strong disagreements with France about the respective colonial expansions. However, even if relations with Berlin became very friendly, the alliance with Vienna remained purely formal, as the Italians were keen to acquire Trentino and Trieste, corners of the Austria-Hungary populated by Italians. So, in 1915, Italy accepted the British invitation to join the Allies in World War I because the western allies promised territorial compensation (at the expense of Austria-Hungary) for participation that were more generous than Vienna's offer in exchange for Italian neutrality. Victory in the war gave Italy a permanent seat in the Council of the League of Nations.