The House of Savoy (Italian: Casa Savoia) was formed in the early eleventh century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy until the end of the Second World War. Some argue, at the time that the title of king was abolished in 1946, the House of Savoy was the longest surviving royal house in the world.
The House of Savoy emerged, along with...
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The House of Savoy (Italian: Casa Savoia) was formed in the early eleventh century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy until the end of the Second World War. Some argue, at the time that the title of king was abolished in 1946, the House of Savoy was the longest surviving royal house in the world.
The House of Savoy emerged, along with the free communes of Switzerland, in what is now called Switzerland. The name derives from the historical region Savoy in what is now France. Over time the house expanded from that region to rule almost all of the Italian Peninsula. Yet their growth and survival over the centuries was not based on spectacular conquests, but on gradual territorial expansion through marriage and methodical and highly manipulative political acquisitions.
The house descended from Humbert I, Count of Sabaudia (Umberto I "Biancamano"), (1003–1047 or 1048). Humbert...
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