Umberto II of Italy

Who was Umberto II of Italy?

Umberto II, born Umberto Nicola Tommaso Giovanni Maria di Savoia, occasionally anglicised as Humbert II, was the last King of Italy, reigning for slightly over a month, from 9 May 1946 to 12 June 1946. However, he was de facto head of state from 1944 to 1946. He was nicknamed the May King.

Umberto was the only son of the four children of Victor Emmanuel III and Elena of Montenegro. In an effort to repair the monarchy's image after the fall of Benito Mussolini's regime, Victor Emmanuel transferred his powers to Umberto in 1944 while retaining the title of king. As a referendum was in preparation on the abolition of the monarchy in 1946, Victor Emmanuel abdicated his throne to Umberto in an unsuccessful attempt to gain support for the monarchy. Umberto lived out the rest of his life in exile in Cascais, Portugal and was not permitted to return to Italy to die in 1983.