Family and Children
In 1842 he married his first cousin once removed (by Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor) Adelaide of Austria (1822–1855). By her he had eight children:
- Maria Clotilde (1843–1911), who married Napoléon Joseph (the Prince Napoléon). Their grandson Prince Louis Napoléon was the Bonapartist pretender to the French imperial throne.
- Umberto (1844–1900), later King of Italy.
- Amedeo (1845–1890), later King of Spain.
- Oddone Eugenio Maria (1846–1866), Duke of Montferrat.
- Maria Pia (1847–1911), who married King Louis of Portugal.
- Carlo Alberto (1851–1854), Duke of Chablais.
- Vittorio Emanuele (6 July 1852 – 6 July 1852).
- Vittorio Emanuele (18 January 1855 – 17 May 1855), Count of Genoa.
In 1869 he married morganatically his principal mistress Rosa Vercellana (3 June 1833 – 26 December 1885). Popularly known in Piedmontese as "Bela Rosin", she was born a commoner but made Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda in 1858. Their offspring were:
- Vittoria Guerrieri (2 December 1848 – 1905), married three times and had issue.
- Emanuele Alberto Guerrieri (16 March 1851 – 1894), Count of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, married and had issue.
In addition to his morganatic second wife, Victor Emanuel II had several other mistresses:
—Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione, who when as the mistress of Napoleon III pleaded the case for Italian unification.
—Laura Bon at Stupinigi, who bore him two children:
- Stillborn son (1852).
- Emanuela Maria Alberta Vittoria di Roverbella (6 September 1853 - 1880/1890).
—Virginia Rho at Turin, mother of two children:
- Vittorio di Rho (1861 – Turin, 10 October 1913). He became a notable photographer.
- Maria Pia di Rho (25 February 1866 – Vienna, 19 April 1947).
—Unknown Mistress at Mondovì, mother of:
- Donato Etna (15 June 1858 – Turin, 11 December 1938). He became a much decorated soldier.
—Baroness Vittoria Duplessis, who bore him:
- A daughter, perhaps named Savoiarda. She died as an infant.
Read more about this topic: Victor Emmanuel II Of Italy
Famous quotes containing the words family and/or children:
“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”
—John Paul II [Karol Wojtyla] (b. 1920)
“In the years of the Roman Republic, before the Christian era, Roman education was meant to produce those character traits that would make the ideal family man. Children were taught primarily to be good to their families. To revere gods, one’s parents, and the laws of the state were the primary lessons for Roman boys. Cicero described the goal of their child rearing as “self- control, combined with dutiful affection to parents, and kindliness to kindred.””
—C. John Sommerville (20th century)