King of Italy, 29 Jul 1900-9 May 1946. • Emperor of Ethiopia, 9 May 1936-5 May 1941. • King of Albania, 1939-1943.

Victor Emmanuel III

Victor Emmanuel III,  (born November 11, 1869, Naples, Italy—died December 28, 1947, Alexandria, Egypt), king of Italy whose reign brought the end of the Italian monarchy.

Victor Emmanuel III

After a mainly military education, he came suddenly to the throne in 1900 on the assassination of his father, King Umberto I. A tractable constitutional monarch, he accepted a Liberal cabinet and readily acquiesced in Italy’s war against Turkey in 1911 and entrance into World War I in 1915.

Victor Emmanuel III

Victor Emmanuel III When the strains put on the parliamentary system by the war brought Mussolini to the fore, Victor Emmanuel failed to prevent the Fascist seizure of power, though it apparently lay in his hands to do so merely by signing the decree of martial law proposed by the cabinet. He was quickly reduced to a figurehead or less by the Mussolini dictatorship

but in 1943, following disastrous Italian military reverses in World War II, capped by the Allied invasion of Sicily, Victor Emmanuel surprised the world by having Mussolini arrested and installing Marshal Pietro Badoglio as premier. The move failed to extricate Italy from the war or the King from his difficult position, and finally, on June 5, 1944, the day after the Allied liberation of Rome, he named his son Crown Prince Umberto lieutenant general of the realm, relinquishing all power for himself but retaining his title of king.

Victor Emmanuel III

Victor Emmanuel IIIIn 1946 public opinion forced a plebiscite to decide between the monarchy and a republican form of government. In an effort to influence the vote in favour of the dynasty, Victor Emmanuel abdicated in favour of Umberto (May 9, 1946), but the plebiscite resulted in a victory for the republic, and both Victor Emmanuel and Umberto went into exile.

---cite from: wikispedia

Accomplishments Failures

Arrested Mussolini Failed to prevent the Fascist seizure of power

Brought the end of monarchy of Italy(although he didn’t mean to do that!)

acquiesced in Italy’s war against Turkey

Victor Emmanuel III