Duchess of Aosta

The Duchess of Aosta is the wife of the Duke of Aosta, a title created by

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jer ...

in the 13th century. The

Duchy of Aosta __NOTOC__ The Duchy of Aosta, originally the County of Aosta, was a realm ruled by the House of Savoy from the early 11th century until the late 18th, when its independent institutions were aligned with those of the Principality of Piedmont. The ti ...

had already been ruled by the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

for some time; it is a corner of the Italian Alps now bordering France and Switzerland, essentially the same as the Aosta Valley. The title of duke tended to be given to the second son of the ruler, reverting to the head of the house, until

Amadeo I of Spain Amadeo ( it, Amedeo , sometimes latinized as Amadeus; full name: ''Amedeo Ferdinando Maria di Savoia''; 30 May 184518 January 1890) was an Italian prince who reigned as King of Spain from 1870 to 1873. The first and only King of Spain to come fro ...

(1845 – 1890), the first and only

King of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

from the House of Savoy. He was the second son of King

Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy en, Victor Emmanuel Maria Albert Eugene Ferdinand Thomas , house = Savoy , father = Charles Albert of Sardinia , mother = Maria Theresa of Austria , religion = Roman Catholicism , image_size = 252px , succession ...

and was known for most of his life as the Duke of Aosta. He was elected by the Spanish parliament (the

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...

) as King of Spain in 1870, but abdicated in 1873. He created a new Aosta branch of the House of Savoy, which retains the title, although it is not legally recognised. The duchesses have in recent centuries been royal or princely. In 2021 the duchess was Princess Olga of Greece, younger daughter of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark. {{DEFAULTSORT:Duchess Of Aosta Aosta, Duchess

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest o ...

Aosta Titles 1789 establishments in Italy