Prince Ferdinando of Savoy, 1st Duke of Genoa (Ferdinando Maria Alberto Amedeo Filiberto Vincenzo; 15 November 1822 – 10 February 1855) was the founder of the

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

branch of 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 ...

Biography

Prince Ferdinando was born in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

the second son of Charles Albert, Prince of Carignano and

Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' ( ...

. His father was the head of the

House of Savoy-Carignano The House of Savoy-Carignano ( it, Savoia-Carignano; french: Savoie-Carignan) originated as a cadet branch of the House of Savoy. It was founded by Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, Thomas Francis of Savoy, Prince of Carignano (1596–1656), an ...

a cadet branch of the

. The senior line of the house became extinct in 1831 and his father succeeded as

King of Sardinia The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia, in particular, of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica from 1323 and then of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1479 to 1861. Early history Owing to the absence of written sources, little ...

. With the ascension of his father he was created

Duke of Genoa Duke of Genoa was a subsidiary title of the King of Sardinia. It was first awarded in 1815 to Prince Charles Felix of Savoy, who became the King of Sardinia in 1821. Upon the death of King Charles Felix in 1831, the title was given to Prince F ...

. During the wars taking place on the Italian Peninsula in 1848 and 1849, Prince Ferdinando commanded an army division. After peace was restored in Italy he was appointed general commandment of the artillery and set about making improvements. As a result of the Sicilian revolution of independence he was a candidate for the throne. He was the most acceptable candidate to Britain and the British Minister in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

informed him they would recognise him as king as soon as he took possession of the throne. On 11 July 1848 the national assembly of Sicily unanimously voted to offer him the throne. When the Sicilian deputation arrived to offer him the throne, he was absent from Royal headquarters as he was commanding a division in the army. After Sardinia's defeat by the forces of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

commanded by

Joseph Radetzky von Radetz Johann Josef Wenzel Anton Franz Karl, Graf Radetzky von Radetz ( en, John Joseph Wenceslaus Anthony Francis Charles, Count Radetzky of Radetz; cz, Jan Josef Václav Antonín František Karel hrabě Radecký z Radče; sl, Janez Jožef Vencelj ...

he felt compelled to decline the opportunity to become

King of Sicily The monarchs of Sicily ruled from the establishment of the County of Sicily in 1071 until the "perfect fusion" in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816. The origins of the Sicilian monarchy lie in the Norman conquest of southern Italy which occ ...

Statua Ferdinando di Savoia in Piazza Solferino Torino

During the

Crimean war The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

he was to be appointed to command the Kingdom of Sardinia's

auxiliary Auxiliary may refer to: * A backup site or system In language * Auxiliary language (disambiguation) * Auxiliary verb In military and law enforcement * Auxiliary police * Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of ...

corps but his declining health meant he could not take up the posting. His health did not recover and he died in

at the age thirty two. He is buried in the Royal Crypt of the

Basilica of Superga The Basilica of Superga () is a church in Superga, in the vicinity of Turin. History It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, designed by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga. This fulfilled a vow the duke (and ...

. His one-year-old son

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

succeeded to the title

Marriage and children

Prince Ferdinando married

Princess Elisabeth of Saxony Elisabeth of Saxony (4 February 1830 – 14 August 1912) was a Princess of Saxony who married the second son of the King of Sardinia. She was the mother of Margherita, Queen of Italy. Early life and family She was born in Dresden, capital of Sa ...

, daughter of King John of Saxony and Princess Amalie of Bavaria, on 22 April 1850 in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

. They had two children: * Princess Margherita of Savoy-Genoa (20 November 1851,

Palazzo Chiablese The Palazzo Chiablese is a wing of the Royal Palace of Turin, in Northwest Italy. It was the residence of the Duke of Chablais first and then of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, and Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa. Today it is home to a cultural collec ...

– 4 January 1926,

Bordighera Bordighera (; lij, A Bordighea, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, and it is possible to see the French coast with a nak ...

); married

Umberto I of Italy Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

and had issue. * Prince Tommaso, 2nd Duke of Genoa (6 February 1854, Palazzo Chiablese – 15 April 1931,

); married

Princess Isabella of Bavaria it, Maria Isabella Luisa Amalia Elvira Bianca Eleonora , house =Wittelsbach , father = Prince Adalbert of Bavaria , mother =Infanta Amalia of Spain , birth_date = , birth_place = Nymphenburg Palac ...

and had issue.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand, 1st Duke Of Genoa 1822 births 1855 deaths Nobility from Florence People of the First Italian War of Independence Italian people of Polish descent Princes of Savoy Dukes of Genoa Italian royalty Burials at the Basilica of Superga Military personnel from Florence Sons of kings