Princess Yolanda of Savoy (1 June 1901 – 16 October 1986) was the eldest daughter of King

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and ...

Biography

She was born Principessa Iolanda Margherita Milena Elisabetta Romana Maria di Savoia ( en, Princess Yolanda Margaret Milena Elizabeth Romaine Mary of Savoy) in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy. As a young woman she was a great sportswoman, particularly interested in swimming and riding. During the Great War, newspapers published reports of her engagement to the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII, who was serving in Italy in 1918. There was no basis for these rumors, but they were resurrected in 1919 when Yolanda joined her mother

Elena of Montenegro Elena of Montenegro (; 8 January 1873 – 28 November 1952) was a Montenegrin princess as the daughter of King Nicholas I of Montenegro and his wife, Queen Milena. She was Queen of Italy from 1900 until 1946 as wife of King Victor Emmanuel ...

, sister Princess Mafalda of Savoy, and the Duchess of Aosta (

Princess Hélène of Orléans , house = Orléans , father = Prince Philippe, Count of Paris , mother = Infanta Maria Isabel of Spain , birth_date = , birth_place = York House, Twickenham, England , death_date = , death_place = Castellammare di Stabia, It ...

) on a visit to Paris, where the prince happened to be at the same time. After her marriage Yolanda lived in the town of

Pinerolo Pinerolo (; pms, Pinareul ; french: Pignerol; oc, Pineròl) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary b ...

, southwest of

Turin Turin ( , 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 from 1861 to 1865. The ...

. In 1946, Yolanda and her family went into voluntary exile with her father in

Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

. After King Victor Emmanuel's death, Yolanda and her family returned to Italy, where they lived at Castelporziano. Yolanda died in a hospital in

and is buried in

Marriage and children

On 9 April 1923 at the

Quirinal Palace The Quirinal Palace ( it, Palazzo del Quirinale ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, one of the three current official residences of the president of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporzia ...

, she married Giorgio Carlo Calvi, Conte di Bergolo (15 March 1887,

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

– 25 February 1977,

). They had five children:. * Maria Ludovica Calvi di Bergolo (24 January 1924,

– 19 July 2017,

) married Robert Gasche (1918-2011) in 1948 (div. 1975) and had issue: ** Huberto-Omar (b. 1954) ** Elena-Maria (Yela) (b. 1955) * Giorgio (1 May 1925 – 7 May 1925) * Vittoria (27 June 1927,

– March 1986, Garda), married in 1947 Guglielmo, Conte Guarienti di Brenzone ** Emanuela (b. 1948) ** Agostino (b. 1951) ** Guariente (b. 1954) * Guja-Anna (b. 8 March 1930,

), married 1951 Carlo nob. dei conti Guarienti ** Maria-Fardivia (1952 – 1971) ** Delfinella (b. 1954) * Pier Francesco, Conte di Bergolo (22 December 1933,

– 18 June 2012,

), married in 1960 to Marisa Allasio (born 1934). Had issue: ** Carlo-Giorgio (b. 1959) ** Anda (b. 1962)

Title, styles and honours

Title

*1 June 1901 – 9 April 1922: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Yolanda of Savoy, Princess of Italy *9 April 1922 - 25 February 1977: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Yolanda of Savoy, Princess of Italy, Countess of Bergolo *25 February 1977 - 16 October 1986: ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Yolanda of Savoy, Princess of Italy, Dowager Countess of Bergolo

Honours

National honours

* House of Savoy: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarusgenmarenostrum.com
page with the Italian Royal family members' honours
/ref> ** : Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 3rd First Class

Ancestry

Bibliography

* "Iolanda's Wedding Festivities Start", ''New York Times'', April 8, 1923, p. 3. * "Iolanda and Calvi Meet Italian Court", ''New York Times'', April 9, 1923, p. 19. * "Iolanda Wedded to Her War Hero While Crowd Cheers", ''New York Times'', April 10, 1923, p. 1 and 3. * "Royal Wedding in Rome", ''The Times'', April 10, 1923, p. 12. * "Princess Yolanda's Wedding", ''The Times'', April 12, 1923, p. 16. * "Princes Jolanda" bituary ''New York Times'', October 18, 1986, p. 9.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yolanda of Savoy 1901 births 1986 deaths Italian royalty Italian princesses Princesses of Savoy Italian countesses Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Knights of Malta Italian Roman Catholics 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Roman Catholics Nobility from Rome Italian people of Montenegrin descent Italian people of Serbian descent Italian people of Austrian descent Italian people of German descent Italian exiles Daughters of emperors Daughters of kings