Prince Tommaso, Duke of Genoa

Duke of Genoa (1854–1931)

Prince Tommaso of Savoy, 2nd Duke of Genoa (Tommaso Alberto Vittorio; 6 February 1854 – 15 April 1931), who is also known as Thomas Albert Victor of Savoy, was an Italian royal prince, nephew of Victor Emmanuel at the time the King of Sardinia, who on 18 February 1861 became the first King of a united Italy. His cousin and brother in law Umberto I and his nephew Victor Emmanuel III became subsequent kings of Italy.

Prince Thomas was born in Turin in 1854, as the second child and only son of Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, 1st Duke of Genoa, the second son of Charles Albert, King of Sardinia (1798–1849, abdicated 1848) and his wife Maria Theresa of Austria Tuscany (1801–55). Prince Thomas' mother was Princess Elisabeth of Saxony (1830–1912), daughter of King John I of Saxony (1801–73) and Princess Amalie of Bavaria (1801–77). Barely a year after his birth, on 10 February 1855, his father died and Prince Thomas inherited his title, becoming the 2nd Duke of Genoa. He was educated at Harrow. With the accession of Victor Emmanuel II to the throne of Italy in 1861, Prince Tommaso, in common with all of the family members, became a prince of Italy. During World War I the king, Victor Emanuel III, assumed the duties of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and named the Duke of Genoa as Luogotenente, in which position he managed the civil affairs of the kingdom throughout the war. Prince Thomas' elder sister Princess Margherita of Savoy Genoa (1851–1926) married King Umberto I of Italy. Her only child was King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, who reigned starting from his father's murder in 1900. Prince Thomas died in 1931, leaving six adult children. He was the last surviving grandchild of Charles Albert of Sardinia.