Италия королевасы Маргарита Савойская

Queen of Italy from 1878 to 1900

Margherita of Savoy (Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was Queen of Italy by marriage to her first cousin King Umberto I of Italy. She was the daughter of Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa and Princess Elisabeth of Saxony, and the mother of the King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.

Margherita was born to Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa and Princess Elisabeth of Saxony. Her father died in 1855, and her mother remarried morganatically to Major Nicholas Bernoud, Marchese di Rapallo. She was educated by countess Clelia Monticelli di Casalrosso and her Austrian governess Rosa Arbesser. Reportedly, she was given a more advanced education than most princesses at the time, and displayed a great deal of intellectual curiosity. As a person, she was described as sensitive, proud and with a strong force of will without being hard, as well as having the ability to be charming when she chose to. At 4,554 metres, the "Capanna Regina Margherita" (Margherita Hut) remains the highest hut in Europe. Margherita later accepted the position of Honorary President of the Ladies' Alpine Club.

Umberto I, who had already survived in the past two attempted murders by the anarchists Giovanni Passannante and Pietro Acciarito, was killed on 29 July 1900 by another anarchist, Gaetano Bresci. As the widow of a murdered monarch, Margherita found an enormous amount of sympathy, which created a veritable myth around her as the mourning widow.

In 1879, the town of Margherita di Savoia, in Apulia, Italy, near Barletta, was named after her. In 1881, the mining town of Margherita in Assam, India, was named after her. Also in 1881, a large glass window was made of her by Studio Moretti Caselli in Perugia, which was then shown around Italy and Europe before returning. The Margherita pizza, whose red tomatoes, green basil, and white mozzarella cheese represent the Italian flag, was named after her in 1889. A pre dreadnought battleship was named after her in her honour. It was laid down in 1898 and launched in 1901. In 1906, the Queen mother's nephew, Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, made the first ascent of the highest summit of Mount Stanley (the third highest mountain in Africa) and named it Margherita Peak in her honour. In 2011, some of the Queen's jewellery was auctioned at Christie's.