Empire Rising: Spain

Vittorio Emanuele II eventually passed away, yet he left with a smile on his lips, with no regrets at least.

After the old King’s departure, the Italian Government immediately began preparations for his funeral in full swing.

In fact, as early as when Vittorio Emanuele II was gravely ill, the government had been quietly planning the old King’s funeral.

But after all, since he hadn’t passed yet, the planning could only proceed in secret, requiring a long time to perfect certain aspects.

As the unifier of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II’s funeral had to be conducted with the highest standards. Crown Prince Umberto specifically ordered the government to spare no expenses in preparing his father’s funeral, ensuring it was conducted with utmost dignity and grandeur.

Fortunately, after unification, Italy was considered a wealthy nation, with the northern region contributing significant annual income to the Italian Government.

Even if tens of millions of Lira were allocated for Vittorio Emanuele II’s funeral, it would pose no difficulty for the Italian Government.

Moreover, the funeral costs would nowhere near reach that figure. The value of Italian Lira and Spanish Peseta was not much different, and currency at this time was quite valuable.

According to the Italian Government’s estimate, even if Vittorio Emanuele II’s funeral were held with the highest standards, the expenses would absolutely not exceed 5 million Lira.

Immediately upon Vittorio Emanuele II’s passing, the Italian Government announced the news to the public, stating that the old King’s funeral would be held in one week.

The Italian populace was largely reluctant to see the old King leave. Of course, this sentiment was primarily among citizens formerly belonging to the Sardinian Kingdom.

As for people from other regions of Italy, having been under Italian rule for less than ten years, how could they have developed feelings of admiration for King Vittorio Emanuele II in such a short span?

After the old King’s passing, Crown Prince Umberto naturally succeeded to the Italian throne, becoming the new King of Italy.

However, due to the preparations for the old King’s funeral, King Umberto’s coronation was scheduled for six months later.

Yet, even before the coronation, Umberto was already the official King of Italy. Since his father was Italy’s first King, King Umberto naturally became the first Italian King named Umberto, thus King Umberto I.

In fact, the old King Vittorio Emanuele II could have changed his numeral to the first after Italy’s formation, but to appease Sardinian Kingdom’s populace, he retained his title from his Sardinian period; this is why, despite being Italy’s founding monarch, he was known as Vittorio Emanuele II.

According to the Italian Government’s plan, Italy’s unifier, hailed as the Father of the Fatherland, Vittorio Emanuele II would be buried in the Pantheon, Rome, a grandiose palace with nearly 2000 years of history.

The Pantheon’s initial construction dates back to 27 BC, later rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 118 AD.

During the Roman Empire period, the Pantheon served as a temple for Roman deities, and after the empire’s downfall, it was converted into a Christian church.

As Europe has a tradition of church burials, many historical figures have been laid to rest here, including Raphael Sanzio, the youngest of the three great masters of the Renaissance.

Upon Vittorio Emanuele II’s death, Carlo and his two brothers personally placed their father into the well-prepared coffin.

The old King’s coffin was a massive stone sarcophagus, with a thick layer of charcoal on the bottom to prevent dampness and moisture.

Over the charcoal was a blanket emblazoned with the Savoy family crest, in which the old King’s body was wrapped. As Italy’s King, Vittorio Emanuele II’s burial artifacts were not luxurious.

Typically, European monarchs liked to include many jewels and gold coins, imagining they could take these riches along to heaven.

Yet whether such greed would accompany them to heaven remains doubtful, and Vittorio Emanuele II clearly held no such delusions.

Among the burial artifacts were simple personal items. They included the nightgown of his first wife, Adelaide, Carlo’s mother; the military cap of Carlo’s brother, the late Prince Oddone, and clothing of Carlo’s brothers, the two late Princes Vittorio Emanuele.

Aside from these, the old King’s burial artifacts included only a few books he loved to read and some old photographs, with nothing else.

This indicates that the old King did not seek luxury in death but desired warmth and memories.

Although each burial artifact’s monetary value was not high, for Vittorio Emanuele II himself, these were his life’s most treasured memories.

A week later, at eight in the morning, the Italian Government officially held Vittorio Emanuele II’s funeral.

While some Italians showed indifference to the King’s death, many fervent due to Italy’s unification flocked to Rome to attend the funeral of this great monarch.