Who Was Victor Emanuel II
Victor Emanuel II (1820–1878) was the last king of Sardinia (from 1849) and the first king of Italy (from 1861 until his death in 1878). He was neither an intellectual nor a visionary: he was a pragmatic military man, passionate hunter, lover of court life and women — he had numerous relationships, including a long and semi-public liaison with Rosa Vercellana, the "Bela Rosin" whom he married morganatically in 1869.
His role in the Risorgimento was less intellectual than Cavour's and less romantic than Garibaldi's. He was primarily the institutional guarantor: by maintaining the Statuto Albertino (the Piedmontese constitution of 1848) at a time when many European kings would have suspended it, he allowed the unification project to develop around a credible constitutional monarchy.
The Nickname and the Legend
Victor Emanuel II was known as the "Galantuomo King" — the king who keeps his word. The nickname arose from his decision not to revoke the Statuto Albertino after defeat in the first war of independence (1848–1849), as his father Charles Albert had done under Austrian pressure.
In popular Risorgimento tradition, this constitutional consistency was transformed into heroic virtue. The Vittoriano, built decades after his death, amplified this legend further — presenting the king as the father of the fatherland, rather than the pragmatic politician he had been in reality.
The Equestrian Statue
At the centre of the Vittoriano stands the equestrian statue of Victor Emanuel II, 12 metres tall (the horse alone measures 10 metres). It was created by sculptor Enrico Chiaradia, who worked on the project for decades; on his death in 1905 it was completed by Emilio Gallori. The statue was inaugurated on 4 June 1911.
The statue's dimensions are such that it is said a group of workers dined inside the horse's head before the final casting — a documented episode that has fed the urban legend of the "dinner inside the horse".
The statue is in gilded bronze and depicts the king in Savoy military uniform, right hand raised in a regal gesture. The pedestal bears allegorical bas-reliefs.
Victor Emanuel II and Rome
The king never truly inhabited Rome as an absolute protagonist: the conquest of the city occurred in September 1870, just a few years before his death. He entered Rome on 2 July 1871, when the capital was officially transferred from Florence. He died in Rome on 9 January 1878, barely seven years after complete unification.
He is buried at the Pantheon — not the Vittoriano. The choice of the Pantheon was a political decision: the pagan temple converted into a church seemed the most fitting place for a king who had taken Rome from the pope. The Vittoriano houses instead the Unknown Soldier, added only in 1921.
The Paradox of the Monument
The Vittoriano was decided upon in 1878, immediately after the king's death. But Sacconi's project was only selected in 1884, and work began in 1885. When the building was inaugurated in 1911, thirty-three years had passed since the king's death. Meanwhile, Italy had become an industrial nation with deep social contradictions, and the monument was already perceived by many as anachronistic.
The paradox is that Victor Emanuel II — a practical man with little inclination for rhetoric — would probably have preferred something more sober. The Vittoriano reflects the Italy that wished to celebrate its king, not the king as he actually was.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Victor Emanuel II not buried at the Vittoriano? The king is buried at the Pantheon. The Vittoriano was a commemorative monument, not a funerary one. The crypt with the Unknown Soldier was added only in 1921.
What does "Galantuomo King" mean? The nickname refers to his faithfulness to the Statuto Albertino after the military defeat of 1849 — a choice that allowed the subsequent development of the unification process.
Is the statue really made of gold? The statue is in bronze with gilt finishes. It is not solid gold, but its dimensions and coating make it extremely visible in full sunlight.
Article no. 198 — TIER S — MON-10 Altar of the Fatherland / Vittoriano Type: HISTORICAL Words: ~635