Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878)King of Sardinia-Piedmont (1849-1878) and first King of Italy (1861-1878).Marie-Albert-Eugène-Ferdinant-Thomas, son of Charles-Albert de Savoie-Carignan, was born in Turin and died in Rome. During his adolescence he had little interest in his studies and was excluded from state affairs. Consequently, when Novara was defeated during the campaign of 1848 and Victor Emmanuel II ascended the Sardinia throne, he was completely unprepared. In 1849, he instated Massimo d'Azeglio (1798-1866) at the head of the State Council, where he remained until 1852. Through his collaboative work with d'Azeglio, the King began to familiarize himself with state affairs.Victor Emmanuel II was present at the origins of the secularization of Italy. He signed a peace treaty with Austria, reorganized the Italian army and, along with Cavour (1810-1861), became responsible for the financial prosperity of Italy.But above all, Victor Emmanuel was with Cavour at the earliest movements towards the unity of the Kingdom; proclaimed King of Italy in 1861, he had declared Rome the Capital of unified Italy by 1870.Brave, subtle, and level-headed, Victor Emmanuel had become quite popular during his reign.His marriage to Adelaïde of Austria produced five children, including Umberto (1844-1898) who succeeded him and Amédée who eventually became King of Spain.