Charles Albert of Sardinia
Charles Albert Amadeus, Italian: Carlo Alberto Amadeo ( born October 2, 1798 in Turin, † July 28, 1849 in Porto ) was from 1831 to 1849 King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy.
Life
Charles Albert was the son of Charles Emmanuel of Savoy - Carignan and his wife Maria Christina of Saxony, daughter of Duke Charles of Courland. He later followed suit in 1800 with the title of Prince of Carignan his father in the French and Piedmontese possessions after. He stood up to the age of majority under the guardianship of his mother, who married again with the Prince of Montléart. He was educated in Dresden, Geneva and later in Paris in an intellectual atmosphere. From 1817 on he lived on his estates in Piedmont, where in 1821 he became the leader of the revolution.
After the March 13, 1821 King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia had abdicated as a result of an uprising of the secret society of the Carbonari, he was appointed by this temporary regent, as the new king Charles Felix, a younger brother of Victor Emmanuel I., still staying in Modena. Charles Albert, who may be the Carbonari supported, adopted a liberal constitution, which was set up by Charles Felix, after his return again suspended. The latter sent him to Spain, where he was to support the monarchist forces of France and suppress the liberal revolution, so as to allow the return of Ferdinand VII to the throne. This restored the damaged reputation of Charles Albert at the Conservatives restored.
1831 King Charles Felix died childless, and Charles Albert succeeded him as distant cousin to the throne. He initially continued its conservative policies, entered a military alliance with Austria and suppressed liberal movements. Nevertheless, he realized during his reign a series of reforms, created a code modeled on the Napoleonic Code, the military ordered new and supported the arts and sciences. In 1840 he made contact with moderate Liberals and began to turn more and more against Austria.
On 4 March 1848 he agreed to a constitution that introduced a constitutional monarchy. After the outbreak of revolution in Austria is dominated by the Kingdom of Lombardy - Venetia, he explained influenced by Camillo Benso of Cavour, on March 23, 1848 war on Austria. After initial successes ( Battle of Goito ) he suffered in the Battle of Custoza in the vicinity of Lake Garda against Joseph Graf Radetzky defeat and closed on August 9, 1848 a truce. Following an insurgence in Tuscany it came again to the war in which Charles Albert was defeated on March 23, 1849 in Novara Radetzky. Then decided to abdicate, Charles Albert, in favor of his son Victor Emmanuel II. That same evening, he traveled to Porto in Portugal, where he died in a convent in the same year.
Progeny
On September 30, 1817, he married Florence Maria Theresa of Austria - Tuscany, daughter of Grand Duke Ferdinand III. of Tuscany, giving it the children
- Victor Emmanuel (* March 14, 1820; † January 9, 1878 ), King of Italy,
- Fernando Maria ( * November 15, 1822, † February 10, 1855 ), Duke of Genoa, and
- Maria Christina ( born July 2, 1826 † July 15, 1827 ), Princess of Sardinia,
Gave birth.