Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa
Encyclopedia
Duke of Genoa
The Royal Dukedom of Genoa was a subsidiary title of the King of Sardinia. It was first awarded in 1831 to Prince Ferdinando of Savoy, second son of King Charles Albert of Sardinia. The title became extinct on the death of Prince Eugenio, grandson of King Charles Albert in 1996.-External links:...
and a member of the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
. He served in the Royal Italian Navy.
Early life
Prince Ferdinando of Savoy-Genoa was born in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
the eldest son of Prince Thomas of Savoy-Genoa, Duke of Genoa and his wife Princess Isabella of Bavaria
Princess Isabella of Bavaria
Princess Isabella Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria was the third child and eldest daughter of Prince Adalbert of Bavaria and his wife Infanta Amelia Philippina of Spain...
(1863–1924). On 22 September 1904 he was given the title Prince of Udine.
Ferdinado pursued a career in the Italian Royal Navy
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
. Holding the rank of Captain he served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
commanding a Torpedo Boat Destroyer and was decorated with a medal of honour for personal bravery.
In May 1917 with War raging in Europe, Prince Ferdinando was appointed to lead an Italian War Commission to the United States of America. The commission which included Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
and leading Italian political and commercial figures, visited America with the task of discussing financial and trade agreements and increasing co-operation between the two nations to help the Italian war effort.
Post war
In November 1930 he represented his cousin King Victor Emmanuel III at the coronation Emperor Haile Selassie I of EthiopiaHaile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I , born Tafari Makonnen, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974...
. Prince Ferdinando succeeded to the title Duke of Genoa
Duke of Genoa
The Royal Dukedom of Genoa was a subsidiary title of the King of Sardinia. It was first awarded in 1831 to Prince Ferdinando of Savoy, second son of King Charles Albert of Sardinia. The title became extinct on the death of Prince Eugenio, grandson of King Charles Albert in 1996.-External links:...
on 15 April 1931 following the death of his father.
Later on in his Naval career Prince Ferdinando would achieve the rank of admiral, and become commander of the upper Adriatic sea. He married at Turin on 28 February 1938 Countess Maria Luigia (1899–1986) an Italian noblewoman. They had no children.
The reign of the House of Savoy in Italy came to end on 12 June 1946 after a referendum was held and the Italian people voted to abolish the monarchy.
With his death in Bordighera
Bordighera
Bordighera is a town and comune in the Province of Imperia, Liguria .-History:The city was founded around the 4th century BC by the Ligures....
his brother Filiberto
Prince Filiberto, Duke of Genoa
Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy-Genoa was the fourth Duke of Genoa and a member of the House of Savoy....
succeeded to the title Duke of Genoa.
Titles and styles
- 21 April 1884 – 22 September 1904: His Royal Highness Prince Ferdinando of Savoy-Genoa
- 22 September 1904 – 15 April 1931: His Royal Highness The Prince of Udine
- 15 April 1931 – 24 June 1963: His Royal Highness The Duke of Genoa