Umberto II (born 15th September 1904) Is the king of the Italian Empire. Umberto ascended to the throne following his father, Victor Emmanuel's death in 1947.
In-game[]
If Duce Galeazzo Ciano prevails against both oppositions in the National Fascist Party and among the people, Umberto will eventually overthrow him and restore parliamentary democracy, allowing him to take a more active role in politics (since the King retains substantial power, including the the prerogative to nominate all ministers, including the prime minister). He frequently uses this power to suppress the Italian Socialist Party, unless if the monarchy is successfully abolished.
If the Verona Conference results in a gridlock, the King will assume emergency powers. As the socialist revolution sweeps through Italy, he will be assassinated by unknown assailants before the People's Republic of Italy is proclaimed.
Trivia[]
In real life, Umberto was the last king of Italy, ruling for only thirty four days. His father transferred all authority to him in the hopes that Victor Emmanuel III's departure would improve the image of the monarchy, thus causing a referendum that would see the monarchy abolished fail. As the length of his rule indicates, this attempt was not successful.
Umberto's role in a successfully democratized Italy is somewhat similar to that of former Spanish king Juan Carlos I. Similar to Umberto, Carlos voluntarily gave up much of his powers after the death of Francisco Franco, which is credited with allowing Spain to return to democracy. In-game, the Italian Monarchy under Umberto II can co-exist with the Spanish Monarchy, but only under very specific circumstances involving the Iberian Wars.
