Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prince Aimone |
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| King of Croatia | |||||
| Nominal reign | 18 May 1941 – 31 July 1943 | ||||
| Prime minister | Ante Pavelić | ||||
| Duke of Aosta | |||||
| Reign | 3 March 1942 – 29 January 1948 | ||||
| Predecessor | Amedeo | ||||
| Successor | Amedeo | ||||
| Born | 9 March 1900 Turin, Kingdom of Italy |
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| Died | 29 January 1948 (aged 47) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
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| Burial | 31 January 1948 Basilica of Superga |
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| Spouse |
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark
(m. 1939) |
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| Issue | Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta | ||||
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| House | Savoy | ||||
| Father | Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta | ||||
| Mother | Hélène of Orléans | ||||
Prince Aimone, also known as the 4th Duke of Aosta, was a prince from Italy's royal family, the House of Savoy. He was also an officer in the Royal Italian Navy.
Born on March 9, 1900, his full name was Aimone Roberto Margherita Maria Giuseppe Torino. He was the second son of Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta. In 1904, he received the title Duke of Spoleto. Later, in 1942, he became the Duke of Aosta after his older brother, Prince Amedeo, passed away in a British prisoner of war camp.
From May 1941 to July 1943, Aimone was named king of the Independent State of Croatia. This was a country that was partly controlled by Italy and Germany during World War II. He formally accepted this role and took the name Tomislav II, named after the first Croatian king. However, he never actually ruled in Croatia. He refused to go there because Italy had taken some coastal land from Croatia. Because of this, he is sometimes called a "king designate" or a "nominal head," meaning he was king in name only.
After Benito Mussolini was removed from power in Italy in July 1943, Aimone gave up his title as king of Croatia. He did this because King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy ordered him to.
Contents
Early Life and Adventures
Prince Aimone Roberto Margherita Maria Giuseppe Torino of Savoy-Aosta was born in Turin, Italy. His father was Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta. His mother was Princess Hélène of Orléans. His great-grandfather was King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, making him a member of the royal House of Savoy.
Aimone and his brother Amedeo studied in England for a time. Aimone later went to a naval academy in Livorno, Italy. He became a member of the Italian Senate when he was 21 years old. Princes from the House of Savoy usually joined the Senate at this age.
In 1929, Prince Aimone led an expedition to the Karakoram mountains. This was the same area where his uncle had tried to climb K2 years earlier. Aimone's trip focused on scientific work. He was given a special medal in 1932 for his important contributions.
Marriage and Family
On July 1, 1939, Prince Aimone married Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark. She was the daughter of King Constantine I of Greece. Their wedding took place in Florence, Italy.
They had one son together. His name was Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta. He was born in 1943.
War Years and the Croatian Throne
On May 18, 1941, a special ceremony took place in Italy. Ante Pavelić, the leader of a political group called the Ustaše from Croatia, asked Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III to name an Italian prince as king of Croatia. This was after the invasion of Yugoslavia, which led to the creation of the Independent State of Croatia. This new state was a "puppet state," meaning it was controlled by Italy and Germany. Its leaders wanted a king to make their new country seem more legitimate, like the old medieval Croatian state.
Aimone was officially named king by his cousin, King Victor Emmanuel III. He took the royal name Tomislav II. At first, Aimone thought being named king of Croatia was a joke. But he accepted the role because he felt it was his duty. Some people close to him said he was mostly interested in money.
He was supposed to be crowned in a place called Duvno (now Tomislavgrad). However, he refused to go to Croatia. One main reason was that Italy had taken some coastal land from Croatia, which Aimone felt was wrong. He believed this land could never truly become Italian. Also, there was fighting in Croatia during the war, and his safety could not be guaranteed.
Because he never went to Croatia, he had very little power. He tried to manage things from Italy and Hungary. However, the Ustaše government had taken away most of the king's powers. This made the king a "figurehead," someone who has a title but no real authority. Aimone did set up an office in Rome to get secret reports and information from Croatia.
After the Italian government changed in July 1943, Aimone gave up his title as king of Croatia. This was done on the orders of King Victor Emmanuel III.
Prince Aimone became the Duke of Aosta on March 3, 1942. This happened after his older brother, Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta, died in a British prisoner of war camp in Kenya.
In late 1942, Aimone secretly contacted the Allied forces. These were the countries fighting against Italy and Germany in World War II. He wanted to see if Italy could make peace with them. These secret talks continued into 1943.
Later Life and Death
Towards the end of World War II, Prince Aimone became the commander of the Italian Naval Base in Taranto. However, he was later removed from this job. This was because he criticized the judges who had found a general guilty of war crimes. During his time in the navy, he reached a high rank called Squadron Admiral.
In 1947, Italy became a republic, meaning it no longer had a king. After this, Prince Aimone left Italy and moved to South America. He passed away suddenly on January 29, 1948, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was staying in a hotel while arranging his permanent home. After his death, the title of Duke of Aosta passed to his son, Prince Amedeo.
Honours
Prince Aimone received many awards and honours during his life:
- Independent State of Croatia: Knight Commander of the Military Order of the Iron Trefoil, 1st Class
- Independent State of Croatia: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir, Special Class
- Independent State of Croatia: Recipient of the Medal of the Crown of King Zvonimir
- Italy: Knight Grand Collar of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
- Italy: Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
- Italy: Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Italy
- Italy: Knight Grand Cordon of the Military Order of Savoy
- Italy: Knight of the Civil Decoration of Savoy
- Italy: Recipient of the Silver Medal of Military Valor
- Italy: Recipient of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor
- Italy: Recipient of the Medal of Military Valor
- Italy: Recipient of the Medal of Honour for Long-time Maritime Navigation
- Malta: Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 1st Class
- Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
- Greece: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
- Imperial Iran: Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Pahlavi
- Romania: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Carol I
- United Kingdom: Recipient of the Victory Medal
See also
In Spanish: Aimón de Saboya-Aosta (1900-1948) para niños
