The Little King

Episode 2

War and Feelings

Victor Emmanuel III ascended the throne in 1900, marking a different way of reigning from his father Umberto I: a reign as peaceful as it was unwanted. A king with a strong solitary vocation, he nevertheless unilaterally led the country into the First World War on the side of the Entente.

Episode 3

The Great Choices

Victory in the Great War did not strengthen the reign of Victor Emmanuel III, and a growing opposition formed on the right. Mussolini took advantage of this with his March on Rome, initially opposed and then at the last moment authorised by the king. Fascism and monarchy nevertheless seemed to get along fine throughout the 1920s.

Episode 4

The May Queen

An insight into Marie-José of Belgium, last queen of Italy, and her difficult relations with the House of Savoy. She was a point of reference for many anti-fascists during the regime and during the war.

Episode 5

The End of a Reign

Throughout the 1930s, Victor Emmanuel III and the monarchy became more and more marginalised in relation to Mussolini's power until the outbreak of the Second World War. Then the military defeats, the armistice and the flight to the South. Finally, the abdication in 1946.