Tomislav II of Croatia

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Tomislav II
King of Croatia
Prince Aimone of Savoy - restored.jpg
King of Croatia
Reign 18 May 1941 – 31 July 1943
Predecessor Charles I
(under the Austria-Hungary)
Successor Title abolished
Prime Minister Ante Pavelić
Nikola Mandić
Duke of Aosta
Held title 3 March 1942 –
29 January 1948
Predecessor Prince Amedeo, 3rd Duke
Successor Prince Amedeo, 5th Duke
Born Aimone Roberto Margherita Maria Giuseppe Torino of Savoy-Aosta
(1900-03-09)9 March 1900
Turin, Italy
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Burial Basilica of Superga[1]
Spouse Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark
Issue Prince Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta
Full name
Aimone Roberto Margherita Maria Giuseppe Torino of Savoy-Aosta
House House of Savoy-Aosta
Father Prince Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta
Mother Princess Hélène of Orléans
Religion Roman Catholic

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Tomislav II (Croatian pronunciation: [tǒmislaʋ drûɡiː]; born Aimone Roberto Margherita Maria Giuseppe Torino, 9 March 1900 – 29 January 1948) was King of Croatia and the 4th Duke of Aosta. He was a prince of Italy's reigning House of Savoy and an officer of the Royal Italian Navy. The second son of Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta he was granted the title Duke of Spoleto on 22 September 1904. He inherited the title Duke of Aosta on 3 March 1942 following the death of his brother Prince Amedeo, in a British prisoner of war camp in Nairobi.

From 18 May 1941 to 31 July 1943 he was designated king of the Independent State of Croatia, though he never ruled there.[2] He formally accepted the position and took the name Tomislav II, after the first Croatian king.[3][4] Later however he refused to assume the kingship in opposition to the Italian annexation of the Dalmatia region,[5] and is therefore referred to in some sources as king designate.[6][7][8][9] Regardless, many sources refer to him as Tomislav II King of Croatia (named after the medieval Croatian King Tomislav I) and the nominal head of the NDH during its first two years (1941–1943).[10][11][12][13][14] After the dismissal of Mussolini on 25 July 1943, the prince abdicated on 31 July as king on the orders of Victor Emmanuel III.

Early life

Prince Aimone Roberto Margherita Maria Giuseppe Torino of Savoy-Aosta was born in Turin the second son of Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta (eldest son of Prince Amedeo, 1st Duke of Aosta (and sometime "King Amadeo I of Spain") by his wife, née Vittoria dal Pozzo, Principessa della Cisterna) and Princess Hélène of Orléans (daughter of Philippe, comte de Paris and Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans). As his patrilinal great-grandfather was King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, he is a member of the House of Savoy.

On 22 September 1904, he was given the title Duke of Spoleto for life.[15] On 1 April 1921, Prince Aimone became a member of the Italian Senate. Princes of the House of Savoy became members of the Senate at age 21, obtaining the right to vote at age 25.[16]

In 1929, twenty years after his uncle Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi had attempted to climb K2 in Karakorum, Prince Aimone led an expedition to Karakorum. A member of the expedition was Ardito Desio. Due to the failure to climb K2 twenty years earlier, Prince Aimone's expedition concentrated solely on scientific work.[17][18] He was afterwards awarded the 1932 Royal Geographical Society's Patron's Gold Medal for his work.[19]

After being romantically linked with Infanta Beatriz of Spain the daughter of King Alfonso XIII,[20] he married on 1 July 1939 in Florence with Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark the daughter of King Constantine I and Princess Sophie of Prussia. They had one son :

War years

Croatian throne

Designation of Aimone as king of Croatia in 18th May 1941. In front of him poglavnik Pavelić with the Croatian delegation

On 18 May 1941, In a ceremony at the Quirinal Palace, to which Ante Pavelić, the leader of the fascist Ustaše movement that had assumed power in Croatia in April 1941 after the invasion of Yugoslavia, led a delegation of Croats requesting that Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III name a member of the House of Savoy as king of Croatia. The Independent State of Croatia was a fascist puppet state that was partly under Italian and German control, covering most of present-day states of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but its leaders tried to assert their legitimacy by instating a monarchy that would resemble the medieval Croatian state.

Aimone was then officially named King by his cousin Victor Emmanuel III.[21] On assuming the Crown of Zvonimir he took the regnal name Tomislav II in memory of Tomislav I, the first Croatian king.[22] Originally on learning that he had been named King of Croatia he told close colleagues that he thought his nomination was a bad joke by his cousin King Victor Emmanuel III, though he accepted the crown out of a sense of duty[23] and became Tomislav II. The Italian Foreign Minister and Benito Mussolini's son in law Count Ciano's informants said of Tomislav: "The Duke doesn't give a damn about Croatia and wants only money, money and more money."[24] Ciano's diary noted a conversation between Tomislav and himself, where Tomislav was "proud of having been chosen King of Croatia, but has no exact idea of what he is supposed to do and is vaguely uneasy about it".[25]

He was due to be crowned in Duvno (Tomislavgrad), in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he refused to go to Croatia due to the "Dalmatian question" which arose due to Italy taking some of Dalmatia's coastal territory. Tomislav felt that Dalmatia "was a land that could never be Italianized" and was an obstacle to Italian-Croatian reconciliation.[26] Other reasons why he never went to Croatia were because of an ongoing insurgency, and that his safety could not be guaranteed.[24] Because of this he exercised what little power he had from Italy and Hungary,[27] however he never held any real authority throughout his reign as the Ustaše government had deprived the monarchy of most powers and reduced the status of the king to that of a figurehead.[23] In spite of this he did have some symbolic powers such as the ability to grant noble titles.[28] Count Gyula István Cseszneky de Milvány et Csesznek was the counselor to the King for Croatian affairs. Tomislav also established a Croatian office in Rome where he received confidential reports, official documents, and military, political and economic information from Croatia.[29]

After the dismissal of Mussolini, Tomislav abdicated as king of Croatia on 31 July 1943 on the orders of Victor Emmanuel III.[27][30][31][32]

Tomislav succeeded to the title Duke of Aosta on 3 March 1942, following the death of his elder brother Prince Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta, in a British Prisoner of War camp in Tanganyika.

In the Autumn of 1942, Tomislav contacted Allied forces via his courier, the consul general Alessandro Marieni, about the possibility of a peace settlement between Italy and allied forces.[33] Secret talks would continue into 1943, motivated in part by the aim of preserving the royal dynasty of Savoy.[33]

Aftermath

In the late months of World War II, he became the commander of the Italian Naval Base of Taranto but he was dismissed from his post for his criticism of the judges that had found General Mario Roatta guilty of warcrimes.[34] During his naval career he reached the rank of Squadron Admiral.

Death

In 1947 following the birth of the Italian Republic the previous year, Tomislav left Italy for South America.[35] He died early the next year on 29 January 1948 in his hotel room in Buenos Aires.[36] His son Prince Amedeo succeeded him as Duke of Aosta.

Titles, styles, honours, and arms

  • 9 March 1900 - 21 September 1904: His Serene Highness Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta
  • 22 September 1904 - 17 May 1941: His Royal Highness The Duke of Spoleto
  • 18 May 1941 - 31 July 1943: His Majesty Tomislav II, King of Croatia
  • 31 July 1943 - 30 January 1948: His Royal Highness The Duke of Aosta [37]

Honours

Orders and decorations

Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir

Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir

Military Order of the Iron Trefoil

Military Order of the Iron Trefoil

Medal of the Crown of King Zvonimir

Medal of the Crown of King Zvonimir

Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation

Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy

Knight of the Civil Order of Savoy

Knight of the Civil Order of Savoy

Knight of the Order of Merit pro Merito Melitensi of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta

Knight of the Order of Merit pro Merito Melitensi of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta

Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Italy

Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Italy

Silver Medal of Military Valor

Silver Medal of Military Valor

2 Bronze Medal of Military Valor

2 Bronze Medal of Military Valor

Military Valour War Cross of Italy

Military Valour War Cross of Italy

Commemorative Victory Medal (1918)

Commemorative Victory Medal (1918)

Medal of Honour for Long-time Maritime Navigation (20 years)

Medal of Honour for Long-time Maritime Navigation (20 years)

Military Valour War Cross of Italy

Military Valour War Cross of Italy

Ancestry

Family of Tomislav II of Croatia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16. King Charles Albert of Sardinia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 17. Maria Theresa of Tuscany
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Amadeo I of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18. Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9. Maria Adelaide of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 19. Princess Elisabeth of Savoy-Carignan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 20. Giuseppe Alfonso dal Pozzo, 4th Prince della Cisterna
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10. Don Carlo Emanuele dal Pozzo, Principe della Cisterna
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21. Maria Anna Carlotta Balbo Bertone
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. Donna Maria-Vittoria dal Pozzo, Principessa della Cisterna
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 22. Count Werner de Merode
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11. Countess Louise de Merode
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23. Countess Victoire de Spangen d'Uyternesse
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1. Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 24. Louis-Philippe I, King of the French
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12. Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25. Maria Amalia of Naples
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6. Prince Philippe, Count of Paris
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 26. Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13. Duchess Helen of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27. Princess Karoline Luise of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Princess Hélène of Orléans
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 28. Louis-Philippe I, King of the French = 24
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14. Prince Antoine, Duke of Montpensier
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 29. Maria Amalia of Naples = 25
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 30. Ferdinand VII of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 15. Infanta Luisa Fernanda de Orléans y Borbón
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 31. Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies
 
 
 
 
 
 

References

  1. ↑ Savoy-Aosta
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ dr. Marijan Rogić, Pod Zvonimirovom krunom (Under the crown of Zvonimir) Munchen 2008.
  4. ↑ Hrvoje Matković, Designirani hrvatski kralj Tomislav II. vojvoda od Spoleta. Povijest hrvatskotalijanskih odnosa u prvoj polovici XX.st. (Designated Croatian king Tomislav II, Duke of Spoleto. History of Croatian-Italian relationships in first half of the 20th century), Zagreb 2007.
  5. ↑ Rodogno, Davide; Fascism's European empire: Italian occupation during the Second World War; p.95; Cambridge University Press, 2006 ISBN 0-521-84515-7
    "Devoid of political experience and ignorant of the Italian government's exact intentions, he [King Tomislav II] refused to leave for Croatia, saying so in letters to Victor Emmanuel and Mussolini, in which he told them that the question of Dalmatia, 'a land that could never be Italianized', was an obstacle against any reconciliation with the Croats. Never, he declared, would he agree to be a king of a nation amputated from Italy." [1].
  6. ↑ Pavlowitch, Stevan K.; Hitler's new disorder: the Second World War in Yugoslavia; p.289; Columbia University Press, 2008 0-231-70050-4 [2]
  7. ↑ Massock, Richard G.; Italy from Within; p.306; READ BOOKS, 2007 ISBN 1-4067-2097-6 [3]
  8. ↑ Burgwyn, H. James; Empire on the Adriatic: Mussolini's conquest of Yugoslavia 1941-1943; p.39; Enigma, 2005 ISBN 1-929631-35-9
  9. ↑ Royal Institute of International Affairs; Enemy Countries, Axis-Controlled Europe; Kraus International Publications, 1945 ISBN 3-601-00016-4 [4]
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ The Peerage
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ K2 - The Savage Mountain
  18. ↑ K2 2004 - 50 years later
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Worldstatesmen
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Balkan royalty
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ B. Krizman, NDH između Hitlera i Mussolinija (Independent State of Croatia between Hitler and Mussolini,)p.102
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 206, 214. French.

External links

Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Tomislav II of Croatia
Born: 9 March 1900 Died: 29 January 1948
Italian nobility
Vacant
Title last held by
Charles IV		 King of Croatia
1941–1943		 Vacant
Preceded by Duke of Aosta
2nd creation
1942–1948		 Succeeded by
Amedeo

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