Who they were
Victor Emmanuel II was the King of Sardinia who became the first king of a united Italy.
What they did
With Cavour as his minister and Garibaldi’s conquests, he was proclaimed King of Italy in 1861. Venetia was added in 1866 and Rome in 1870, completing unification with Rome as the capital.
Legacy
Called “Father of the Fatherland,” he gave his name to monuments across Italy, and his reign established the Savoy monarchy over the new nation-state.