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Duke of (Emanuele Filiberto Aosta)

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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"DUKE OF AOSTA (EMANUELE FILIBERTO) (1869-), Italian general, was born Jan. 13 1869, the eldest son of Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta ( see 1.804), and Maria Vittoria, Princess of Pozzo della Cisterna (1847-1876). In 1895 he married Princess Helene of Orleans, daughter of the Comte de Paris. Devoting himself seriously to the military career, he in due course commanded the 1st Div. at Turin and the X. Army Corps at Naples. A very serious illness caused a break in his career, and on the eve of Italy's entry into the World War he was still on the reserve list. Following upon the clash between Cadorna and General Zuccari, who had been appointed to the command of the Third Army, the duke was chosen to succeed the latter, and he retained this post throughout the war. The duke's command of the Third Army was conspicuously successful. His task was thankless, for the duty of his army was to hammer against the iron ramparts of the Carso. Various notable successes were won, though the territorial gains were very limited, and in the process of wearing down the enemy the Third Army played a great part. The duke's rank possibly told against him to begin with; but the qualities which he showed speedily made it clear that he was no figurehead, and that he held his command by merit. In the end the fact of his being a royal prince was only a help to the position he had established for himself, for it put him outside the field of ordinary jealousies. He had the invaluable faculty of establishing harmony and a spirit of cooperation among his subordinates, and he won a great popularity among the troops, for whose welfare he did all that lay in his power. His qualities as a leader were so highly estimated that he would probably have been chosen to succeed Cadorna if it had not been thought unwise to place upon a royal prince the responsibility of so grave a moment.

The Duchess of Aosta served throughout the war as inspectressgeneral of Red Cross nurses. In spite of delicate health, she rose superior to continuous fatigue and frequent hardship, and the award to her of the silver medal for valour was no mere compliment. Their two sons Amedeo, Duke of Apulia (b. 1898), and Aimone, Duke of Spoleto (b. 1900), both served in the war.