Duke of Aosta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the mid-13th century the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta (the Valle d'Aosta) a duchy; its arms were carried in the Savoia coat-of-arms until the reunification of Italy, 1870. The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exception of a French occupation, 1539 – 1563.
At the Risorgimento, Duke of Aosta became the courtesy title given to the eldest son of the King of Italy of the House of Savoy. It carries with it the subsidiary titles of Prince della Cisterna e di Belriguardo, Marquess di Voghera, and Count di Ponderano. In 1890, it was first awarded, however, to a cousin of the king, H.R.H. Prince Amedeo of Sardinia and Italy, Duke of Aosta, Prince della Cisterna e di Belriguardo, Marquess of Voghera, and Count of Ponderano, who was a Prince of Sardinia.
The following have been Dukes of Aosta
- Amedeo, 1st Duke of Aosta (1845–1890), King of Spain 1870–1873
- Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta (1869–1931)
- Amadeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta (1898–1942)
- Aimone, 4th Duke of Aosta (1900–1948), King of Croatia 1941–1943
- Amadeo, 5th Duke of Aosta (born 1943)
His heir is Prince Aimone, Duke of Apulia (born 1967), who is engaged to Princess Olga Isabelle of Greece and Denmark, younger daughter of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark.
