The Death of the First King of Italy

Equestrian Statue of King Vittorio Emanuele II

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On January 9th 1878, Vittorio Emanuelle II, the first king of Italy, died. He was fifty-seven years old and had reigned since the Kingdom of Italy had been established on March 17th 1861. 

Victor Emmanuel II is interred in the Pantheon. The colossal Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, better known as Il Vittoriano, and one of the landmarks of Rome, was erected in his honour. Its centrepiece, the bronze equestrian statue of the king, is the largest statue in Rome. 

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