Bidspirit auction | Umberto I Savoia

Umberto I Savoia - Umberto I Savoia - Autographed and signed letter, 1866. Autograph letter addressed to General Efisio Cugia (1818-1872), then Minister of War. [Milan?], 3 December 1866. Two double-sided sheets (202x145 mm) written on all eight sides, except one which remained blank, on paper bearing the Savoy coat of arms. Traces of humidity, minimal restorations and halos in the lower margin. In the letter, written two months after the Peace of Vienna that had concluded the Third War of Independence, there is mention of a possible marriage of the then prince (who would become king only in 1878) with an Este princess. Umberto, unaware of everything, asks his friend, the general and minister, for some information on the matter. This planned union, however, did not come to fruition and Umberto ended up marrying his cousin Margherita of Savoy in April 1868.