Rosa Vercellana

Rosa Vercellana

The tomb of Bela Rosin.

Rosa Vercellana (born June 3, 1833 in Nice , † December 26, 1885 in Pisa ) was the second morganatic wife of the Italian King Victor Emanuel II.

origin

Rosa Vercellana was born to the officer Giovanni Battista Vercellana from Moncalvo d'Asti and his wife Teresa Griglio and had two siblings, Adelaide and Domenico.

The father's military career as a drum major began in the Imperial Napoleonic Army. After Napoleon's return from the island of Elba , he refused to join the imperial army and instead became an officer in the Royal Guard of King Charles Albert .

Relationship with King Victor Emmanuel

In 1847 the family lived in Racconigi , where the father was employed as the royal game warden. It was there that 14-year-old Rosa met the then 24-year-old Crown Prince Viktor Emanuel, who was already married to Adelheid of Austria and had four children. The first meetings with the still minors were held in strict secrecy in order not to incur the displeasure of King Karl Albert and to violate the law that prohibited the seduction of minors. Rosa, who could neither read nor write and only spoke the Piedmontese dialect, was allowed to live in a branch of the hunting lodge of Stupinigi .

At this point in time, the Crown Prince had already had a number of extramarital affairs with which he also fathered children, some of which were even recognized by the court and were given titles and allowances. These relationships only lasted briefly, however, those with Rosa for the rest of his life.

Victor Emanuel became king in 1849. After Queen Adelheid died shortly thereafter, the love affair with “Bela Rosin” (Piedmontese for “beautiful pink”) became more and more public. On April 11, 1858, the king made his mistress Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda and bought Sommariva Perno Castle for her . In 1864 Rosa moved to the Villa La Petraia in Florence and on October 18, 1869 the king married his long-time lover in a church ceremony without crowning her queen. The civil wedding took place in Rome on October 7, 1877 . The king died only three months later. Rosa survived him by only seven years and spent the remaining years in the Palazzo Feltrami in Pisa , which the king had bought for their daughter Vittoria.

The royal court did not allow Rosa to be buried at the side of her husband in the Roman pantheon , as she did not have royal status. The sons therefore decided to have a copy of the pantheon built in Turin, which was popularly called "Mausoleo della Bela Rosin" in Turin.

Rosa never received recognition from the nobility, but she was loved all the more by the people and immortalized in the folk song “La bella Gigogin”.

progeny

Rosa's marriage to King Victor Emanuel had two children:

• Vittoria Guerrieri (December 2, 1848 - December 29, 1905)
• Emanuele Filiberto Guerrieri (March 16, 1851 - December 25, 1894), Count of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda

source

Center d'Études des Dynasties Royales Européenes