Victor Emmanuel II (Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was king of Sardinia from 1849 until 17 March 1861. On that date, he took the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century. He held that title until his death in 1878. The Italians called him "Father of the Homeland" (Italian: Padre della Patria).
Victor Emmanuel was born at the Palazzo Carignano in Turin. He was born the heir to the title of Prince of Carignano, which was one of the most senior members of the Sardinian royal court behind the monarch himself. He became ruler of the Kingdom of Sardinia when his father abdicated.