Umberto II of Italy Umberto II of Italy Umberto II (; 15 September 190418 March 1983) was the last King of Italy. He reigned for 34 days, from 9 May 1946 to 12 June 1946, although he had been "de facto" head of state since 1944, and was nicknamed the May King (). Umberto was the only son of the five children of King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena. In an effort to repair the monarchy's image after the fall of Benito Mussolini's regime, Victor Emmanuel transferred his powers to Umberto in 1944 while retaining the title of king. As a referendum was
I Was the King, I Really Was the King I Was the King, I Really Was the King I Was the King, I Really Was the King is the second album by British alternative rock band Animals That Swim, released in June 1996 via Elemental Records. Its title is taken from a line in the book "This is Orson Welles". "I Was the King, I Really Was the King" received mixed to positive reviews upon release. Allmusic's Ned Raggett saw the LP as a natural progression from the band's debut album, "Workshy", but more energetic and "pop-friendly". He drew musical comparisons with Marc Almond's solo material and the songs