King of Italy During this period, the holders of the title were crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. A Kingdom of Italy was restored from 1805 to 1814 with Napoleon as its only king, centered in Northern Italy. It was not until the Italian unification in the 1860s that a Kingdom of Italy covering the entire peninsula was restored. From 1861 the House of Savoy held the title of "King of Italy" until the last king, Umberto II, was exiled in 1946 when Italy became a republic. After the deposition of the last Western Emperor in 476, Heruli leader Odoacer was appointed
Line of succession to the former Italian throne Line of succession to the former Italian throne The Italian monarchy was abolished in June 1946 following a referendum which established a republic. The present pretender is in dispute between Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples and Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta. Vittorio Emanuele is the son of the last king, Umberto II and was regarded as the head of the House of Savoy unopposed until 7 July 2006 when the Duke of Aosta declared himself to be the head of the house and Duke of Savoy. The heirs to his claim, in order of succession, are numbered below: The Duke