Editing Victor Emmanuel I (section)

=== Early life ===
Victor Emmanuel was born on 24 July 1754 at the [[Royal Palace of Turin]] in [[Turin]], Italy. He was the second son of King [[Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia]], son of King [[Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia]] and [[Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg]], and his wife, [[Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain]], daughter of King [[Philip V of Spain]] and [[Elisabeth Farnese]].

Victor Emmanuel was known from birth as the [[Duke of Aosta]]. From 1792 to 1796, Victor Emmanuel’s father had taken an active part in the struggle of the old powers against the revolutionary forces in France but was defeated and forced to make peace, signing the [[Treaty of Paris (1796)|Treaty of Paris]]. The old king died shortly thereafter, and in December 1798, his eldest son and successor, [[Charles Emmanuel IV of Savoy|Charles Emmanuel IV]], was faced with a French occupation and eventually annexation, of his mainland territories.
[[File:Ritratto di S.M. Vittorio Emanuele I di Savoia.png|left|thumb|322x322px|Portrait of Victor Emmanuel I in coronation robes, by Luigi Bernero]]