Editing Charles Albert of Sardinia (section)

=== Florence ===
On the afternoon of 2 April 1821, the prince arrived in Florence. His wife and son, who had been in France, followed on the 13th. The Prince's father-in-law, Grand Duke Ferdinand III granted them the [[Palazzo Pitti]] as a residence.<ref>{{harvnb|Bertoldi|pp=109–110}}</ref> In May, Charles Felix, who had successfully secured Austrian assistance to restore order, met with Victor Emmanuel I at [[Lucca]]. The two discussed Charles Albert's conduct for a long time and, although the new queen [[Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily|Maria Christina]] spoke in his defence, they decided that he was responsible for the conspiracy.<ref>{{harvnb|Bertoldi|pp=116–118}}</ref>

As a result of this decision and the circumstances, Charles Albert decided to disavow his liberal ideas, especially as Charles Felix had entertained the idea of eliminating him from the line of succession and passing the crown straight to his son Victor Emmanuel. Charles Felix asked the opinion of [[Metternich]] on this, who was unexpectedly opposed to the idea.<ref>{{harvnb|Bertoldi|p=119}}</ref>

On 16 September 1822, the infant Victor Emmanuel barely escaped from a fire in his cot, exposing the tenuous nature of the line of succession, which was taken out of danger by the birth of a second son, [[Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa (1822–1855)|Ferdinand]], on 15 November. In Florence, Charles Albert cultivated various cultural interests. He became a collector of old books, but was also interested in contemporary authors, acquiring the poetry of [[Alphonse de Lamartine]] and the conservative [[Joseph de Maistre]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bertoldi|pp=135–136, 149}}</ref>