DUKE OF THE ABRUZZI
The Duke of the Abruzzi
TWO
In olden times kings and princes were the warlike leaders of their countrymen, the doers of heroic deeds. Nowadays they are kept so busy thinking how to govern wisely that they don’t get a chance to be heroes. But there is at least one prince of these modern times who has proved himself the equal if not the superior in bravery of any of those oldtime royal heroes. This is Prince Luigi Amadeo of Savoy-Aosta, Duke of the Abruzzi; whose full name, by the way, is Luigi Amadeo Giuseppe Maria Ferdinando Francesco.
Prince Luigi is an Italian, the son of Amadeo, ex-king of Spain. He was also a nephew of King Humbert of Italy, and therefore the first cousin of the present king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel. Luigi was born at Madrid, January 29, 1873. He studied at the naval college at Leghorn.
It was there that he first showed his truly democratic spirit. He preferred to be called by his first name, and never allowed himself to be addressed as “Duke” or “Royal Highness.” From college he entered the Italian navy, where he made a good record for obedience and intelligence.
But to settle down as a mere prince or duke would never have satisfied one of Luigi’s adventurous character. He wanted to do big things and accomplish dangerous deeds. His first exploit was the ascent of Mt. St. Elias in Alaska. Until he accomplished this in 1897 the great peak had never been scaled.