Endaweni yangakithi kunomgwaqo obizwa ngokuthi UVictor Manuel II Futhi ngoba ngiyafuna ukwazi futhi ngiyayithanda le ndaba, bengiphenya ukuthi ngubani ophethe lelo gama nokuthi kungani efanelwe umgwaqo. Iqiniso ngukuthi uVictor Manuel wayeyiNkosi yokugcina yaseSardinia futhi inkosi yokuqala yase-Italy. Wayeyindodana kaMaría Teresa de Habsburgo-Lorena noCarlos Alberto I, inkosi yasePiedmont-Sardinia, futhi wazalwa ngoMashi 14, 1820 edolobheni laseTurin.
Ubaba wakhe wahlanganisa imibuso yasePiedmont naseSardinia futhi kwaba yisikhathi sakhe sokulwa nabase-Austrian ngo-1848, ngaleso sikhathi ababusi basenyakatho ye-Italy. Uhluliwe, kepha ngonyaka olandelayo wagcotshwa njengenkosi ngenkathi ubaba wakhe enqaba. Ngaphansi kokubusa kwakhe, uMbuso wasePiedmont wakhula wacishe wangena kulo lonke elase-Italy futhi ngale ndlela kwafinyelelwa ekuhlanganyeleni okwakukudala kulindelwe nokulangazelelwe. Ngakho-ke, uVictor Manuel II waba yinkosi yokuqala yase-Italy. Phakathi kwezinhloso zikahulumeni wakhe kwakuwukunciphisa amandla eSonto LamaKatolika, ngakho wagcina ehlasele iRoma futhi aphoqa uPapa Pius IX ukuba aphephele eVatican City. Wabamba iqhaza eMpini YaseCrimea ohlangothini lwaseFrance naseNgilandi futhi elwa neRussia ukuthola ukwesekwa yila mazwe womabili futhi waphumelela, wanikela ngoNice noSavoy eFrance inqobo nje uma iFrance yayizomxhasa ukuze anqobe iLombardy neVeneto.
Kepha izinto azipheli kahle futhi ngenxa yalezi zinto zepolitiki kanye nemfihlo, uVictor Manuel wahlala neLombardy kepha isifunda saseVeneto sahlala ezandleni zase-Austrian isikhashana. I-Italy ihlanganiswe phakathi kuka-1861 no-1870: enyakatho nguVictor Manuel naseningizimu nguGaribaldi. Ngo-1871 iRoma yaba yinhloko dolobha futhi inqubo yokuhlanganisa yaphela. UVictor Manuel ubenezingane ezine nomzala wakhe, amantombazane amabili nabafana ababili. Omunye kwakunguNdlovukazi yasePortugal nomunye unkosikazi kaJosé Napoleón, kanti ezinganeni eyodwa kwakuyiNkosi yase-Italy kanti enye kwakuyiNkosi yaseSpain iminyaka emithathu.