The first Parliament of a united Italy met in Turin and unanimously passed a bill designating Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia as the first king of a new nation three days before. Victor Emmanuel retained the "second" in his title, in honor of his father and his royal house. The declaration became official when he signed the edict three days later. Britain quickly recognized the new Italy as did the United States a short time later. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Pietro Orsi, Cavour and the Making of Modern Italy, 1810-1861 (New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1914), 329-330.