 As such, he became heir apparent upon his birth, since the Italian throne was limited to male descendants.Umberto was given the standard military education of a Savoyard prince.During the crisis of May 1915, when Victor Emmanuel III decided to break the terms of the Triple Alliance by declaring war on the Austrian empire, he found himself in a quandary as the Italian Parliament was against declaring war; several times, the king discussed abdication with the throne to pass to the Duke of Aosta instead of Umberto.