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SAVOY, HOUSE OF
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See also:SAVOY, See also:HOUSE OF , a See also:dynasty which ruled over the territory of Savoy and See also:Piedmont for nine centuries, and now reigns over the See also:kingdom of See also:Italy. The name of Savoy was known to the See also:Romans during the decline of the See also:empire. In the 5th See also:century the territory was conquered by the Burgundians, and formed See also:part of their kingdom; nearly a See also:hundred years later it was occupied by the See also:Franks. It was included in See also:Charlemagne's empire and was divided by him into counties, which evolved there as elsewhere into hereditary fiefs; but after the .break-up of Charlemagne's empire, the Burgundian kingdom revived and Savoy was again absorbed in it. After the collapse of that See also:monarchy its territories passed to the See also:German See also:kings, and Savoy was divided between the See also:counts of See also:Provence, of Albon, of See also:Gex, of See also:Bresse, of the Genevois, of Maurienne, the lords of See also:Habsburg, of See also:Zahringen, &c., and several prelates.
The founder of the house of Savoy is Umberto Biancamano
(See also:Humbert the See also: Oddone thus came to See also:rule over territories on both sides of the
Alps, a fact which was to dominate the policy of Savoy until
186o; its situation between powerful neighbours accounting for
its vacillating attitude, whence arose the charges of duplicity
levelled against many of its rulers, while its dominion over the
Alpine passes brought many advantages. Oddone died in ro6o,
and was succeeded by his widow Adelaide; but before her death
in 1ow his son, See also:Peter I., became count, and subsequently the
latter's See also:brother, Amadeus II. Under Humbert II. (ro8o)
occurred the first clash with the Piedmontese communes, but he
and his successors, Amadeus III. (who died on his way See also:home
See also: Thomas II., after capturing several
cities and castles in Piedmont, lost them again and was made
prisoner by the citizens of Turin, but was afterwards liberated.
He alone of the sons of Thomas I. See also:left male heirs, and his son
Amadeus V. (1285—1323) reunited the scattered dominions of
his house. When Amadeus succeeded to the See also:throne these were
divided into the See also:county of Savoy (his own territory), the princi-
pality of Piedmont ruled by his See also:nephew Philip, See also:prince of See also:Achaea (a See also:title acquired through his wife, See also:Isabella of See also:Villehardouin, heiress of Achaea and the Morea), and Vaud ruled by his brother See also: Amadeus was the first See also:sovereign to introduce a See also:system of gratuitous legal assistance for the poor. He unfortunately espoused the cause of Louis, See also:duke of See also:Anjou, and while aiding that prince in his See also:attempt to recover the kingdom of See also:Naples he died of the See also:plague, leaving his realm to his son, Amadeus VII., the Conte Rosso or Red Count " (1383-1391); the latter added See also:Nice (1388) and other territories to his domains. During the reign of Amadeus VIII. (1391—1440), Savoy prospered in every way. The count extended his territories both in Savoy itself and in Italy, and in 1416 was created duke by the emperor See also:Sigismund. He was distinguished for his See also:wisdom and See also:justice, and in 1430 he promulgated a general See also:statute of See also:laws for the whole duchy, in spite of the opposition of the nobles and cities whose privileges were thereby curtailed. In 1434 he retired to the hermitage of Ripaille on the Lake of Geneva, but continued to conduct the See also:chief affairs of the state and to mediate between See also:foreign See also:Powers, leaving matters of less importance to his son Louis. Five years later the See also:council of See also:Basel by a See also:strange decision elected Amadeus See also:pope, in spite of his not being a See also:priest, and deposed See also:Eugenius IV. Amadeus accepted the dignity, assuming the See also:style of See also:Felix V., and abdicated the dukedom. For nine years he remained pope, although he never went to See also:Rome and one-See also:half of Christendom regarded him as an See also:anti-pope. On the death of Eugenius (1447) Thomas of See also:Sarzana was elected as See also:Nicholas V., and in 1449 Amadeus abdicated and returned to his hermitage at Ripaille, where he died two years later (see FELIx V.). Under Louis Savoy began to decline, for he was indolent, incapable, and entirely ruled by his wife, See also:Anne of See also:Lusignan, daughter of the king of See also:Cyprus, an ambitious and intriguing woman; she induced him to See also:fit out an expensive expedition to Cyprus, which brought him no See also:advantage See also:save the barren title of king of Cyprus, See also:Jerusalem and See also:Armenia. He neglected to make good the claims which he might have enforced to the duchy of Milan on the death of Filippo Maria, the last Visconti (1447). His latter years were troubled by conspiracies and dissensions on the part of the nobles and even of his own son, Philip, count of Bresse. He went to France to seek aid of King Louis XI., but died there in 1465. In spite of his incapacity he acquired the See also:city of See also:Freiburg and the See also:homage of the lords of See also:Monaco. He was succeeded by his son, Amadeus IX. (1455—1472), who on account of See also:ill-See also:health left the duchy in the hands of his wife, See also:Yolande, See also:sister of Louis XI. This led to feuds and intrigues Amadeus vi. Amadeus viii. on the part of the French king and of Philip of Bresse, and Savoy would probably have been dismembered but for the patriotic See also:action of the States General. On Amadeus's death, his son Philibert I. (1472–1482) succeeded, but as he was a See also:minor the States General appointed his See also:mother Yolande See also:regent. See also:Wars and See also:civil commotions occupied the See also:period of his minority and Savoy lost Freiburg and many other territories. Yolande died in 1472, and the regency was disputed by various claimants; Philip of Bresse having obtained it by force, he carried off Philibert, who died in 1482 at See also:Lyons. He was succeeded by his brother See also: (1504-1553), the duchy suffered a See also:series of misfortunes. Although the duke strove after See also:peace at almost See also:Emmanuel any See also:price, he was nearly always involved in war and Philibert. lost many possessions, including Geneva and Vaud. At his death the whole country was overrun by the hostile armies of See also:Francis I. of France and of the Emperor Charles V., while his son and successor, Emmanuel Philibert (1553-1580), was serving in the See also:Spanish armies. Emmanuel could not take See also:possession of the duchy at once, but continued to serve the emperor as See also:governor-general of the See also:Low Countries. By his victory at St Quentin over the French in 1557 he proved himself one of the first generals of the See also:day, and by the terms of the subsequent treaty of Cateau Cambresis he was reinstated in most of his hereditary possessions (1559). Under Emmanuel Philibert Savoy lost all traces of constitutional See also:government and became an See also:absolute despotism of the type then predominating throughout the greater part of See also:Europe. At the same time he raised his country from ruin and degradation into a prosperous and powerful monarchy. He induced both France and See also:Spain to evacuate the fortresses which they still held in Piedmont, made a profitable See also:exchange of territory with the Bernese, and acquired an See also:extension of seaboard by the purchase of Tenda and Oneglia (see EMMANUEL PHILIBERT of Savoy). See also:Chaves His son and successor, Charles Emmanuel I., surnamed Emmanuel the Great, strengthened the tendency of Savoy to become less of a French and more of an Italian See also:Power. In 1588 he wrested Saluzzo from the French; but his expeditions to Provence and Switzerland were unsuccessful. In the war between France and Spain after the See also:accession of Henry IV., he took the Spanish side, and at the peace of Lyons (16o1), although he gave up all his territories beyond the See also:Rhone, his possession of Saluzzo was confirmed. His attempt to See also:capture Geneva by treachery (1602) failed, and although on the death of See also:Francesco See also:Gonzaga, duke of See also:Mantua and Montferrat, he seized the latter city (1612) he was forced by Spain and her See also:allies to relinquish it. The Spaniards invaded the duchy, but after
several years of hard fighting the peace of 1618 left his territory
almost intact. In 1628 he sided with Spain against France;
the armies of the latter overran the duchy, and Charles
Emmanuel died in 1630 (see CHARLES EMMANUEL). His son,
See also:Victor Amadeus I. (1630—1637), succeeded to little more than a
title, but by his See also:alliance with France—his wife See also:Christina being
a daughter of Henry IV.—he managed to regain most of his
territories. He proved a See also:wise and popular ruler, and his early
death was much deplored. His eldest son, Francis Giacinto, a
minor, lived only a year, and his second son, Charles Emmanuel
H., also a minor, remained under the regency of his mother.
his only son, Victor Amadeus II. (1675–1732). The victor latter's minority was passed under the regency of his ;madeus able but imperious mother, Jeanne of Savoy-See also:Nemours.
He married Anne of See also: The See also:campaign was carried on with varying success, but usually to the advantage of Louis, and the French victory at Marsiglia and the selfish conduct of the allies induced Victor to come to terms with France, and to turn against the imperialists (1696). By the treaty of See also:Ryswick a general peace was concluded. In the war of the Spanish Succession (1700) we find Victor at first on the French side, until, dissatisfied with the continued insolence of Louis XIV. and of Philip of Spain, he went over to the Austrians in 1704. The French invaded Piedmont, but were totally defeated at the See also:siege of Turin by Victor Amadeus and Prince See also:Eugene of Savoy (1706), and eventually driven from the country. By the treaty of See also:Utrecht (1713) Victor received the See also:long-coveted Montferrat and was made king of See also:Sicily; but in 1718 the powers obliged him to exchange that kingdom for See also:Sardinia, which conferred The king' on the rulers of Savoy and Piedmont the title subse- Sar dom or dinia. quently See also:borne by them until they assumed that of kings of Italy. In 1730 he abdicated in favour of his son, Charles Emmanuel, retired to See also:Chambery, and married the countess of See also:San Sebastiano (afterwards Marchioness of Spigno). His wife's ambitions induced him to try to regain the See also:crown, but his son had him arrested, and he died in See also:prison in 1732 (see VICTOR AMADEUS II.). Charles Emmanuel III. (1730—1773) was a See also:born soldier and took part in the war of the See also:Polish Succession on the side of France against Austria, and for his victory at See also:Guastalla (1734) was awarded the duchy of Milan, which, however, he was forced to relinquish at the peace of See also:Vienna (1736), retaining only See also:Novara and See also:Tortona. In the war of the See also:Austrian Succession, which See also:broke out on the death of the Emperor Charles VI., he took the side of Maria See also:Theresa (1742). By the peace of See also:Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, following on the defeat of the French, Savoy gained some further accessions of territory in Piedmont. The reign of Charles's son, Victor Amadeus III. (1773–1796), was a period of decadence; the king was incapable and extravagant, and he See also:chose equally incapable ministers. On the outbreak of the French Revolution he sided with the royalists and was eventually brought into conflict with the French See also:republic. The See also:army being demoralized and the See also:treasury empty, the kingdom The See also:fell an easy See also:prey to the republican ,forces. Savoy French became a French See also:province, and, although the Pied- occuPa- montese troops resisted bravely for four years in the 11011. See also:face of continual defeats, Victor at last gave up the struggle as hopeless, signed the See also:armistice of Cherasco, and died soon after-wards (1796). He was succeeded in turn by his three sons, Charles Emmanuel IV., Victor Emmanuel I., and Charles Felix. Charles Emmanuel (1796–1802), believing in See also:Bonaparte's promises, was induced to enter into a See also:confederation with France and give up the citadel of Turin to the French, which meant the end of his country's independence. Realizing his folly he abdicated on the 6th of See also:December 1796, and retired to Sardinia, That princess, in spite of her French origin, resisted the attempts of France, then dominated by See also:Cardinal See also:Richelieu, to govern Savoy, but her quarrels with her brothers-in-law led to civil war, in which the latter obtained the help of Spain, and Christina that of France. In the end the duchess succeeded in patching up these feuds and saving the dynasty, and in 1648 Charles Emmanuel II. assumed the government. The war between France and Spain continued to rage, and Savoy, on whose territory much of the fighting took See also:place, suffered severely in consequence. By the treaty of the See also:Pyrenees (1669) the war came to an end and Savoy regained most of the towns occupied by France. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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