Duke of Savoy from 1630 to 1637
Victor Amadeus I
(
Italian
:
Vittorio Amedeo I di Savoia
; 8 May 1587 ? 7 October 1637) was the
Duke of Savoy
and ruler of the
Savoyard states
from 26 July 1630 until his death in 1637. He was also known as the
Lion of Susa
.
[1]
He was succeeded by two of his sons;
Francis Hyacinth
and
Charles Emmanuel II
. His male-only line became extinct in 1831 with the death of
Charles Felix
. Therefore, the Kings of Italy are descended from his younger brother,
Thomas Francis
.
Biography
[
edit
]
Engraving of Victor Amadeus I
Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Savoy after Victor Amadeus I
Victor Amadeus was born in
Turin
,
Piedmont
, as the second son and child of
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
and
Catherine Micaela of Spain
, daughter of King
Philip II of Spain
. He spent much of his childhood in
Madrid
at the court of his grandfather Philip II. He stayed there until the king's death in 1598, when Victor Amadeus was eleven. As the second son of the Duke, he was not expected to become Duke of Savoy. That changed when his brother, Filippo Emanuele, died in 1605, thus he became heir-apparent to the
Duchy of Savoy
and received the homage of the court at
Racconigi
on 21 January 1607.
[
citation needed
]
Victor Amadeus became Duke of Savoy after his father's death in 1630. Charles Emmanuel's policies had brought great instability in the relationships with both
France
and Spain, and troops were needed to defend the Duchy. As money was lacking to recruit mercenaries or train indigenous soldiers, Victor Amadeus signed a peace treaty with Spain.
With the
Treaty of Cherasco
, Savoy was forced to give
Pinerolo
to France. This gave France a strategic route into the heart of Savoy territory and on into the rest of Italy. The rulers of Savoy from that point resented this loss and worked for decades with the goal of regaining that loss.
Subsequently, under the direction of
Cardinal Richelieu
, Victor Amadeus attempted to create an anti-Spanish league in
Italy
. He achieved two victories against the Spanish: In 1636 in the
Battle of Tornavento
and on 8 September 1637 in the Battle of Mombaldone.
[
citation needed
]
Death
[
edit
]
On 25 September 1637, Victor Amadeus fell ill after a dinner offered by the
Duke of Crequi
. A prominent Savoyard noble (Count Augusto Manfredo Scaglia di Verrua) who attended the dinner also died in the same week, arousing suspicions of poisoning and generating uncertainty in Savoyard-French relations.
[3]
The duke was carried to
Vercelli
, where he died on 7 October, aged 50.
[
citation needed
]
He was first succeeded by his elder son,
Francis Hyacinth
. However, Francis died the following year, and his younger son, Charles Emmanuel, became
Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy
.
Marriage and issue
[
edit
]
Portrait by an unknown Piedmontese school, 17th century
In 1619, he married
Christine Marie of France
(1606?1663), a daughter of
Henry IV of France
and
Marie de' Medici
. Following his death, she served as regent of the Duchy from 1637 to 1663. They had children including:
- Stillborn son (1621)
- Prince Louis Amadeus of Savoy (
Turin
, 1622 ?
Turin
, 1628)
- Prince Francis Hyacinth of Savoy
(
Turin
, 14 September 1632 ?
Castello del Valentino
, 4 October 1638), Duke of Savoy
- Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy
(
Turin
, 27 July 1629 ?
Turin
, 14 May 1692), married her uncle
Prince Maurice of Savoy
- Prince Charles Emmanuel of Savoy
(20 June 1634 ?
Palace of Venaria
, 12 June 1675), Duke of Savoy; married first his first cousin
Francoise Madeleine d'Orleans
and had no issue; secondly married another first cousin
Marie Jeanne of Savoy
and had issue;
- Princess Margaret Yolande of Savoy
(
Turin
, 15 November 1635 ?
Parma
, 29 April 1663), married
Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma
; had two stillborn children; died giving birth to her last child;
- Princess Henrietta Adelaide Marie of Savoy
(
Turin
, 6 November 1636 ?
Munich
, 18 March 1676), married
Ferdinand Maria
of
Wittelsbach
, Elector of
Bavaria
and had issue
- Princess Catherine Beatrice of Savoy
(
Turin
, 6 November 1636 ?
Turin
, 26 August 1637) twin of the above
Ancestry
[
edit
]
Ancestors of Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
|
---|
|
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- Storrs, Christopher (1999).
War, Diplomacy and the Rise of Savoy 1690?1720
. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN
0521551463
.
External links
[
edit
]
Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
Born:
8 May 1587
Died:
7 October 1637
|
Regnal titles
|
Preceded by
|
Duke of Savoy
1630?1637
|
Succeeded by
|
|
---|
1st generation
| |
---|
2nd generation
| |
---|
3rd generation
| |
---|
4th generation
| |
---|
5th generation
| |
---|
6th generation
| |
---|
7th generation
| |
---|
8th generation
| |
---|
9th generation
| |
---|
10th generation
| |
---|
11th generation
| |
---|
12th generation
| |
---|
13th generation
| |
---|
14th generation
| |
---|
15th generation
| |
---|
16th generation
| |
---|
17th generation
| |
---|
18th generation
| |
---|
*member of a cadet branch of the House of Savoy
**
Prince of Savoy-Genoa
***
Prince of Savoy-Aosta
|
|
---|
|
|
*
denotes titular Prince
†
dispute over succession
|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Artists
| |
---|
People
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|