Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy

Amadeus IX
Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy
Duke of Savoy
Reign	29 January 1465 - 30 March 1472
Predecessor	Louis, Duke of Savoy
Successor	Philibert I, Duke of Savoy
Born	1 February 1435 Thonon-les-Bains
Died	30 March 1472 (aged 37)
Spouse	Yolande of Valois
Issue	Anne Maria Blessed Louise Filiberto Carlo
House	House of Savoy
Father	Louis, Duke of Savoy
Mother	Anne de Lusignan
Religion	Roman Catholic

The Blessed Amadeus IX (1 February 1435 – 30 March 1472), nicknamed the Happy, was the Duke of Savoy from 1465 to 1472. The Catholic Church venerates him with a liturgical feast on March 30.

Life

He was born at Thonon-les-Bains, the son of Louis, Duke of Savoy, and Anne de Lusignan, daughter of Janus of Cyprus, King of Cyprus. In 1452, his mother arranged a political marriage to Yolande of Valois (1434–1478), sister of Louis XI of France and daughter of Charles VII of France. Because of his epilepsy and retirement, she was left in control of the state.^[1] France and the Holy Roman Empire competed to gain control of Savoy’s strategically important Alpine passes and trade routes.^[2] French influence increased in Savoy and involved the country in the wars between France and the emperors.^[3] The Castle of Moncalleri in Piedmont, Italy was initially built around 1100 as a fortress on a hill, to command the main southern access to Turin. In the mid-15th century Yolanda turned it into a Renaissance Royal Palace.

Amadeus was a particular protector of Franciscan friars and endowed other religious houses as well as homes for the care of the poor and suffering.^[2] He made a pilgrimage to Saint-Claude in 1471.^[4] Amadeus died in 1472.^[2]

Family

Amadeus IX had 10 children with Yolande of Valois:

1. Luigi (1453)
2. Anne (1455–1480), married Frederick IV of Naples (1452–1504), prince of Altamura
3. Carlo (1456–1471), Prince of Piedmont
4. Maria (1460–1511) married Philip of Hachberg-Sausenberg (1454–1503)
5. Blessed Louise (1461–1503), married Hugh, Prince of Chalon and, later, became a Poor Clare nun
6. Filiberto (1465–1482), oldest surviving son
7. Bernardo (1467)
8. Carlo (1468–1490)
9. James Louis (1470–1485), Count of Genevois, France
10. Gian Claudio Galeazzo (1472)

His daughter, Louise, became a nun of the Franciscan Second Order after being widowed at a young age. She was also beatified.

Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Savoy

Beatification

A painting of Amadeus, made in 1474 was housed in the Dominican church in Turin and acquired a miraculous reputation. In 1612 a brief text was published in the same city, by Girolamo Cordieri, canon of the cathedral chapter of Mondovi, extolling the holy Amadeus. Cordieri was later appointed theologian to Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy. Also that year, a canon from Vercelli published a compendium of miracles attributed to the intercession of Amadeus IX. The cultus of Amadeus was actively promoted by Charles Emanuel's son, Prince Maurice of Savoy, Cardinal of Vercelli.^[5]

In 1613, an Historia del Beato Amedeo terzo duca di Savoia was composed by Fr. Pietro-Francisco Malletta. Six years later, the Duke of Savoy issued nine-florin coins depicting Amadeus IX on one side. These appear to have been used as religious medals, particularly in the Chablais, where they were distributed by Francis de Sales.^[5]

Michel Merle suggests that the revival of the cult of Amadeus IX was part of a decades long effort on the part of the House of Savoy to enhance its political status. Presented as a holy prince known for his charity and concern for the poor, Amadeus IX was beatified on 3 March 1677 by Pope Innocent XI.^[5]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy

16. Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy               8. Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy                       17. Bonne of Bourbon               4. Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy                             18. John, Duke of Berry               9. Bonne of Berry                       19. Joanna of Armagnac               2. Louis, Duke of Savoy                                   20. John II of France               10. Philip the Bold                       21. Bonne of Bohemia               5. Mary of Burgundy                             22. Louis II of Flanders               11. Margaret III, Countess of Flanders                       23. Margaret of Brabant               1. Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy                                         24. Hugh IV of Cyprus               12. James I of Cyprus                       25. Alice d'Ibelin               6. Janus of Cyprus                             26. Duke Philip of Brunswick-Grubenhagen               13. Helvis of Brunswick-Grubenhagen                       27. Helisia of Dampierre               3. Anne of Cyprus                                   28. James I, Count of La Marche               14. John I, Count of La Marche                       29. Jeanne of Châtillon               7. Charlotte of Bourbon-La Marche                             30. John VI, Count of Vendôme               15. Catherine of Vendôme                       31. Jeanne of Ponthieu

References

1. Bunson, Matthew and Bunson, Stephen. "Amadeus IX of Savoy", Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints, OSV Publishing, 2003
2. "The Early Dukes of Savoy", American Delegation of Savoy Orders
3. Lins, Joseph. "Savoy." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 20 Mar. 2015
4. Goyau, Georges. "Saint-Claude." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 19 Feb. 2013
5. Merle, Michel. "The Model of the Holy Savoyard Prince", Sabaudian Studies: Political Culture, Dynasty, and Territory (1400–1700), (Matthew Vester,ed.), Truman State University Press, 2013 ISBN 9781612480947