Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy

Victor Amadeus I
Duke of Savoy
Reign 26 July 1630 – 7 October 1637
Predecessor Charles Emmanuel I
Successor Francis Hyacinth
Prince of Piedmont
Reign 9 February 1605 - 26 July 1630
Predecessor Philip Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont
Successor Francis Hyacinth
Born (1587-05-08)8 May 1587
Turin, Piedmont, Savoy
Died 7 October 1637(1637-10-07) (aged 50)
Vercelli, Piedmont, Savoy
Spouse Christine Marie of France
Issue Luisa Cristina, Princess Maurice
Francis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy
Margaret Yolande, Duchess of Parma
Henrietta Adelaide Marie, Electress of Bavaria
Princess Catherine Beatrice of Savoy
House Savoy
Father Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Mother Catherine Micaela of Spain
Religion Roman Catholicism

Victor Amadeus I (Italian: Vittorio Amedeo I di Savoia; 8 May 1587 – 7 October 1637) was the Duke of Savoy from 1630-37. He was titular King of Cyprus and Jerusalem. He was also known as the Lion of Susa.[1]

Biography

Engraving of Victor Amadeus I

He was born in Turin, Piedmont to Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Micaela of Spain, daughter of King Philip II of Spain. He spent much of his childhood at the Spanish court in Madrid, at the court of his grandfather Philip II. He stayed there until the king's death in 1598, when Victor Amadeus was 11. When his brother, Filippo Emanuele, died in 1605, he became legitimate heir to the Duchy of Savoy and received the homage of the court at Racconigi on 21 January 1607.

Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Savoy after Victor Amadeus I.

Victor Amadeus became Duke of Savoy after his father's death in 1630. Charles Emmanuel's policies had brought a 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.[2] 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.

Death

On 25 September of that year, Victor Amadeus fell ill after a dinner offered by the Duke of Créqui. He was carried to Vercelli, where he died on 7 October, aged 50.

Marriage and issue

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:

Ancestry

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Notes

  1. ↑ Profile, treccani.it; accessed 18 February 2015. (Italian)
  2. ↑ Storrs 1999, p. 1.

References

Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
Born: 8 May 1587 Died: 7 October 1637
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Charles Emmanuel I		 Duke of Savoy
1630–1637 		Succeeded by
Francis Hyacinth
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