Thomas II, Count of Piedmont

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas II (circa 11991259) was the Count of Piedmont from 1233 to his death, Count of Flanders jure uxoris from 1237 to 1244, and regent of the County of Savoy from 1253 to his death, while his nephew Boniface was fighting abroad. He was the son of Thomas I of Savoy and Marguerite of Geneva

In 1233, when Thomas I of Savoy died, Thomas, being a second son, inherited only the lordship of Piedmont, which he later raised to the status of a county. Historians and genealogists have retrospectively dubbed him "Thomas II of Savoy" in order to distinguish him from the other Thomases of the House of Savoy. He married Joanna, Countess of Flanders and Hainaut, daughter of the Latin Emperor Baldwin I, in 1237. The marriage turned out to be childless and Joanna died in 1244.

Thomas contracted a second marriage to Beatrice di Fieschi, niece of Pope Innocent IV. The couple had six children:

  1. Thomas, his successor and pretender to the County of Savoy
  2. Amadeus, who later inherited Savoy
  3. Louis (1250 – after 10 January 1302), Baron of Vaud
  4. Eleanor (died 6 December 1296), married (1270) Louis I of Beaujeu
  5. Margaret (died May 1292)
  6. Alice (died 1 August 1277)

He also had at least three illegitimate children.

Although he was the next brother of Amadeus IV, he never became the Count of Savoy because he predeceased his nephew, who himself died without sons to succeed him. Although Thomas left sons, upon Boniface' death the remaining uncles, younger brothers of Thomas, ruled the County of Savoy. Thomas' eldest son and heir Thomas III thought it to be an injustice and unsuccessfully claimed Savoy. However, it so happened that Philip I, the last surviving brother of Thomas, made Thomas' younger son Amadeus his heir in Savoy, leaving the elder son, Thomas, and the genealogically senior line descending from him out of the Savoy succession.

Preceded by
Thomas I
Count of Piedmont
12331259
Succeeded by
Thomas III
Preceded by
Joanna
Count of Flanders
12371244
Succeeded by
Margaret II