François de Candia, 1st Vidominus or Vidame de Geneva (*1290 Chambery - + 1363 Ventimiglia) was lawyer, diplomat and a nobleman of the House of Candia; also known as François de Genève.
From 1314 – to the 26th of December 1360 he was "Vidomne de Geneve"; and military commander of the Prince-Bishop of Geneva, under the Catholic Lordship of the Knights of the Swiss Kingdoms of the Priory of Sion (Sitten) and member of the House of Savoy by his mother.
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"Vidominus di Ginevra" In his early military career, young count François fought for the protection of the Alpine passages and in 1377 was Captain of the Castle of the Rhone River (capitaine du château de l'Ile sur le Rhône). Though he originally began his military career to serve his land, later heirs to the Vice-Count lordship of Geneva gave him the chance to develop great diplomatic skills, and gained legal control over territories and strategic mountain passes in the Alps. In the following years, François de Candie had the honour of being chosen one of the masters of the Most Noble Order of the Priory of Geneva. He attended the needs and diplomatic duties of the Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy and the Prince-Bishop of Geneva of the House of Savoy in dealings with neighbouring Duchies. This caused the great powers such as France, England, Germany and Spain crowns to take the Vice-Count’s opinions into account.
Note: His hereditary title of Vice-Count of Geneva was active and held by the de Candiæ family until the referendum of the Swiss Protestant Reformation, from them on became a honorary title of the descendants registered in the Kingdom of Sardinia-Savoy.
In accordance with the records of his higher education at the Monastery of the Bishop of Sion by-the-Alps, François de Candie was versed in Roman and Catholic canon law, and fluent in various languages such as French, Italian, German, Latin and Greek. He was well-known by his analytic mind and distinguished by his diplomatic strategies.
François de Candie, was registered in Italian as Franco de Candia-Savoia, a lord from the noble family of the Castle of Candia in Chambery-Le-Vieux (château de Candie) in the Duchy of Savoy descendant of a Burgundian dynasty of the Alps region; what is today part of Switzerland, France and Italy. Parented by a powerful couple, he was the son of Count Giacomo de Candia di Savoia, Lord of Bresse, Baron of Loeso, Count of Ventimiglia, and his wife Béatrice de Savoy, princess of Geneva, called Beatrice of Bâgé, daughter of Amadeus V of Savoy and Sybille of Bâgé or Bugey daughter of the Burgundes. Giacommo his father lost his life in the confrontations of the Bugey and Bresse, while François was young student, making his mother's second husband Manfred III, Marquess of Saluzzo a dedicated mentor along his career since François was the only son of the couple; as recorded by his tutors at the Monastery of Sion.