Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy

Victor Amadeus I
Duke of Savoy
Reign	1630–1637
Predecessor	Charles Emmanuel I
Successor	Francis Hyacinth
Regent	Christine Marie of France (until 1663)
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	House of Savoy
Father	Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Mother	Catherine Micaela of Spain
Born	(1587-04-08)8 April 1587 Turin, Piedmont, Savoy
Died	7 October 1637(1637-10-07) (aged 50) Vercelli, Piedmont, Savoy
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:

• Stillborn son (1621)
• Prince Louis Amadeus of Savoy (Turin, 1622 – Turin, 1628)
• Princess Louise Christine of Savoy (Turin, 27 July 1629 – Turin, 14 May 1692), married her uncle Prince Maurice of Savoy
• Prince Francis Hyacinth of Savoy (Turin, 14 September 1632 – Castello del Valentino, 4 October 1638), Duke of Savoy
• Prince Charles Emmanuel of Savoy (20 June 1634 – Palace of Venaria, 12 June 1675), Duke of Savoy; married first his first cousin Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans 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

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 8 May 1587 – 21 January 1607 His Highness Prince Victor Amadeus of Savoy
• 21 January 1607 – 26 July 1630 His Highness the Prince of Piedmont
• 26 July 1630 – 7 October 1637 His Highness the Duke of Savoy

Notes

References

• Storrs, Christopher (1999). War, Diplomacy and the Rise of Savoy 1690-1720. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521551463. 

Dukes of Savoy Amadeus VIII (1416–1440) Louis (1440–1465) Amadeus IX (1465–1472) Philibert I (1472–1482) Charles I (1482–1490) Charles II (1490–1496) Philip II (1496–1497) Philibert II (1497–1504) Charles III (1504–1553) Emmanuel Philibert (1553–1580) Charles Emmanuel I (1580–1630) Victor Amadeus I (1630–1637) Francis Hyacinth (1637–1638) Charles Emmanuel II (1638–1675) Victor Amadeus II (1675–1730)