Count of Savoy
The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at the ...
and
Maurienne
Maurienne ( frp, Môrièna) is one of the provinces of France, provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
...
from 1103 until his death. He was also known as a crusader.
Biography
He was born in
Carignano
Carignano may refer to:
Places
* Carignano, Piedmont, a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy
* Palazzo Carignano, a historical building in the centre of Turin, Italy
* Teatro Carignano, a theatre in Turin, Italy
People
* Hou ...
Humbert II of Savoy
Humbert II (Italian: ''Umberto II''), nicknamed the Fat (1065, Carignano, Piedmont – 19 October 1103C.W. Previte-Orton, ''The Early History of the House of Savoy'', (Cambridge University Press, 1912), 276–277.), was Count of Savoy from 1080 ...
and
Gisela of Burgundy Gisela is the name of:
People Full name
* Gisela, Abbess of Chelles (757–810), daughter of Pepin the Short, sister of Charlemagne
** Gisela, daughter of Charlemagne (781–808)
* Gisela, daughter of Louis the Pious (born 821), consort of Eberhar ...
, the daughter of William I of Burgundy. He succeeded as count of Savoy upon the death of his father. Amadeus had a tendency to exaggerate his titles, and also claimed to be Duke of Lombardy, Duke of Burgundy, Duke of
Chablais
Chablais () was a province of the Duchy of Savoy. Its capital was Thonon-les-Bains.
Chablais was elevated to a duchy in 1311 by Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
This region is currently divided into three territories, the ''Chablais savoyard'', the ...
, and
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...
of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
, the latter of which had been given to his father by
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV (german: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son ...
.
He helped restore the Abbey of St. Maurice of Agaune, in which the former kings of Burgundy had been crowned, and of which he himself was abbot until 1147. He also founded the Abbey of St. Sulpicius in Bugey,
Tamié Abbey
Tamié Abbey (''Abbaye de Tamié'' or ''Abbaye Notre-Dame-de-Tamié'') is a Cistercian monastery, located in the Bauges mountain range in the Savoie region of France. It was founded in 1132, as a daughter house of Bonnevaux Abbey, by Peter of Tar ...
Hautecombe Abbey
Hautecombe Abbey (french: Abbaye d'Hautecombe, ; la, Altaecumbaeum) is a former Cistercian monastery, later a Benedictine monastery, in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille in Savoie, France. For centuries it was the burial place of the members of the H ...
on the
Lac du Bourget
Lac du Bourget (; English Lake Bourget), also locally known as Lac Gris (; en, Grey Lake) or Lac d'Aix (), is a lake at the southernmost end of the Jura Mountains in the department of Savoie, France. It is the deepest lake located entirely with ...
.
In 1128, Amadeus extended his realm, known as the "Old Chablais", by adding to it the region extending from the
Arve
The Arve (french: L'Arve, ) is a river in France (''département'' of Haute-Savoie), and Switzerland (canton of Geneva). A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long, of which 9 km in Switzerland. Its catchment area is , of which 80 km2 ...
to the
Dranse d'Abondance
The Dranse d'Abondance is the upper part of the river Dranse in the French department of Haute-Savoie, a sub-tributary of the Rhône.
Geography
The river is sourced from above the hamlet of , in the commune of Châtel near the pointe de Ch ...
, which came to be called the "New Chablais" with its capital at Saint-Maurice. Despite his marriage to Mahaut, he still fought against his brother-in-law Guy, who was killed at the
Battle of Montmélian
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
. Following this, King
Louis VI of France
Louis VI (late 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (french: link=no, le Gros) or the Fighter (french: link=no, le Batailleur), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137.
Chronicles called him "King of Saint-Denis". Louis was the first member ...
, married to Amadeus' sister
Adélaide de Maurienne
Adelaide of Maurienne, also called Alix or Adele (1092 – 18 November 1154) was Queen of France as the second wife of King Louis VI (1115-1137).
Family
Adelaide was the daughter of Count Humbert II of Savoy and Gisela of Burgundy. Adelaide's olde ...
, attempted to confiscate Savoy. Amadeus was saved by the intercession of
Peter the Hermit
Peter the Hermit ( 1050 – 8 July 1115 or 1131), also known as Little Peter, Peter of Amiens ( fr. ''Pierre d'Amiens'') or Peter of Achères ( fr. ''Pierre d'Achères''), was a Roman Catholic priest of Amiens and a key figure during the militar ...
, and by his promise to participate in Louis' planned
crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...
.
Crusade
In 1147, he accompanied his nephew
Louis VII of France
Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...
and his wife
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from ...
on the
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusa ...
. He financed his expedition with help from a loan from the Abbey of St. Maurice. In his retinue were many barons from Savoy, including the lords of
Faucigny
Faucigny ( it, Fossigni) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-centr ...
La Chambre
La Chambre (; frp, La Shanbra) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Savoie department
The following is a list of the 273 communes of the Savoie departme ...
Vienne
Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Viry, La Palude,
Blonay
Blonay () is a former municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District, Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland. On 1 January 2022 the former municipalities o ...
Chignin
Chignin (; frp, Shenyin) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
The village of Chignin is located between the communes of Les Marches, Montmélian, Saint-Jeoire-Prieuré and Challes-l ...
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
to
Brindisi
Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Histo ...
, where he crossed over to Durazzo, and marched east along the
Via Egnatia
The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . of ...
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, Amadeus, who was leading the vanguard, became separated from Louis near Laodicea, and Louis' forces were almost entirely destroyed.
Marching on to Adalia, Louis, Amadeus, and other barons decided to continue to
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
by ship. On the journey, Amadeus fell ill on
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, and died at
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
in April 1148. He was buried in the Church of St. Croix in Nicosia. In Savoy, his son Humbert III succeeded him, under the regency of bishop Amadeus of Lausanne.
Family and children
With his first wife Adelaide, he had:
* Adelaide married Humbert III of Beaujeu
In 1123 he married Matilda of Albon, daughter of
Guigues III of Albon
Guigues the Old, called Guigues III (born 1050/1060; died 21 December 1133), was a Count of Albon from 1079, when the County of Vienne, then in the possession of the Archdiocese of Vienne, was divided between him and Humbert I of Savoy, who rec ...
, they had:
*
Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
Animals
* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse
* Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
William I, Count of Geneva
William I of Geneva ( – 25 July 1195) was Count of Geneva from 1178 to 1195, in succession to his father, Count Amadeus I of Geneva. William's mother was Amadeus' wife, Matilda de Cuiseaux.
*His first wife was Marguerite Beatrice de Fau ...
* Humbert III (1135–1188)
* John
* Peter
* William
* Margaret (died 1157), founded and joined the nunnery Bons in Bugey
* Isabella
* Juliana (died 1194), abbess of St. André-le-Haut