Charles III of Savoy (10 October 1486 – 17 August 1553), often called Charles the Good, was
Duke 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 of Sav ...
from 1504 to 1553, although most of his lands were ruled by the French between 1536 and his death.
Biography
He was a younger son of
Philip (Filippo) the Landless, an aged younger son of the ducal family, and his second wife
Claudine de Brosse
Claudine de Brosse (1450–1513), was a Duchess Consort of Savoy; married in 1485 to Philip II, Duke of Savoy.Joseph Brossard, Histoire politique et religieuse du pays de Gex et lieux circonvoisins, Milliet-Bottier, 1831, 614 pages ; pages 582 ...
of the family that unsuccessfully claimed the
Duchy of Brittany
The Duchy of Brittany ( br, Dugelezh Breizh, ; french: Duché de Bretagne) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. His grandparents were Duke
Louis of Savoy
Ludovico I or Louis I (Italian: Lodovico; 24 February 1413 – 29 January 1465) was Duke of Savoy from 1440 until his death in 1465.
Life
He was born at Geneva the son of Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy and Mary of Burgundy; he was the first to ho ...
and
Anne of Cyprus
Anne of Cyprus (or Anne de Lusignan) (24 September 1418 – 11 November 1462) was a Duchess of Savoy by marriage to Louis, Duke of Savoy. She was the daughter of King Janus of Cyprus and Charlotte of Bourbon; and a member of the ...
. As a child, there were next to no expectations for him to succeed to any monarchy. He was christened as a namesake of the then-reigning Duke,
Charles I of Savoy
Charles I (28 March 1468 Carignano, Piedmont – 13 March 1490 Pinerolo), called the Warrior, was the Duke of Savoy from 1482 to 1490 and titular king of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia from 1485 to 1490.
Life
Charles was son of Amadeus IX, D ...
, the Warrior, his first cousin.
![Coat of arms of the Duchy of Savoy (XV-XVI century)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Duchy_of_Savoy_%28XV-XVI_century%29.svg)
However, when he was ten years old, his father unexpectedly succeeded his grandnephew
Charles II of Savoy
Charles II or Charles John Amadeus (''Carlo Giovanni Amedeo'' in Italian) (23 June 1489, Turin, Piedmont – 16 April 1496), was the Duke of Savoy from 1490 to 1496 but his mother Blanche of Montferrat (1472–1519) was the actual ruler as ...
as duke and head of the
Savoy dynasty
The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...
, which had now also received the titles of the kingdoms of
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 ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
. However, Charles's father was not the heir general of the deceased duke, only the male heir. Jerusalem, Cyprus and certain other claims and possessions could go to a different heir, and they did, in principle, going to Charles II's sister
Yolande Louise. Charles's father was not ready to relinquish those, and he took such titles to his own titulary, staking a claim. He also had Yolande marry his son,
Philibert the Handsome, in 1496, to ensure the male line of succession.
In 1497, Charles's half-brother Philibert succeeded their father as Duke of Savoy, etc. Philibert however died childless in 1504, surprisingly, and now Charles succeeded, at age eighteen.
Charles faced down challenges to his authority, including from
Philibert Berthelier.
[Berthelier''](_blank)
After Yolande's death in 1499, the ''de jure'' rights of Jerusalem and Cyprus were lost to the Savoy family. Charles however, as some sort of heir-male, took those titles, which his successors also used. In 1713, Charles's great-great-great-grandson
Victor Amadeus II of Savoy
Victor Amadeus II (Vittorio Amedeo Francesco; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of Prince of Piedmont, Duke of Montferrat, Marquis of Saluzzo and Count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice.
Louis XIV ...
received confirmation to that title from the Kings of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, who also claimed it. The rights, according to succession of heirs general, i.e. not excluding female lines, had gone, until Charles's death, to the
House of La Trémoille
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...
, the French lords of La Tremoille, Princes of Talmond and Taranto.
In response to the riots between Catholic and Protestants within Geneva, Charles launched a surprise attack in July 1534, but his army was beaten back.
[John Roger Paas, ''The German Political Broadsheet, 1600–1700: 1600–1615'', (Otto Harrassowitz, 1985), 67.] A second siege in October 1535 was attempted, and again Charles's army was defeated when forces from Berne arrived to assist Geneva.
Charles was allied with the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
camp in Western European politics, where
Francis I of France
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...
and
Emperor Charles V
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) ...
battled for ascendancy. France invaded
Savoy
Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Savo ...
in 1536, and held almost all of Charles's possessions.
[Michael Mallett and Christine Shaw, ''The Italian Wars, 1494–1559'', (Pearson Educational Limited, 2012), 230-231.] He spent the rest of his life practically in exile, at the mercy of relatives. He died in 1553 and was succeeded by his only surviving child,
Emanuele Filiberto.
He was the duke who imprisoned
François Bonivard
François Bonivard (or Bonnivard; 1493–1570) was a nobleman, ecclesiastic, historian, and Geneva patriot at the time of the Republic of Geneva. His life was the inspiration for Lord Byron's 1816 poem ''The Prisoner of Chillon''. He was a partis ...
, the "prisoner of Chillon" in 1530.
Issue
Charles married the rich, beautiful and ambitious Infanta
Beatrice of Portugal
Beatrice ( pt, Beatriz, ; 7–13 February 1373 – ) was the only surviving legitimate child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Teles. She became Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King John I of Castile. Following her fath ...
(1504–1538), daughter of the richest monarch in Europe at the time
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, a ...
and
Maria of Aragon. Beatrice was both first cousin and sister-in-law of the
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...
. They had nine children, but only one child,
Emmanuel Philibert, would reach adulthood:
* Adriano Giovanni Amadeo, Prince of Piedmont (19 November 1522 – 10 January 1523)
* Ludovico, Prince of Piedmont (4 December 1523 – 25 November 1536)
*
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
Emmanuel Philibert ( it, Emanuele Filiberto; pms, Emanuel Filibert; 8 July 1528 – 30 August 1580), known as ( pms, Testa 'd fer, links=no; "Ironhead", because of his military career), was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580. He is remembered fo ...
(8 July 1528 – 30 August 1580), married
Marguerite, Duchess of Berry, sister of
Henri II, King of France
* Caterina (25 November 1529 – May 1536)
* Maria (12 June 1530 – 1531)
* Isabella (May 1532 – 24 September 1533)
* Emanuele (May 1533; died young)
* Emanuele (May 1534; died young)
* Giovanni (3 December 1537 – 8 January 1538)
Ancestors
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles 03 of Savoy, Duke
1486 births
1553 deaths
16th-century Dukes of Savoy
Italian people of Cypriot descent
Princes of Savoy
Counts of Geneva
Claimant Kings of Jerusalem
Burials at Vercelli Cathedral