Humbert I ( it, Umberto I; 950 – 1042 or 1047 1048), better known as Humbert the White-Handed (french: Humbert aux blanches-mains) or ( it, Umberto Biancamano), was the founder of the
House of Savoy
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 ...
. Of obscure origins, his service to the
Holy Roman Emperors
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Henry II and
Conrad II
Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...
was rewarded with the
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Maurienne
Maurienne ( frp, Môrièna) is one of the 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.
Location
The Mau ...
and
Aosta
Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest o ...
and lands in
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...
, all at the expense of local bishops and archbishops; the territory came to be known as the
county of Savoy
The County of Savoy (, ) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged, along with the free communes of Switzerland, from the collapse of the Burgundian Kingdom in the 11th century. It was the cradle of the future Savoyard state.
Histor ...
.
Biography
Family
Humbert was the son of Amadeus, who may or may not have preceded him as
count of Maurienne
The County of Maurienne ( la, Comitatus Maurianensis; french: Comté de Maurienne; it, Contea di Moriana) was a county in the Maurienne Valley of Upper Burgundy during the Middle Ages. Its seat was Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
In the 6th century, ...
. His brother was Bishop Otto of Belley. Humbert is the progenitor of the dynasty known as the
House of Savoy
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 ...
. The origins of this dynasty are unknown, but Humbert's ancestors are variously said to have come from
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...
,
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...
or
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
. Given Humbert's close connections with
Rudolf III of Burgundy
Rudolph III (french: Rodolphe, german: Rudolf; – 6 September 1032), called the Idle or the Pious, was the king of Burgundy from 993 until his death. He was the last ruler of an independent Kingdom of Burgundy, and the last male member of the Bu ...
, it is likely that his family was Burgundian, and was descended either from the dukes of
Vienne, or from a Burgundian aristocratic family (such as the
Guigonids, ancestors of the
counts of Albon). It is also likely that Humbert was related to
Ermengarde of Burgundy
Ermengarde (also ''Hermengarde'', ''Ermengarda, Irmengarde, Irainsanda'', ''Eimildis'') (– after 20 September 1057) was a medieval noblewoman. Through her first marriage, to Rotbold II, Count of Provence, she was countess of Provence, and from 1 ...
, second wife of Rudolf III.
Humbert initially held lands around
Belley
Belley () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.
History
Belley is of Roman origin, and in the 5th century became an episcopal see. It was the capital of the province of Bugey, which was a dependency of Savoy till 1601, whe ...
and in the county of Sermorens, before gaining lands in
Aosta
Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest o ...
and
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...
.
Humbert and the empire
After Rudolf III's death (1032), Humbert I swore fealty to
Emperor Conrad II
Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...
. He supported Conrad II in his campaigns against
Odo II, Count of Blois, and
Aribert, Archbishop of Milan. In return, Conrad II appointed Humbert count of Savoy and granted him
Maurienne
Maurienne ( frp, Môrièna) is one of the 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.
Location
The Mau ...
,
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'', th ...
and perhaps
Tarentaise. These imperial grants to a loyal supporter secured key passes through the Alps, controlling trade between Italy and Western Europe, which would be the core of Savoy power for centuries.
Marriage and children
Humbert married Ancelie (Auxilia or Ancilia). She may have been Ancilla of Aoste, the daughter of ''vir illustris'' Anselme of Aoste or Ancilla of
Lenzburg
Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the Lenzburg District. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neig ...
, the daughter of the
master of ceremonies of Burgundy. Alternatively, Ancilla may have been a daughter of Anselm and Aldiud, and thus a member of a northern Italian dynasty known as the Anselmids.
With his wife, Humbert had at least four sons:
#
Amadeus I (died 1056), Count of Savoy, successor
#
Aymon (died 1054 or 1055),
Bishop of Sion
The Diocese of Sion ( la, Dioecesis Sedunensis, french: Diocèse de Sion, german: Bistum Sitten) is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north o ...
#
Burchard (died 1068 or 1069),
Archbishop of Lyon
The Archdiocese of Lyon (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Lugdunensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lyon''), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archbishops o ...
#
Otto (died c. 1057), Count of Savoy, successor of his brother
Some authors believe that he had additional sons.
Death
Humbert is often said to have died c. 1047/8 at
Hermillon
Hermillon is a former commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune La Tour-en-Maurienne.Savoie
Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population ...
, France. More recently, it has been suggested that he died by 1042.
[Ducourthial, ''Géographie'', p. 231]
Notes
References
*
*
C. W. Previté-Orton, ''The Early History of the House of Savoy (1000-1233)'' (Cambridge, 1912), accessible online at
archive.org
*S. Hellmann, ''Die Grafen von Savoyen und das Reich: bis zum Ende der staufischen Periode'' (Innsbruck, 1900), accessible online (but without page numbers) at
*''Die Urkunden der burgundischen Rudolfinger'', ed. T. Schieffer, MGH DD Burg (Munich, 1977), accessible online at
*C. Ducourthial, ''Géographie du pouvoir en pays de Savoie au tournant de l'an Mil'', in C. Guilleré, J-M. Poisson, L. Ripart and C. Ducourthial, eds., ''Le royaume de Bourgogne autour de l'an mil'' (Chambéry, 2008), pp. 207–246.
*Laurent Ripart, ''Les fondements idéologiques du pouvoir des comtes de la maison de Savoie (de la fin du Xe siècle au début du XIIIe siècle'' (unpublished PhD thesis,
Université de Nice, 1999).
External links
History of House of Savoy(in German)
Humbert Biancamano, Conte di Savoia(in Italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humbert 01, Count of Savoy
11th-century Counts of Savoy
Counts of Aosta
980s births
1040s deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death uncertain
Place of birth unknown