Thomas III of Saluzzo as Alexander the Great

Thomas III of Saluzzo () (1356–1416) was

Marquess of Saluzzo The marquises (also marquesses or margraves) of Saluzzo were the medieval feudal rulers city of Saluzzo (today part of Piedmont, Italy) and its countryside from 1175 to 1549. Originally counts, the family received in ''feudum'' the city from the ...

from 1396 until his death.

Life and career

He was born in

Saluzzo Saluzzo (; ) is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region, Italy. The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc. are found in the su ...

in north-western

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

to Frederick II del Vasto and Beatrice of

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. His maternal grandfather was Hugh of Geneva, Lord of Gex, Anthon and Varey. He tried to continue the philo-French politics of his father, mainly to face the menace of Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy, who aimed to conquer the whole

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

. In fact, the treaty stating the nominal submission to France was signed by Thomas well before his father's death. The vassalage to French was also a consequence of the education received by Thomas, who lived in

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

for much of his youth, and travelled there in 1375, 1389, 1401, 1403 and 1405. He was married to the French Marguerite of Roussy. In 1394 he was captured by Savoyard troops while he was leading a ravage in Monasterolo. Imprisoned first in

Savigliano Savigliano () is a of Piedmont, Northern Italy, in the Province of Cuneo, about south of Turin by rail. It is home to ironworks, foundries, locomotive works (once owned by Fiat Ferroviaria, now by Alstom) and silk manufactures, as well as sugar ...

and then in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, he was freed only two years later after a ransom of 20,000 golden

florin The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian ''Fiorino d'oro'') struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains () of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pu ...

s had been paid. In his late years Thomas assigned the succession to his young son

Ludovico Ludovico () is an Italian masculine given name. It is sometimes spelled Lodovico. The feminine equivalent is Ludovica. Persons with the name Ludovico Given name * Ludovico D'Aragona (1876–1961), Italian socialist politician * Ludovico Arios ...

, under the regency of his brother Valerano and the marchioness Marguerite.

Culture

A man of great culture, Thomas was the author of one of the most important chivalric texts of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, '' Le Chevalier Errant'', written probably during his imprisonment in Piedmont. The text, written in French, is an

allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

of the ideals of knighthood. It inspired the famous frescoes in the

Castello della Manta Castello della Manta is a castle at Manta near Saluzzo, Province of Cuneo, region of Piedmont, in northern Italy. History The original building, dating from the 12th century, was later enlarged and transformed into a noble residence by the Sa ...

Marriage and children

He married Marguerite of Pierrepont. She was a daughter of Hugo II,

Count of Roucy This article is a list of the counts of Roucy. In medieval France, Roucy was a county held by a succession of noble families. By the Late Middle Ages, it was one of seven titles that was made a peer within the provincial peerage of the greater Co ...

and Braine. They had five children: *Carlo Giovanni of Saluzzo (1404–1406). *Giovanna of Saluzzo (born 1405, date of death unknown). Married Guigues IV, Lord of Meollet and Offremont. *

Ludovico I of Saluzzo Ludovico I del Vasto (1405–15 April 1475) was Marquess of Saluzzo from 1416 until his death. The son of Marquess Thomas III, he held the Marquisate of Saluzzo for much of the 15th century, under its period of greatest splendour. Always in good ...

, married to Isabella Palaiologina, daughter of

John Jacob, Marquess of Montferrat John Jacob Palaeologus (Italian: ''Giovanni Giacomo Paleologo'') (23 March 1395 – 12 March 1445) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1418 to 1445. He was born in Trino, Piedmont, the son of Theodore II of Montferrat, with whom he collaborate ...

. *Beatrice of Saluzzo. A nun. * Ricciardia of Saluzzo. Married

Niccolò III d'Este Niccolò III d'Este (9 November 1383 – 26 December 1441) was Marquess of Ferrara from 1393 until his death. He was also a condottiero. Biography Born in Ferrara on 9 November 1383, Niccolo was the son of Alberto d'Este and Isotta Albaresan ...

. He also had at least three children with his mistress, Olmeta de Soglio: *Valerano of Saluzzo (died 1443). *Lanzarotto of Saluzzo. *Giovanna, Abbess of Santa Maria di Staffarda. The existence of illegitimate daughter Elena of Saluzzo is disputed.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas 03 Of Saluzzo 1356 births 1416 deaths People from Saluzzo Tommaso 3 Italian poets Italian male poets Italian writers in French Aleramici