Victor Amadeus III (Vittorio Amadeo Maria; 26 June 1726 – 16 October 1796) was
King of Sardinia
The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia, in particular, of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica from 1323 and then of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1479 to 1861.
Early history
Owing to the absence of written sources, little ...
from 1773 to his death. Although he was politically conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until he declared war on Revolutionary France in 1792. He was the father of the last three mainline
Kings of Sardinia
Kings or King's may refer to:
*Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings
*One of several works known as the "Book of Kings":
**The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts
**The ''Shahnameh'' ...
.
Early life and personality
![Carlo Emanuele III with the future Vittorio Amedeo III](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Carlo_Emanuele_III_with_the_future_Vittorio_Amedeo_III.jpg)
Born at the
Royal Palace of Turin
The Royal Palace of Turin ( it, Palazzo Reale di Torino) is a historic palace of the House of Savoy in the city of Turin in Northern Italy. It was originally built in the 16th century and was later modernized by Christine Marie of France (1606–1 ...
, he was a son of
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
Charles Emmanuel III (27 April 1701 – 20 February 1773) was Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1730 until his death.
Biography
He was born in Turin to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy and his first wife the French Anne Marie d'Orléans. Hi ...
and his second wife
Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg
Princess Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (Polyxena Christina Johanna; 21 September 1706 – 13 January 1735) was the second wife of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, Charles Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont whom she married in 1724. The mother ...
. He was styled the ''Duke of Savoy'' from birth until he succeeded to his father's throne. He was the eldest son of his parents and was the
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
from birth which was greeted with much celebration. His father had had a son with his first wife,
Countess Palatine Anne Christine of Sulzbach
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
who was also named Victor Amadeus,
Duke of Aosta
Duke of Aosta ( it, Duca d'Aosta; french: Duc d'Aoste) was a title in the Italian nobility. It was established in the 13th century when Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, made the County of Aosta a duchy. The region was part of the Savoyard stat ...
, but died in 1725. His education was entrusted to
Gerdil Giacinto Sigismondo, with a particular emphasis on military training. Throughout his life he
would have a great interest in the state military, on which he lavished attention.
![Clementi, attributed to - Victor Amadeus III](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Clementi%2C_attributed_to_-_Victor_Amadeus_III.jpg)
As a young prince, he surrounded himself with intellectuals and ministers, many of whom would come to prominence in his reign. He was privately conservative and a very religious person, and, as a young boy, stayed far from public life. His father felt him to be unsuitable to hold power.
Good-natured but naive, Savoy would be loved by his subjects for his generosity.
Marriage
He married
Infanta Maria Antonia of Spain (1729–1785), youngest daughter of
Philip V of Spain
Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...
and
Elisabeth Farnese
Elisabeth Farnese (Italian: ''Elisabetta Farnese'', Spanish: ''Isabel Farnesio''; 25 October 169211 July 1766) was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She exerted great influence over Spain's foreign policy and was the ''de facto'' rule ...
.
They were married on 31 May 1750 at
Oulx
Oulx ( oc, label= Occitan, Ors) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about west of Turin, in the Susa Valley on the border with France.
Names
Like many other towns in the Susa V ...
and later had twelve children. He had a loving relationship with his wife who exerted little influence over her husband.
[Morselli. Mario: ''Amedeo Avogadro, a scientific biography'', Springer, 1984, p 6] The marriage had been arranged by Maria Antonietta's half brother, the ruling
Ferdinand VI of Spain
, house = Bourbon-Anjou
, father = Philip V of Spain
, mother = Maria Luisa of Savoy
, birth_date = 23 September 1713
, birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
, death_date =
, death_place = Villavici ...
. The Spanish
Infanta
''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...
had been previously rejected by
Louis, Dauphin of France. The union was used to strengthen relations between
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
and
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) 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 ...
having fought on opposing sides in the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...
. The
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the war.
King of Sardinia
![Mengs - Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia - Versailles MV 3963](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Mengs_-_Victor_Amadeus_III_of_Sardinia_-_Versailles_MV_3963.png)
When Victor Amadeus came to the throne in 1773 he started working on bureaucratic and military aspects of the reign. He was suspicious of anything innovative. However, he did implement several public works as well as paying a great deal of attention to his administration and armed forces. He approved and set up two new important cultural state institutions on the advice of the bourgeoisie and aristocracy alike. He started works of improvements in the port of
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
, and had dams in the Arce and the road of the Côte built.
At the outbreak of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, Victor Amadeus III allowed his two sons-in-law, the Counts of Artois, Provence and the Princesses
Marie Adélaïde and
Victoire to stay in his kingdom under his protection. After four years of fighting, the French under
Bonaparte had finally beaten the Piedmontese army in the
Battle of Montenotte
The Battle of Montenotte was fought on 12 April 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars, between the French army under General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian corps under Count Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau. The French won the battle, whi ...
(12 April 1796), the
Battle of Millesimo (13–14 April 1796) and the
Battle of Mondovi
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 ...
(21 April 1796). On April 26 the French proclaimed the
Republic of Alba
The Republic of Alba () was a revolutionary municipality proclaimed on 26 April 1796, in Alba, Piedmont, when the town was taken by the French army. The municipality had a very short life of only 2 days because, with the Armistice of Cherasco on ...
on the occupied territories. Two days later, with the Armistice of Cherasco, the Republic was ceded back to Victor Amadeus. He was forced to sign the
Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
on May 15 abandoning the
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition (french: Guerre de la Première Coalition) was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 initially against the constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French Republic that suc ...
against the French Republic.
![Vittorio Amedeo III](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Vittorio_Amedeo_III.jpg)
The terms of the treaty required him to cede the fortresses of
Cuneo
Cuneo (; pms, Coni ; oc, Coni/Couni ; french: Coni ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area.
It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in ...
,
Ceva
Ceva, the ancient Ceba, is a small Italian town in the province of Cuneo, region of Piedmont, east of Cuneo. It lies on the right bank of the Tanaro on a wedge of land between that river and the Cevetta stream.
History
In the pre-Roman period t ...
,
Alessandria
Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin.
Alessandria ...
and
Tortona
Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.
History ...
to France, and allow free passage of the latter's armies towards Italy. He was also compelled to cede Nice and
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 ...
.
He died on 16 October, 1796 at the
Castle of Moncalieri
The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri ( Metropolitan City of Turin), Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1997.
History
The first structure ...
having suffered an attack of
apoplexy
Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...
. Victor Amadeus died leaving an economically damaged kingdom and two key provinces – Savoy and Nice – devastated, having suffered at the hands of
French revolutionary forces. He was buried at the
Basilica of Superga
The Basilica of Superga () is a church in Superga, in the vicinity of Turin.
History
It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, designed by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga. This fulfilled a vow the duke ...
in Turin.
[Bertolotti. Davide:''Istoria della R. Casa di Savoia'', Antonio Fontana, 1830, p 289]
Legacy
In 1786 Victor Amadeus III moved the remains on many of his ancestors and kinsmen to the
Basilica of Superga
The Basilica of Superga () is a church in Superga, in the vicinity of Turin.
History
It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, designed by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga. This fulfilled a vow the duke ...
, where he himself rests today. He established the
Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers.
The fac ...
21 May 1793. Like his parents, he carried out improvements to the
Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi
The Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi (Italian: "The hunting residence of Stupinigi") is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in northern Italy, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Built as a royal hunting lodge in the earl ...
outside Turin. Victor Amadeus III also encouraged the extension of the
Orto Botanico dell'Università di Torino
The Orto Botanico dell'Università di Torino (2.6 hectares) is a botanical garden and arboretum operated by the Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale of the University of Turin. It is located in the Parco del Valentino along the Po River, at Viale Pie ...
as well as the
Società Agraria di Torino
The Accademia di Agricoltura di Torino (academy of agriculture) of Turin was founded as the Società Agraria di Torino on 24 May 1785, by edict of Victor Amadeus III, King of Sardinia
The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia, in particul ...
, which he created in 1785. His first cousin the
Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
Hesse-Rotenburg is a former German landgraviate created from the landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel in 1627. Its independence ended in 1834 when the estates not bequeathed to princes Victor and Chlodwig of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst were reun ...
was named after him.
Issue
![Portrait of the family of the Duke of Savoy by Giuseppe Duprà circa 1760](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Portrait_of_the_family_of_the_Duke_of_Savoy_by_Giuseppe_Dupr%C3%A0_circa_1760.jpg)
#
Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia
Charles Emmanuel IV (Carlo Emanuele Ferdinando Maria; 24 May 1751 – 6 October 1819) was King of Sardinia from 1796 to 1802. He abdicated in favour of his brother Victor Emmanuel I.
Biography
Carlo Emanuele Ferdinando Maria di Savoia was ...
(24 May 1751 – 6 October 1819) married
Princess Marie Clotilde of France in 1775, no issue.
#
Maria Elisabetta Carlotta of Savoy
Maria Elisabetta Carlotta of Savoy (16 July 1752 – 17 April 1753) was a princess of Kingdom of Savoy, Savoy by birth, and daughter of King Victor Amadeus III of Savoy and his wife, Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain.
Biography
Born to the D ...
(16 July 1752 – 17 April 1755) died in infancy.
#
Maria Giuseppina of Savoy (2 September 1753 – 13 November 1810) married
Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence in 1771, no issue.
#
Amadeus Alexander of Savoy
Prince Amadeus Alexander of Savoy, Duke of Montferrat (''Amedeo Alessandro Maria''; 5 October 1754 – 29 April 1755) was a member of the Royal House of Savoy. He was an infant son of the king of Sardinia Victor Amadeus III of Savoy and his ...
(5 October 1754 – 29 April 1755) died in infancy.
#
Maria Teresa of Savoy
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
*170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
*Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
(31 January 1756 – 2 June 1805) married
Charles, Count of Artois in 1773, had issue.
#
Maria Anna of Savoy
Maria Anna of Savoy ( it, Maria Anna Ricciarda Carolina Margherita Pia; 19 September 1803 – 4 May 1884) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (see Grand title of the Empress of Austria) by marriage to Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria.
Biogra ...
(17 December 1757 – 11 October 1824) married
Prince Benedetto of Savoy in 1775, no issue.
#
Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
Victor Emmanuel I (Vittorio Emanuele; 24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) was the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia (1802–1821).
Biography
Victor Emmanuel was the second son of King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and Maria Antonia Ferdinand ...
(24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) married
Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este in 1789, had issue.
#
Maria Cristina Ferdinanda of Savoy (21 November 1760 – 19 May 1768) died in infancy.
#
Maurizio of Savoy (13 December 1762 – 1 September 1799) died unmarried of
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
.
#
Maria Carolina of Savoy
Maria Carolina of Savoy (Maria Carolina Antonietta Adelaide; 17 January 1764 – 28 December 1782) was a Princess of Savoy from her birth. She was the youngest daughter of the future Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and married in 1781 to the E ...
(17 January 1764 – 28 December 1782) married
Antony, Electoral Prince of Saxony in 1781, no issue.
#
Charles Felix of Sardinia
Charles Felix (; 6 April 1765 – 27 April 1831) was the Duke of Savoy, Piedmont, Aosta and King of Sardinia from 1821 to 1831.
Early life
Charles Felix was born in Turin as the eleventh child and fifth son born to Victor Amadeus III of ...
(6 April 1765 – 27 April 1831) married
Princess Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily in 1807, no issue.
#
Giuseppe of Savoy (5 October 1766 – 29 October 1802) died unmarried of malaria.
Ancestry
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Victor Amadeus 03 Of Savoy
1726 births
1796 deaths
18th-century kings of Sardinia
18th-century Dukes of Savoy
Nobility from Turin
Claimant Kings of Jerusalem
Grand Masters of the Gold Medal of Military Valor
Burials at the Basilica of Superga
Princes of Savoy