Amadeus IX (1 February 1435 – 30 March 1472), nicknamed the Happy, was the

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 at ...

from 1465 to 1472. The Catholic Church venerates him with a liturgical feast on March 30.

Life

He was born at

Thonon-les-Bains Thonon-les-Bains (; frp, Tonon), often simply referred to as Thonon, is a subprefecture of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2018, the commune had a population of 35,241. Thonon-les-Bains ...

, the son of Louis, Duke of Savoy, and Anne de Lusignan, daughter of Janus of Cyprus, King of Cyprus. In 1452, his mother arranged a political marriage to Yolande of Valois (1434–1478), sister of Louis XI of France and daughter of Charles VII of France. Because of his epilepsy and retirement, she was left in control of the state.

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 ...

and the Holy Roman Empire competed to gain control of Savoy's strategically important

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

's mountain passes and trade routes. His sister, Charlotte of Savoy, became the second wife of Louis XI of France. French influence increased in Savoy and involved the country in the wars between France and the emperors. The Castle of Moncalleri in Piedmont, Italy was initially built around 1100 as a fortress on a hill, to command the main southern access to Turin. In the mid-15th century Yolande turned it into a Renaissance Royal Palace. Amadeus was a particular protector of Franciscan friars and endowed other religious houses as well as homes for the care of the poor and suffering. He made a pilgrimage to Saint-Claude in 1471. Amadeus died in 1472. He was also an avid collector of

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced i ...

s, adding over sixty items to the ducal library started by his great-grandfather

Amadeus VIII Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was the son of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy and Bonne of Berry. He was a claimant to the papa ...

.Hand, Joni M., ''Women, Manuscripts and Identity in Northern Europe 1350-1550'', Routledge, 2017
, p. 25

Family

Amadeus IX had ten children with Yolande of Valois: # Louis (1453) # Anne (1455–1480), married Frederick IV of Naples (1452–1504), prince of

Altamura Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basili ...

# Charles (1456–1471), Prince of Piedmont # Maria (1460–1511) married

Philip of Hachberg-Sausenberg Margrave Philip of Hachberg-Sausenberg (1454 – 9 September 1503) was the son of the Margrave Rudolf IV of Hachberg-Sausenberg and Margaret of Vienne. Philip reigned in 1487–1503 as Margrave of Hachberg-Sausenberg and Count of Neuchâtel. ...

(1454–1503) # Louise (1461–1503), married Hugh, Prince of Chalon and, later, became a Poor Clare nun # Philibert (1465–1482), oldest surviving son # Bernard (1467) # Charles (1468–1490) # James Louis (1470–1485), Count of Genevois,

# Gian Claudio Galeazzo (1472) His daughter Louise became a nun of the

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Second Order after being widowed at a young age. She was also beatified. Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy (1890)

Beatification

A painting of Amadeus, made in 1474 was housed in the Dominican church in Turin and acquired a miraculous reputation. In 1612 a brief text was published in the same city, by Girolamo Cordieri, canon of the cathedral chapter of Mondovi, extolling the holy Amadeus. Cordieri was later appointed theologian to Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy. Also that year, a canon from Vercelli published a compendium of miracles attributed to the intercession of Amadeus IX. The cultus of Amadeus was actively promoted by Charles Emanuel's son, Prince Maurice of Savoy, Cardinal of Vercelli. In 1613, an ''Historia del Beato Amedeo terzo duca di Savoia'' was composed by Fr. Pietro-Francisco Malletta. Six years later, the Duke of Savoy issued nine-florin coins depicting Amadeus IX on one side. These appear to have been used as religious medals, particularly in the

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 ...

, where they were distributed by Francis de Sales. Michel Merle suggests that the revival of the cult of Amadeus IX was part of a decades long effort on the part of the House of Savoy to enhance its political status. Presented as a holy prince known for his charity and concern for the poor, Amadeus IX was beatified on 3 March 1677 by Pope Innocent XI.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amadeus 09 of Savoy 1435 births 1472 deaths 15th-century Dukes of Savoy 15th-century venerated Christians Burials at Vercelli Cathedral French beatified people Roman Catholic royal saints Italian people of Cypriot descent People from Thonon-les-Bains People with epilepsy Royalty and nobility with disabilities