Louis II of Vaud
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Louis II (1283×94 – 1348×49), son of
Louis I of Vaud Louis I (1249/50 – 1302) was the Baron of Vaud. At the time of his birth he was a younger son of the House of Savoy, but through a series of deaths and his own effective military service, he succeeded in creating a semi-independent principality in ...
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 ...
, was the Baron of Vaud from 1302 until his death. A military man, he fought widely in Italy and, during the first phase of the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
, in France. As a diplomat he visited England and the papal court in Rome and Avignon, and he served as regent of 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. History ...
between 1343 and his death, during which period he was the leader of the House of Savoy.


Family

Louis married Isabelle, daughter of John I, lord of Arlay, of the
House of Chalon The House of Chalon-Arlay was a French noble house, a cadet branch of the House of Ivrea. The founder of the house is John I of Chalon-Arlay, fifth son of John, Count of Chalon. When John III lord of Arlay married to Mary de Baux, princess of Or ...
. With her he had at least one son and one daughter:Cox (1967), 132. * son, name unknown (died 1339) *
Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...
(died 18 June 1388), married: : 1.
Azzone Visconti Azzone Visconti (7 December 1302 – 16 August 1339) was lord of Milan from 1329 until his death. After the death of his uncle, Marco Visconti, he was threatened with excommunication and had to submit to Pope John XXII. Azzone reconstituted his fa ...
in 1331 (widowed in 1339); one daughter : 2.
Raoul II of Brienne, Count of Eu Raoul II of Brienne (1315 – 19 November 1350) was the son of Raoul I of Brienne, Count of Eu and Guînes and Jeanne de Mello. He succeeded his father in 1344 as Count of Eu and Guînes, as well as in his post as Constable of France. In 1340, he ...
, in 1340 (widowed in 1350); no children : 3.
William I, Marquis of Namur William I (1324 – 1 October 1391), also called the Rich, was Count of Namur from 1337 until his death. Life He was the fifth son of John I, Marquis of Namur, and Marie of Artois. Because his four elder brothers all died childless between 133 ...
, in 1352; three children.


International career (1302–1343)

In 1308 Louis was one of those representing the Savoyards at the coronation of
Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...
in
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
.Cox (1967), 36–37. In 1310 he joined the expedition of Henry VII into Italy to be crowned Emperor, and was himself made a
Senator of Rome Summus Senator is a medieval title of Rome for the head of the civil government in the city. The ancient Senate continued to function after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, but it became increasingly irrelevant and seems to have disappeare ...
. He continued to serve Henry's cause in Italy until 1313. His grandiloquent title at this time was "Louis of Savoy, a magnificent man,
by the grace of God By the Grace of God ( la, Dei Gratia, abbreviated D.G.) is a formulaic phrase used especially in Christian monarchies as an introductory part of the full styles of a monarch. For example in England and later the United Kingdom, the phrase was fo ...
a most illustrious senator of the city of Rome". Between 1314 and 1322, Louis led several campaigns against the
Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...
, a traditional rival of Savoy. In 1322 his uncle and suzerain,
Amadeus V, Count of Savoy Amadeus V (1252/1253 – 16 October 1323) was Count of Savoy from 1285 to 1323. Biography Amadeus was the son of Thomas II of Savoy and Beatrice Fieschi. Through his mother he was a grandnephew of Pope Innocent IV. Following his marriage to S ...
, appointed him lieutenant-general of the
Canavese Canavese ( French: ''Canavais''; Piedmontese: ''Canavèis'') is a subalpine geographical and historical area of North-West Italy which lies today within the Metropolitan City of Turin in Piedmont. Its main town is Ivrea and it is famous for its ca ...
, south of the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, and in 1330 he made him a member of the
Council of Savoy A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
, the highest organ of state in Savoy. In 1331 Louis was campaigning in
Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
in an effort to carve out a new kingdom for
John the Blind John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...
,
King of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia was established in 870 and raised to the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198. Several Bohemian monarchs ruled as non-hereditary kings beforehand, first gaining the title in 1085. From 1004 to 1806, Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman ...
. The king installed his son, the future
Emperor Charles IV Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...
, as his vicar in Lombardy, and appointed Louis to be Charles's chief counsellor. The baron of Vaud had to decline the office on account of a conflict of interests, since his eldest daughter Catherine had just married Azzone Visconti,
lord of Milan The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna. Before elevation to duchy Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that elect ...
.


Regent of Savoy (1343–1349)

Louis and his immediate family were present on 12 January 1334 when
Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music *Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name * ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer * ''Amadeus'' (film), ...
, future Count of Savoy, was baptised by the
Bishop of Maurienne The French Roman Catholic diocese of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (San Giovanni di Moriana in Italian) has since 1966 been effectively suppressed, formally united with the archdiocese of Chambéry. While it has not been suppressed, and is supposed to b ...
in the unfinished Sainte-Chapelle of the castle at
Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chambér ...
. On 26 June 1343, the same day as his father's funeral, Amadeus was proclaimed count, and his godfather Count
Amadeus III of Geneva Amadeus III (french: Amédée III, 29 March 1311 – 18 January 1367) was the Count of Geneva from 1320 until his death. He ruled the Genevois, but not the city of Geneva proper, and it was during his time that the term "Genevois" came to be used ...
and Louis of Vaud were proclaimed his
regents A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
, as designated in the will of his father, Count Aymon. The count of Geneva and the baron of Vaud were the first to do
homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
to the new count of Savoy, swearing an oath to be loyal "against all who may live or die". At this time in his career—he was in his mid-fifties—Louis was "the grand old man of the dynasty in wisdom and experience."


Hundred Years' War

After 1337 Louis was frequently in France serving Philip VI with his troops during the war with the England, the Edwardian War. In 1339 Louis's only son was killed at the
Battle of Laupen The Battle of Laupen was fought in June 1339, between Bern and its allies on one side, and Freiburg together with feudal landholders from the County of Burgundy and Habsburg territories on the other. Bern was victorious, consolidating its positio ...
, and his son-in-law Azzo also died, leaving his daughter Catherine as a widow and a potential heiress. Louis's requested and received from Count Aymon permission to name her his heir in the barony, an exceptional privilege given the customs of Savoy. In 1345 Louis was fighting with
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
,
Duke of Normandy In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western Kingdom of France, France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles the Simple, Charles III in ...
, in the
Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...
and
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...
against the English.Cox (1967), 59–60.
Jean Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: '' Jehan'', – ) (also John Froissart) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meliador'', a long Arthuria ...
, the contemporary French historian, mistook Louis for the Count of Savoy in his narration of the war with England.
In 1346 Louis, responding to a springtime summons of the French king for an army from Savoy, which owed him service for a small fief the count held in Normandy, returned to France in August, but his forces did not reach the field of the
Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King EdwardIII. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France du ...
(26 August) until evening, when the carnage was over. Finding the French in retreat, and without awaiting order, Louis immediately set out in the direction of the main English army and succeeded in getting to the town of Montreuil first, where he was able to deny entrance to the marshals of the king of England and garrison the walls and towers with his own men.


Question of the Dauphiné and the Piedmont

In 1343 Louis was tasked with presenting Savoyard fears about the agreed upon sale of the Dauphiné to Philip, Duke of Orléans, a younger son of the French king, to the chancellor of France. Nothing seems to have come of Louis's diplomacy, but he and fellow regent Amadeus III had been reconciled to the plan by January 1344, when they agreed to a marriage between their youthful charge and Joan, a daughter of
Peter I, Duke of Bourbon Peter I of Bourbon (Pierre Ier, Duc de Bourbon in French; 1311 – 19 September 1356) was the second Duke of Bourbon, from 1342 to his death. Peter was son of Louis I of Bourbon, whom he also succeeded as Grand Chamberlain of France, and Ma ...
, and thus a grand-niece of the French king. In 1347 Louis again tried to block the French acquisition of the Dauphiné. When the reigning dauphin, Humbert II, returned from his
Smyrniote crusade The Smyrniote crusades (1343–1351) were two Crusades sent by Pope Clement VI against the Emirate of Aydin under Umur Bey which had as their principal target the coastal city of Smyrna in Asia Minor. The first Smyrniote crusade was the brainch ...
a widower in the spring,
Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bla ...
, who formerly favoured the French, encouraged him to remarry and sire an heir. The papal change of mind was probably induced by the several embassies which Louis can be shown to have sent to the papal court at Avignon during the year, from surviving treasury accounts. In May Louis was preparing to once again lead an army to the aid of France, in obedience to a summons, when he received word that his cousin
James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...
,
Lord of Piedmont The lordship of Piedmont, later the principality of Piedmont ( it, Piemonte), was originally an appanage of the Savoyard county and as such its lords were members of the Achaea branch of the House of Savoy. The title was inherited by the elder br ...
, was threatened by an alliance of the
Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
of Milan, former relatives by marriage of Louis's, and Marquis
John II of Montferrat John II Palaeologus (5 February 1321 – 19 March 1372) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1338. Career John was the son of Theodore I of Montferrat, with whom he was associated in the government from 1336. He had great fortune in extending ...
. The lord of Piedmont held extensive lands in the Canavese, of which Louis was lieutenant-general. Before leaving for France, Louis sent the marshal of Savoy, Antelme de Miolans, to the Piedmont with an army. After his return Louis took the cases of the Dauphiné and the Piedmont to the papal court, where he stayed through the winter of 1347–48. "After sixty years of active and adventurous life", Louis died late in 1348 or early the next year, certainly before 29 January 1349, possibly of the
Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
then sweeping Europe.A document of that date, found in F. T. L. de Granus-Saladin, ''Documents rélatifs à l'histoire du Pays de Vaud'' (Geneva, 1817), record Louis as "once having been" (''quondam''), cf. Cox (1967), 71 n. 90. He was succeeded by his daughter Catherine, who, twice widowed, ruled for two years jointly with her mother. The two were known as ''les Dames de Vaud'', the ladies of Vaud.


Notes


Bibliography

*Eugene L. Cox. ''The Green Count of Savoy: Amadeus VI and Transalpine Savoy in the Fourteenth Century''. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1967. *A. de Gerbaix de Sonnaz. "Mémoire historique sur Louis II de Savoire, sire de Vaud, sénateur de Rome (1310–1312), de 1275 à 1349". ''Mémoires de l'Académie royale de Savoie'' (5th series, 1908), I. {{DEFAULTSORT:Louis 02 Of Vaud 1349 deaths House of Savoy Year of birth unknown 14th-century deaths from plague (disease) 1283 births 14th-century people from Savoy 13th-century people from Savoy